appninjas.co

What It Is

AppNinjas Swipe is a mobile credit card terminal app designed to turn an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Android device into a portable payment acceptance tool. It is intended for scenarios such as trade shows, markets, and field sales where there is no fixed POS terminal, phone line, or power supply. Payments can be accepted by swiping a card with a card reader or by manually entering the card number.

Core Features

For payment methods, the product page clearly states support for swiped debit cards, swiped credit cards, and manually entered credit cards. It can also send customized email receipts, capture electronic signatures, accept tips, look up transaction history, issue refunds, and void transactions. Payment gateway compatibility is fairly broad, with support listed for Authorize.Net, Braintree, Stripe, PayPal PayFlow, USAePay, and other gateways, making it suitable for merchants that already have a merchant account. On security, it claims to have been assessed by a PCI QSA, to be PA-DSS compliant, and to use SSL encryption and keychain password protection. It also supports AVS, ZIP/street address, and CVV checks, and says that sensitive card data is not stored on its servers.

Pricing and Settlement

For new merchants signing up through its partner service, pricing is $25/month, with rates of 1.59% for swiped debit cards, 1.79% for swiped credit cards, and 2.89% for manually entered credit cards, plus $0.29 per transaction. Users with an existing supported merchant account pay $15/month including the first terminal, with additional terminals at $9/month each. It emphasizes no setup fee, no activation fee, no monthly minimum, and no contract term. If using its Authorize.Net account, funds are deposited 2 business days after the transaction is settled; for existing accounts, settlement depends on the original provider.

Pros and Cons

The strengths are its clear fit for mobile payment scenarios, relatively complete fee disclosure, support for multiple gateways and devices, and U.S.-based customer service plus assistance with opening a merchant account. The drawbacks are that the product page does not mention modern acceptance options such as EMV chip cards, NFC, or Apple Pay, and it does not support managing recurring payments inside the app. It also provides limited information on country coverage and merchant eligibility, and is clearly more oriented toward the U.S. market.

Who It’s For and Access from China

It is better suited to small U.S. merchants, mobile vendors, trade show sellers, and businesses that already have a merchant account but need a mobile terminal. The product page does not provide information on availability for users in China or account opening from China, so this is assessed as unknown. For China-based or cross-border merchants, alternatives such as Stripe Terminal, Square, PayPal Zettle, and Clover Go are typically worth comparing, but actual availability depends on registration location, bank account, and compliance requirements.