Ring Up Review

Ring Up has two components: the app and the card reader. The app can be downloaded from the iTunes or Google Play stores and allows payments through the card reader or by keying in the card details. It also includes virtual terminal functionality that allows you to enter payments from the internet if desired. The reader, which pairs to compatible devices via Bluetooth, is about the length of a credit card and can accept chip cards and magnetic stripe cards.

Worldpay offers this introduction video about Ring Up:

In this Ring Up review, we’ll take a closer look at features and costs, and see how it stacks up to Square and PayPal Here.

Payments

Ring Up lets you accept major credit and debit cards. The reader cannot accept gift cards for individual stores. Transactions are fully encrypted at the point of sale for security, and qualified businesses can take advantage of next day funding for fast payment. In addition to sales, you can also process refunds right through Ring Up.

You can also choose to enable tax and tipping features. The sales tax feature gives you the option to enter the appropriate sales tax amount for your location, and can even be turned on or off for specific purchases. The tip feature is enabled by default, but can be turned off in the transactions menu in the settings. 

Receipts can be customized with your logo, a thank you message, and contact information including email, website, phone, and social media accounts.

Ring Up gives you the opportunity to resend receipts for completed transactions as necessary.

Inventory and Barcoded Products

The Ring Up app includes a Catalog function, which allows you to add inventory for faster checkout. You can also choose to utilize barcodes for packaged/pre-priced items to streamline the process and ensure accurate pricing. Barcodes can be scanned using your phone’s camera. 

Web Portal

Ring Up includes a “web portal” where you can view reports and edit settings. When you sign in to the web portal, you’ll see a list of all your recent transactions, which can be filterd by day, payment type, and other details.

The transaction details are also listed in the app on your mobile device, but if you prefer a larger computer screen, the web portal makes it easier to view information. If you’re using other credit card processing equipment – such as a full point-of-sale system – you can also view all of your reports and transaction details in one location. 

Merchant Accounts with Ring Up

Unlike Square and PayPal Here accounts, businesses that sign up for Ring Up will go through an underwriting process to be approved for a merchant account. PayPal Here and Square are both “aggregators,” meaning they don’t provide merchant accounts. Instead, they allow businesses to process under their merchant accounts. While this typically allows for faster setup (sometimes even same day) there are trade offs. Aggregators are somewhat more likely to freeze or close accounts with little warning. Most often, this happens to businesses that are unknowingly violating terms of use, such as business types that Square or PayPal can’t support. With a dedicated merchant account, the processor will check to ensure it can support your business before allowing you to begin processing.

Even though Ring Up requires you to go through the underwriting process to receive a merchant account, the company states that set up typically only takes a few days. If you’re concerned about having a reliable mobile processing solution, Ring Up may be a better choice. 

Ring Up is currently available through Worldpay. The company confirmed to CardFellow that Worldpay resellers/ISOs will also be able to offer Ring Up in the near future. 

Ring Up Pricing

As of 2017, rates for Visa, Mastercard, and Discover through Ring Up are as noted below. Rates may vary for American Express.

Monthly fee: $9.99 – $14*
Swiped transactions: 2.7% per transaction
Keyed transactions: 3.5% + 15 cents per transaction

*On NCR’s Ring Up page, the monthly fee is listed at $14. On Worldpay’s Ring Up page, it’s listed as $9.99. NCR and Worldpay have confirmed to CardFellow that the costs are correct and depend on which party you use to acquire Ring Up. If you go through NCR, you’ll pay the $14 monthly fee. If you sign up through Worldpay, you’ll pay $9.99/month. 

You’ll also need to purchase the Ring Up reader at $39 (+ tax) per reader. A lanyard is included with the reader.

Flat Rate Pricing

Ring Up utilizes a flat rate pricing model, which looks simple but isn’t always the most competitive option. Square and PayPal Here are two other well-known flat rate mobile processing solutions. How do you know if flat rate is the best choice for your business? For a rough rule of thumb, flat rate processing will be the most competitive if your average transaction is under $10 or if you accept less than ~$3,000/month in credit cards.

For everyone else, a competitive interchange plus processor will be a lower cost option. Need help comparing? Try CardFellow’s free quote comparison tool. 

Ring Up vs. Square

You may be wondering if Ring Up is better than Square, one of the most well-known flat rate mobile processing options.

At 2.7%, Ring Up’s per-transaction rate is slightly lower than Square’s 2.75%, but remember that Ring Up has a monthly fee and Square doesn’t. If you divide the monthly fee by the number of transactions you have per month, that will show you how much the monthly fee adds to each transaction. Let’s take a look at an example.

If you process 500 transactions per month with an average sale of $8, you could expect to pay the following:

Square fees: $110 (500 x 8 x 0.0275)
Ring Up fees: $122 (500 x 8 x 0.027 = 108 + 14)

However, costs aren’t the only factor to consider.

Square has a reputation for difficult-to-reach customer service. The company requires an authorization code for calling customer service, which you can only obtain if you’re an existing customer. Even with a code, some businesses report difficulty getting in touch with Square. By contrast, Ring Up boasts that you can call, email, or text a customer service representative 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Some businesses may feel the monthly fee is worth it to be able to reach customer service easily.

Additionally, Ring Up through Worldpay provides a dedicated merchant account, which Square does not. As noted in the Merchant Account section, above, that may offer peace of mind due to the reduced likelihood of a sudden account freeze or closure. 

Ring Up vs. PayPal

How does Ring Up compare to PayPal Here, the other popular flat rate mobile solution?

The per-transaction rates are the same at 2.7% for swiped transactions and 3.5% + 15 cents for keyed transactions. However, as with Square, PayPal doesn’t charge a monthly fee, meaning it works out to lower costs than Ring Up. Using our same example of 500 transactions per month with an average sale of $8, you would pay:

PayPal Here fees: $108 (500 x 8 x 0.027)
Ring Up fees: $122 (500 x 8 x 0.027 = 108 + 14)

Customer service may not be as much of a deciding factor in the face off between PayPal and Ring Up, as PayPal has phone and email support. However, as previously mentioned, Ring Up provides each business with their own merchant account through Worldpay. Neither Square nor PayPal Here offer merchant accounts. 

The bottom line is that the monthly fee makes Ring Up a slightly more expensive option, but the tradeoffs of a dedicated merchant account and reliable customer service may justify the small monthly cost.  

Compatibility and Charging

The Ring Up reader works with Android (running 4.03 or higher) and Apple (running 8.0 or higher) smartphones and tablets. The device will typically last for about 12 hours on a single charge, depending on how much you use it. When not in use, it will switch to a standby mode to conserve power. 

Ring Up doesn’t use a headphone jack, so you’ll be able to use it even if you get that new no-headphone-jack iPhone. You will need Bluetooth capabilities to use Ring Up.