We have been using PayPal for our school and it has worked out great. They charge a slightly higher % but there is no monthly service fee so it's actually more cost effective than using our bank or a credit processing company. Since we are a 501(c)3, there is no fee to set up the account.
There are some laws that went into place a few years back that have to do with the security of the server etc when taking cards online. Using something like PayPal will allow you to meet those legal requirements and protect your PTO.
When we want to take cards at an event such as our carnival, we set up a laptop and still use the web site. Since we are a 501(c)3, there is no fee to set up the account.
You can also check and see what services are available through whoever hosts your web site. We host ours with godaddy.com Feel free to look at how I've set up our site and spirit store at
Lake Forest Elementary School
I've found that people will use the credit card option if we keep reminding them it's there. That means on all of your flyers tell them to order online with their debit or credit card at
www.your
web site .com
