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How to Design a Business Card in PowerPoint

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Business cards might seem old-fashioned, but they're still effective for professionals building their network. A well-designed business card leaves a positive and lasting impression on your potential partners and clients.

Thankfully, you don't have to be a graphic design expert or use complex tools like Adobe Photoshop or InDesign to design a card—all you need is Microsoft PowerPoint. With that and our guide, you can create a unique and remarkable business card.

So, follow this step-by-step tutorial, and start creating your business card today.

Understanding the Basics of Business Card Design

To create a professional-looking business card, it's essential to understand these three design elements:

• The trim border. It's the exact size of your finished business card. In this case, that is 3.5" x 2", the standard card size in the US. This size is 85mm x 55mm for the UK and most of Europe. After printing, the card will be trimmed down to this size, and any content beyond this border will be removed.
• The bleed border. It's the area around the trim border that will be removed. The background design of your card should extend to this area so that if the printer doesn't cut precisely around the trim border, there's no white space around your finished card.
• The safe zone. It's the area that holds your personal and business information. This region ensures that these details are not too close to the trim border and will not be removed in the final card cut-out.

With this understanding, let's dive into creating a business card in nine easy steps.

1. Create a Blank Document in Microsoft PowerPoint

Open PowerPoint on your computer and select Blank Presentation .

To start creating the card, you should have a completely blank canvas. So from the Home tab, click Layout and select Blank from the drop-down options.

2. Set the Slide Size for a Business CardUnder the Design tab, click Slide Size and select Custom Slide Size .

Set the Width of the slide to 3.75 inches and the Height to 2.25 inches. When you're done, click OK .

You can select Maximize or Ensure Fit in the dialog box that pops up ; both will work fine in this case.

3. Add the Bleed, Trim, and Safe Borders

You can use rectangles to add the bleed, trim, and safe borders. To add the bleed border, navigate to the Insert tab. Click on Shapes , and select a rectangle.

When you draw the rectangle, the Shape Format tab opens up. Set the rectangle's Height to 2.25 inches and Width to 3.75 inches.

Click Align , then select Align Center and Align Middle .

​​​​​​Ensure the rectangle is selected, click on Shape Fill , and set it to No Fill .

With the rectangle still selected, click on Shape Outline and set it to Red .

Use the same process for adding the bleed border to add the trim and safe borders using the following dimensions respectively: 3.5" x 2" and 3.25" x 1.75".

4. Add Images

Now that the slide is set up, you can add images (e.g., background image, logo, and profile photo) to the card. So, if you want to add an image, navigate to the Insert tab. Click on Pictures and select This Device if the image is saved on your computer.

After adding the image, resize and position it as you see fit inside the safe zone.

Note: For this design, we are sticking with a white background. If you want to add a background image or gradient to your card, extend it beyond the safe zone to the bleed border.

5. Add Shapes

Shapes are design elements you can use to elevate your design. You can also edit the points of any shape to create custom ones — let's look at an example.

After adding a rectangle to the slide, right-click on it and select Send to Back to place it behind all the elements.

Right-click on the rectangle again, and select Edit Points . Move the point on the bottom left of the rectangle to the right or left to create a new shape.

Click on the new custom shape, and hit Ctrl+D on your keyboard to duplicate the shape. Right-click on the duplicated shape and select Send to Back .

With the duplicated shape selected, click on Shape Fill under the Shape Format tab. If you want to give it a color from your logo design (or any other image you have on the slide), select the Eyedropper tool, and click on the color you want to select. Now position the duplicate shape to suit your preference.

6. Add Text

It's time to add your personal and business details to the business card. To add text, navigate to the Insert tab. Click Shapes , select Text box , and type the text you want to display.

Some of the most common details you would want to add to your business card include:

• Name and title
• Social media handles
• Phone number, Email, etc.
• Company name, address, website, etc.

You can create really cool effects with your design by rotating the text and images you've added, but remember not to overdo it.

All text containing important information should be placed inside the safe zone to avoid being close to the trim border and avoid being cut out in the finished printout.

7. Add Icons

Icons help to highlight the details you have on your business card and add to its overall aesthetic. To add an icon, navigate to the Insert tab and click Icons . From the library that opens up, select the icons you want to add and click Insert .

When the icons are added to the slide, the Graphics Format tab opens up. Under this tab, you can resize, re-color, and position your icons to suit your taste.

You can elevate your design by adding a drop shadow to the graphics you've used, which include icons, shapes, images, and text.

8. Clean Up and Save for Printing

When you're done designing your card, remove the safe, trim, and bleed rectangles to clean up the design. From here, you can save it for printing. The PDF file format is best in this case. To save the design as a PDF file, navigate to the File tab.

Click the Save As option. Enter a name for your design and select PDF from the drop-down list. Click Browse to pick a folder location on your computer to save the file. When you're done, click Save .

9. Design the Back of Your Card

Now that you've designed the front of your business card, you can go through the same process to design the back of the card. This should be much easier since only a few elements go here.

With your card's front and back designs saved in PDF, you can send them to your local print house for hard copies to hand out at future networking events.

Design Your Business Card With Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint can be used as a simple and cost-effective method to design professional-looking cards for your business or personal brand. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily create a unique and polished business card that accurately reflects your brand identity. If you want to take this to the next level and potentially land your dream job, consider designing your career portfolio in PowerPoint.

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Business Cards Template

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Nowadays, it is easier than ever to contact people online but in a professional setting, business cards are still relevant and make you stand out in a digital era. A great business card should contain your contact information, motivate people to get in touch with you and communicate your business or personal brand. Whether you work for a company or as an independent consultant, you can customize our presentation cards template to reflect your professional image and make a great first impression at any meeting or networking event you attend.

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Free Business Cards Template

Corporate business cards.

As part of a company, you’ll interact with new colleagues and clients very often. Don’t miss a chance to grow your professional network and prepare a stack of presentation cards to hand out. The corporate business cards from this template include name, job title, phone number, and email but you can also add your company logo and the corporate website. 

Creative Business Cards for Freelancers

If you offer your professional services as a freelance, presentation cards are a must to promote your personal business. In this template, you’ll be able to showcase your creative side while maintaining a professional look and feel. People will be more than happy to receive such unique cards. Don’t forget to include social media handles like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or a blog where potential clients can see your online portfolio. 

Simple and Clean Design

No matter what industry you work in, a business card should always reflect professionalism. And that’s exactly what you’ll get from this template, which features a readable typography, a clear content hierarchy and overall a neat and sleek design.

Business icons

All the presentation cards from this creative template comes with little business icons to use in the address, phone and email sections.

Professionalism

Having your own business card adds credibility to your company and trust in your work as it communicates clearly what you can do in your professional field.

Business card protocol

Corporate etiquette states that we should use our right hand when giving or receiving business cards. And if the exchange happens with senior positions, we should use both hands as a sign of respect.

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"24Slides helps us get PowerPoints on-brand, and improve overall design in a timeframe that is often “overnight”. Leveraging the time zone change and their deep understanding of PowerPoint, our Marketing team has a partner in 24Slides that allows us to focus purely on slide content, leaving all of the design work to 24Slides."

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Strata Research

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Simple Business Card

It seems that you like this template, simple business card presentation, free google slides theme, powerpoint template, and canva presentation template.

You should always carry with you a couple (or a couple dozens) of business cards. You never know when a chance of doing business might come up! Slidesgo can't but help you with this! Here's a template with some simple designs of business cards. Sometimes, less is more, so try adding your own data to the design you like and then print it. We've left some extra resources at the end, which you can copy and paste as you wish.

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Business Card Templates

Business cards will always be important because, in a lot of ways, it's like leaving a little piece of yourself behind after you've had a conversation or meaningful interaction with someone. When someone looks at the business card, they need to be instantly reminded of who you are, what you're all about and why you matter - and these free business card templates were designed from the ground up to help you do exactly that.

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Business cards are incredibly important for the same reason that resumes are - they're the perfect opportunity for you to stand out in a crowded marketplace. Not only do they have to make a great impression on your target audience, but they also have to instantly separate you in a visual, easy-to-understand way from the countless other business cards someone might receive.

With these free business card templates , you can create something stunning, originally and wholly unique - right from your Web browser in a way that is easy-to-customize and even easier to get out into the world. As an added bonus, you even have full access to a complete library of royalty free stock images from which to draw from - further highlighting that unique quality that makes you "you" in a way that people will never forget.

Just choose the template that best reflects what you're trying to convey, customize it in a way that makes it unique and you're ready to go. Absolutely no design or coding experience is required - you have a vision and finally you have the tools necessary to make that vision a reality. Get started with our business card creator today.

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Digital business cards: a guide to creating and sharing virtual contacts

Estimated reading time: 14 minutes

Digital media has overtaken print in almost every aspect of day-to-day life. But while paper newspapers and magazines have largely gone the way of the dinosaur, somehow print business cards have managed to hang on. This is poised to change thanks to the rising popularity of digital business cards.

Virtual business cards make networking much more seamless by integrating with the built-in contacts on digital devices. They are also much easier to create and share. And are less wasteful than traditional business cards. At the same time, their popularity is still growing, and there isn’t as much information as to how to go about making them. To make the process clearer, we’ve put together this guide to digital business cards.

What is a digital business card?

A digital business card is a computer file containing contact information, including text and multimedia, that can be shared electronically between devices. Because its usage is still not as widespread, it can sometimes be referred to as a virtual or electronic business card.

As all of these names imply, it is essentially the digital version of a physical business card. In fact, a printed business card scanned and uploaded to a computer can technically be considered a digital business card. Of course, a digital business card can be so much more than a static image, as we’ll see later on. But first, let’s get into how exactly these files work.

How digital business cards are created

The traditional file type used for storing contact information is called vCard (Virtual Card) or VCF (Virtual Contact File)—these are the same thing. Macs and PCs come with built-in capabilities of creating and reading vCard files through built-in contact apps. Third-party apps like Gmail, Outlook and CRM (customer relationship management) services like Hubspot and Salesforce also read and store vCard information into contact lists. Often, when you create a new contact in some form of messaging app, you are actually creating a new vCard file.

With Gmail, you can create and export a VCF or vCard file through the Contacts app

The vCard file format is capable of storing text and an image like a profile picture. How all of that information is displayed is dependent on the app that is reading it, which is to say that the UI designers have already created rules for how incoming data will conform to the app’s branding. All in all, vCards are a relatively old file format and somewhat limited in what they can accomplish—they largely consist of text input fields.

There are also digital business card maker apps that create their own proprietary file format, using cloud storage for your data and contact list. These are typically based on customizable design templates. If you want to get more creative than this, you would essentially need to work with a designer and a developer. We’ll have more on these processes later on.

How digital business cards are shared

Creating a digital business card is one thing, but how are you supposed to hand over something you can’t touch? The most common methods involve a URL, an email signature attachment, and/or a QR code the potential client can scan directly from your phone or a printed source. If you’ve created your card through a digital business card maker service or a contact app like Gmail, that program will have its own specific instructions for sharing it.

A printed QR code can lead potential clients to your virtual contact file. Business card design by maxgraphics via 99designs by Vista.

NFC, or near-field communication, is another option. This technology wirelessly transmits data, most commonly used by payment services like Apple Pay. In that context, the purchaser taps their phone to a device that automatically captures their credit card information. If using this approach, keep in mind you need a separate, NFC-specific device, to read the data being transmitted. For more information, check out our article about NFC business cards .

The benefits of digital business cards

The advantages that virtual business cards have over print are so overwhelming in number that it would make more sense to ask why print business cards are even still a thing. Let’s go over some of the more obvious benefits of a digital business card:

• Immediate integration with contact lists . This is a major benefit: instead of hoping the receiver of your business card won’t immediately throw it away and will eventually make the choice to add you to their contacts, digital business cards integrate with contact lists automatically.
• Clickable links . All the receiver has to do is tap your phone number or social media icon to contact you.
• No printing costs . Although some digital business card makers charge a subscription fee for storing your data, this is much cheaper than the cost of bulk cardstock printing.
• Adaptable . If you make a mistake on your first pass, your details change, or you just get bored of the design, you can easily change it. With print cards, changing information is an expensive and wasteful process, forcing you to reprint a new batch.
• Infinite supply . You’ll never run out of cards and have to shell out for the printers again.
• More creative freedom . Unlike print design, colors and size are not limited (though it is recommended you aim for mobile phone dimensions).
• Multimedia capabilities . Videos and animations are possible with digital files.
• More opportunities to share . Print cards require an in-person interaction. A digital business card can often be attached casually to an email signature. Some virtual card builders can even integrate with other third-party digital apps like Zoom, allowing you to place your personal details and QR code within a virtual background.

Virtual business cards can integrate with other digital apps such as Zoom. Image via Sansan

So what about the advantages that print business cards have over digital? As you can imagine, there aren’t many. But worth mentioning is the fact that tactile effects like textures or embossing are only possible through print. Touch is a primary sense tied to memory, so you shouldn’t count this out. And as always, there is something to be said about the physical presence of a print card—it takes up space and has weight—whereas digital products that exist only in the virtual world are arguably more easily forgotten.

At the end of the day, you don’t actually have to choose one over the other. You can design a digital business card quickly and cheaply while keeping a stack of printed cards for special situations. You can also include a QR code on print cards so that your VCF file easily integrates with the client’s phone contacts. With all that said, we are quickly approaching the point where not having a digital business card at all will put you at a disadvantage, and the same won’t always be true of print.

How to create a digital business card

Gather your business card information.

Before you create your virtual business card, start by allocating all of the necessary information and media assets. It will make the design process smoother to have this on hand to give to a designer or enter into a template maker. In case you haven’t already, you should make sure that you’ve established your personal brand identity , including logo, color scheme and fonts.

Design by vanessarnaynard via 99designs by Vista.

Digital business cards can include all of the standard information on a print business card, but they are also capable of more features that you can take advantage of. Here are some examples of typical items you will need for a digital business card:

• Name and pronouns
• Job title and accreditations
• Tagline explaining what you do/offer
• Photo and/or logo
• Phone number
• General location (city, state/country is fine)
• Website links
• Social links (anything relevant to your business from Twitter to Twitch)
• Multimedia (i.e. an explainer/introduction video)
• Save/Download button (downloads your raw VCF or vCard file into the receiver’s contacts)
• Share button (in case the receiver knows someone else who needs your services)

When it comes to business card design, even in the virtual world, sometimes less is more. Design by Tcmenk via 99designs by Vista.

It is important to note that while digital business cards are capable of displaying more information—including videos and animations—the purpose of a business card is to sell yourself quickly and succinctly. In other words, less is more. Don’t overwhelm the viewer with too much information—your website, resume or LinkedIn profile can fill in the gaps. All in all, everything should fit within the dimensions of a mobile phone screen and should be easily skimmable.

Choose an approach for creating a virtual business card

There are two basic approaches for creating a digital business card: using a template or creating a custom design.

Digital business card maker website

There are a few different websites that allow you to build your own digital business card using their proprietary software (these work much the same way as website builders ). Essentially, you make an account on the site, pay a fee, and are guided through the steps to selecting a template, customizing details like color, and entering your information.

Virtual business card makers are based around customizable templates. Image via HiHello

Some of the more popular sites that specialize in digital business cards include HiHello , Sansan , about.me . And of course, you can also use Gmail’s Contacts app to create a basic digital business card yourself. These apps (and any others you come across) will all have different price points and features, so let’s run through some tips on how to compare them.

• Price . Review whether they charge a one-time fee or an ongoing subscription.
• App-to-app integration . Do they expect you to use their proprietary contacts app or do they interface with third-party contact apps? Do recipients of your business card also need to have the app?
• Template selection . How diverse and creative are their template offerings? Do they all look the same? What customization options are there?
• Bonus features . Some apps will come with unique options for sharing, such as creating Zoom backgrounds of your business card information or including share buttons on your business card.
• Reviews . Trustpilot and site jabber can help you gauge customer satisfaction.

The advantage of using a template builder site is that it is a quick, easy, and cheap process. All most people really need is a functional digital business card to share contact details without a ton of bells and whistles, and these apps accomplish that painlessly. Of course, the drawback is that you’re not going to get a creative or unique design, which may make it hard to stand out. This will become much more of an issue as digital business cards become more widespread, and the same templates start showing up over and over again.

Custom digital business card design from scratch

Creating a digital business card from scratch can be more of a complicated and unclear process, but the results of a more original, standout design are well worth it. This involves contracting two different professionals: a designer and a developer. (Note: some freelancers do both, but for the most part design and development are separate disciplines—art vs. computer science).

Design by coric design via 99designs by Vista.

The designer is responsible for creating the visual look of your digital business card. You could, of course, stop there, but you would effectively be left with a static digital image. If you want your digital business card to be interactive, shareable, and able to integrate with the recipient’s contacts, you need someone who is able to write code: a developer.

A common workaround is to create a custom digital business card in the form of a mobile web page connected to your personal website. This should include a prominent Download button linked to the vCard file that you made with your preferred contacts app. That said, because the technology and methods for creating custom digital business cards are still evolving, a developer will be more knowledgeable on the subject, which is why it is important to do your consulting early on.

Design by Hasanssin via 99designs by Vista.

Assuming the developer can do what you’re asking for, you should also get an idea of their design file requirements: what file format they need, what effects they can and can’t do, etc. This will help you avoid last-minute project derailments when working with your designer.

Once you have these requirements, you are free to start your search for a designer to help create your business card. You could even use one of VistaPrint’s design services , like hiring a designer from 99designs by Vista.

Create the virtual business card design

If you have chosen the template-based approach, creating the design is as simple as following along with the maker’s instructions and entering your data at the prompts. These sites are made to be used by non-designers, so the process is often extremely simple.

Design by velvetmade via 99designs by Vista.

If you are working with a designer, first you will need to create a project brief that includes all of your copy and media assets, background about your company/brand, aesthetic preferences and example designs, and file type requirements. You will also need to set up terms for payment and you will need a means of sending messages and sharing designs (if you are working remotely).

Design by merci dsgn via 99designs by Vista.

When it comes to giving feedback , it is a good idea to run an early draft of the design by the developer to make sure they are able to technically implement it. This is why it is crucial to contract the developer ahead of time. Assuming everything is good to go, all you have to do is collect the finished design files, pay the designer, and send the files off to the developer.

Once you have a working digital business card, create a QR code  with a link to it. Save this on your phone and test it out on a friend to make sure they receive your digital business card. And there you have it: your own custom digital business card!

Digital business cards are the future

Digital business cards are highly useful and capable of so much more than their traditional print fore-bearers. As our dependence on digital media has ramped up, virtual business cards are showing up more and more. At the moment, template-based creator sites provide the easiest way to capitalize on this trend. But as demand increases, we can expect to see a rise in creative, custom digital business cards.

Want to get the perfect digital business card?

Check out all your design options and bring your digital business card to life today

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Author: Johnny Levanier

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Credit Card Surcharging: A Recipe for Savings

You may have a small business or enterprise venture that does lots of online transactions. Maybe you’re a wholesaler looking for ways to control business costs. Even better, maybe you have customers who want to pay with a credit card because it means they can spend more with your business or take advantage of their rewards.

Unfortunately, accepting credit card payments comes at a cost, and credit card processing fees are only going  up .

So what do you do? You could decide to accept only debit, cash, or check; but that could mean losing a ton of business. You could try incentivizing cash payments, making your customers less likely to choose credit. But that could leave some customers with a bad taste in their mouth. Fortunately, credit card surcharging allows you to serve your customers with numerous payment options and still keep the whole pie.

As you’re probably painfully aware, credit card companies want a piece of the action every time your business takes payment by credit. The average credit card processing fee can carve out anywhere from 1.5% to 4% of each transaction’s total. Especially in today’s post-pandemic world, many small business owners are operating with razor-thin margins. Yet credit card companies want a slice of the pie. None of us can afford this kind of death-by-a-thousand-slices.

Fortunately, a simple credit card surcharge strategy can give you a way to have your cake and eat it too! Credit card surcharging gives you a way to keep what you’ve earned while paying the credit card companies what they want. With the right support, you can accept payment with any credit card without losing money on the deal. It’s a perfect recipe for savings that will protect your bottom line!

Table of Contents

Ingredients for Greater Savings With Credit Card Surcharging

· Pricing transparency for your customers · Fully compliant surcharging · Passing off the credit card processing fee to the customer · Acceptance of any debit or credit card · Multiple payment options · Secure transaction technology

Serves: any small business owner or enterprise venture who wants to keep the entire payment for their services or merchandise without credit card processing fees eating up their profits. Cooking Time: rapid turnaround on implementation so you can get back to the business of doing business without waiting.

Preparation: The Right Credit Card Surcharge Strategy Could Save You Thousands

Credit card surcharging is a way to pass the cost of credit card processing fees to the customer at the point of service. It should usually be listed as a line item on their receipt, with a full disclosure ahead of time as to why the surcharge is being added and ways the customer could avoid the surcharge by choosing another payment method, like debit or cash.

When incorporating credit card surcharging into your business strategy, you have to do your research to know that you’re getting the best guidance when it comes to credit card surcharge law. For example, do you know what states allow a  credit card surcharge , or what the requirements are for following the laws/regulations for surcharging in those states?

Sometimes you need to know when to call in reinforcements. Fortunately, there are experts who can help you with all aspects of payment technology for your business. CardX Founder and  CEO Jonathan Razi  put it like this: “[We can] take care of everything from the proper disclosure to charging the proper fee, to ensuring how it settles to the merchant’s bank account, how it’s reported to the customer, et cetera, et cetera.” Surcharge support providers can streamline the entire process and provide the technology you need for secure transactions. With the right support, credit card surcharging is a recipe for huge savings on your business expenses. Like any great recipe, credit card surcharge strategy takes some preparation.

Step 1: Make Sure You’re 100% Compliant with Credit Card Surcharge Laws

On its surface, credit card surcharging seems simple enough: you just tack on a little extra to credit card transactions  to offset the processing fee , right? Unfortunately, it’s a little more complicated than that. Credit card surcharge laws can be complex, and there’s a lot of fine print. The precise rules vary from state to state, and some states don’t allow credit card surcharges. Regulations may also be different if you make online sales where your customer is in a different state than you!

Do-it-yourself strategies for offsetting the cost of accepting credit cards typically don’t follow credit card surcharge laws. For example, did you know “convenience fees” attached to credit card transactions actually don’t comply with the law? Most so-called “cash discount” programs also don’t comply with regulations. Not only do you need to ensure that your strategy is legal, but you also need to avoid running afoul of the particular rules of each credit card brand. The laws and rules that apply to surcharging sometimes seem like they’re intentionally complicated. Who has the time to learn all the ins and outs of credit card surcharge laws, plus the rules for each specific credit card brand? All while trying to run your business, of course.

When it comes to credit card surcharging, compliance is king. Fortunately, you don’t have to go it alone. Partnering with experts like CardX protects your business by ensuring complete compliance with each card brand and the laws for your location and the location of your customer. “So for example,” Jonathan Razi offers, “if you have a customer based in Colorado, [which has specific credit card  surcharge laws  that differ from other states,] that’s automatically going to come up. You don’t need to worry about that. You don’t need to know about that with us.” Your surcharge service provider should ensure you’re 100% compliant with no extra work on your side, so you can focus on doing what you do best.

Step 2: Find Credit Card Surcharging Support That Trims Down Your Processing Costs

Due to the pandemic, many businesses had to evolve to incorporate more digital payment options. Still, accepting credit cards can cost too much. Razi identified payment processing fees as a major business cost. “For many businesses,” he says, “it is one of their largest operating expenses after payroll and rent.”

Whether you’re involved in business-to-customer (b2c) sales or business-to-business (b2b) sales, such as a wholesaler, your transactions are likely subject to an array of credit card processing fees. However, in many cases, b2b fees can far outstrip those for b2c. Not only are the rates higher in many cases, but the transaction amounts are typically much larger, making b2b credit surcharge strategies even more important.

Financial technology has evolved by leaps and bounds in the past few decades—even the past few years. Customers now have more options than ever before for sending money, and making purchases. Unfortunately, it also leaves business owners in a sticky situation with the rising cost of doing business. According to this year’s Nilson Report, merchants across the US paid 25% more in processing fees over the  previous year .

Surcharging is a great strategy to help offset a potentially disastrous drain on your profits. When choosing a credit card surcharging provider, you need to be sure it won’t cost so much that it cancels out your potential savings. Some providers charge an arm and a leg for surcharge support. That’s why Jonathan built his approach around truly zero-cost surcharging.

Credit card surcharging also isn’t the ideal solution for every business. Jonathan puts it like this: some businesses operate with huge profit margins. So even if they have to pay a processing fee, “they’re still coming out way, way ahead. So that’s a space where it doesn’t make sense to surcharge. It really depends on the dynamics of the business. And I would also say surcharging is not as good a fit if the ticket size is very small, like a convenience store, [or] if debit cards are much more common than credit cards.” CardX considers each business’s particular needs when structuring their payment strategies.

Step 3: Implement Your Credit Card Surcharge Strategy

When doing business, lag time is not acceptable. You need quick implementation and seamless integration, especially when it comes to taking payments. When you’re ready to add credit card surcharging into your business model, you need to be sure it won’t leave you stuck. Integration should be quicker than the time it takes to warm up an oven. Ok, maybe not that fast, but you get the gist. That’s why it’s essential to enlist a completely turnkey surcharging solution. Too many credit card surcharging solutions out there add to the already heavy administrative burden of running your business. You need a system that will work immediately without putting extra work on your plate. CardX, for example, takes care of “reconciliation, cash application, how this shows up on invoices and receipts, how you’re going to put this into your own online checkout. All of that is super simple.” The company will supply you with a payment terminal already set up with all the compliant software you need. You’ll get appropriate signage, an implementation guide, and even the cables and printer paper. Folding in the cheese has never been any clearer!

Enjoying the Savings on Processing Costs

Once credit card surcharging has become part of your business, things should start to heat up! Whether you’re using b2c or b2b credit surcharging, the right implementation will empower you to keep the full price of whatever you sell, be it wholesale cleaning supplies, plumbing services, or custom widgets. Most businesses will save thousands every year by passing the cost of credit card processing along to their customers. However, great financial technology goes beyond setting you up for surcharging.

As a business owner, you know things can go wrong. If you’ve ever had your card reader fail in the middle of a sale, you know the dread and frustration of possibly missing out on business because of technical difficulties. You need ongoing, reliable, responsive support to keep business hot and ensure you never end up frozen. You also need any speed bumps to be resolved so business can flow.

Part of that responsiveness comes from great customer service from your credit card surcharging provider. Part of it comes from well-designed, dependable technology. But ongoing support to keep you cooking with gas means everything from troubleshooting to restocking your receipt paper whenever needed. The whole point of credit card surcharging is to help control the cost of doing business and empower you to take any payment type your customers want to use. Your payment and surcharging provider should be prepared to keep your sales flowing and your business red-hot.

Your Credit Card Surcharge Presentation Makes a Difference

So surcharging sounds like a great strategy, right? Now we just need to get your customers onboard. While it might seem tempting to camouflage your surcharge policy under a little garnish, credit card surcharge laws dictate that your policy must be made clear in various ways. Like many things, the right presentation can make all the difference in how your customers feel about it!

Credit Card Surcharge Laws Require Transparency

Fully compliant credit card surcharging requires transparency. Your customers need to be informed in clear terms at multiple specific points that they will be paying a surcharge. Some merchants and business owners hesitate to implement surcharging for that reason. After all, won’t it make the customers mad? Nobody likes to be nickel-and-dimed, right?

This is where presentation makes all the difference. Credit card surcharging isn’t a scam to squeeze extra income out of your sales. It’s a legitimate way to serve your customers by accepting more payment types. It also means you can avoid raising prices across the board to compensate for the extra overhead, making it a win-win all the way around!

Ideally, your credit card surcharge strategy should make more payment types accessible without taking anything off the table. Some surcharge providers limit your options to certain credit card brands or make it difficult for your customers to select other payment types. Ultimately, your customers want versatility and choice when making purchases, and your surcharge strategy should support that. That’s why you should focus on finding a provider who can support any debit or credit card and allows multiple payment options. After all, you want to make it as easy as possible for your customers to make their purchases.

The Right Presentation Makes Credit Card Surcharging More Palatable

Full transparency about your credit card surcharge policy gives your customers the respect they deserve. Feedback CardX has received indicates that customers are fine with accepting a surcharge if it’s adequately explained in advance. When they understand how it helps you stay in business and keep providing the goods and services they love, they’re generally quick to adopt it. Well-implemented surcharging will also give them the option to choose a different payment method to avoid the fee if they so choose, which is why it’s so important that your surcharge service provider can support multiple payment types.

Whether most of your sales happen in person, online, or through a virtual terminal in an office setting, CardX has you covered. For online sales, your payment software should tick a few boxes: · Attractive · Easy to use · Completely secure

For businesses that opt to partner with  CardX , that’s where  Lightbox  comes in. Their payment software was designed to work seamlessly with your online store without redirecting potential customers away. Every additional click, every extra window that needs to load, is a chance to lose a sale. By meeting customers where they are, your payment software can help close the deal without letting customers down. Similarly, the software you implement for a terminal or virtual terminal should be as easy for the customer to use as it is for you to add into the mix for your business.

Get the Whole Pie with Credit Card Surcharging!

If you think credit card surcharging might be a good fit for your business,  reach out to CardX to set up a chat with one of their surcharging experts.

Related posts:

Evolving identity: introducing cardx by stax, surcharging guide: how to avoid non-compliant credit card processing, what merchants say about interchange fees for credit cards, what credit card surcharging means (in plain english).

Ready to put these insights to work for your business?

VAT invoicing

Rules on VAT invoicing in the EU 

Taxable persons (VAT-registered businesses) doing business in the EU are subject to a single set of basic EU-wide VAT invoicing rules and, in certain areas, national rules set by the individual Member State. 

As set out in the VAT Directive: 

• Electronic invoices are equivalent to paper invoices. 
• Businesses are free to issue electronic invoices subject to acceptance by the recipient. However, for business-to-government (B2G) transactions, public administrations must accept structured electronic invoices. 
• Businesses can outsource invoicing operations to a third party or to the customer (i.e. self-billing), in some circumstances. 
• Businesses are generally free to store invoices where and how they like (paper/electronic, in a different EU Member State to where they are based, etc.). 

For a detailed explanation of EU-wide invoicing, consult the explanatory notes on VAT invoicing . 

For specific provisions approved by each EU Member State, visit the Tax Information Communication database . 

When is an invoice compulsory? 

An invoice is required for VAT purposes under EU rules for most business-to-business (B2B) supplies and for certain business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions. There may also be specific national rules on transactions requiring an invoice. 

For B2B supplies , a business must issue an invoice whenever goods or services are supplied to another business or a non-taxable legal entity (e.g. local authorities, associations etc. that do not charge VAT), except: 

• Exempt financial & insurance services (Article 135(1)(a)-(g), VAT Directive ) – no invoice is required if the service is supplied in another EU Member State. However, Member States may require an invoice where: 
• these services are supplied in their own territory or outside the EU and 
• the supplier is based in their territory or supplying the services from fixed premises in their territory. 
• Other exempt transactions (Article 135(1)(h)-(l), VAT Directive) – Member States may choose not to require an invoice where these transactions are carried out in their territory. 

For B2C transactions , a business must issue an invoice when it supplies certain goods to a non-taxable person (generally a private individual) in these cases: 

• distance selling when taxable in another EU Member State when the One Stop Shop (OSS) is not used 
• new means of transport supplied to another EU Member State (Article 138(2)(a), VAT Directive) 

Specific national rules apply in some EU Member States: 

• An invoice may be required for supplies to private individuals other than those listed under B2C transactions section above. In such cases, the invoices do not necessarily need to contain all the information required for full VAT invoices. 
• No invoice is required for: 
• certain exempt transactions (Title IX, Chapters 2-3, VAT Directive) 
• exempt transactions with a right of deduction (‘zero-rated’ supplies) 

What information must a VAT invoice contain? 

Once all the information above is included on an invoice (depending on the case and EU Member State), the invoice acts as proof that allows the business to deduct VAT in the EU Member State concerned. No EU Member State may prevent this by requiring extra information in the invoice. 

Businesses may always include information on their invoices additional to that described above. 

Legal texts 

• VAT Directive  

Related links 

• VAT for businesses 

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