Good Afternoon Everyone, I apologise if this has already been covered elsewhere, but does anyone here know of any legit credit/debit card clearance facilities for independent escorts and if so, where they can be obtained from? I used to have a 3rd party card clearance facility in the past, however, the percentage added on for the "privilege" was pretty steep so unfortunately it would put some clients off. So if anyone has any helpful info, I would be very grateful.  Thank you.x

There's zero chance of credit cards being a good idea - the card holder can get refunds too easily. The delays between 'payment' and actually getting the money can be long too.

I don't know just how bad debit cards would be, but I suspect it's also a non-runner.

For alternatives for deposits etc, have a search here.

I don't know and have never met any lady who takes card payments - the potential for abuse via chargebacks is far too high. Any payment processor dealing with adult services will have ridiculously high fees because unfortunately the idea that we're all basically linked to organised crime somewhere down the line and the lack of knowledge about the legitimate industry means they treat us differently to other people.

I can't imagine many punters actually wanting to pay by card, and I would think (although I can only go on punters I know and have communicated with) that most would be actively against the idea of giving random prostitutes their card details. Unless there's some very good reason why you don't want to take cash, I can't imagine why you'd want the hassle, especially bearing in mind that most cards would allow the unscrupulous to get their money back and you would have a hell of a job stopping them.

I agree with absolutely everything you've written but my personal experience from using credit card facilities in the past was pretty good. My only real issues were the 15% surcharge (which the client paid) and the fact that I only got paid once a week. I never actually had a charge back or lost money ever when I was working as an escort myself. The guy who provided me with the card facilities basically drummed it into my head not to screw up so I was always very thorough (or maybe just lucky) and I would take the client's passport/drivers licence details as well as an additional piece of id. I personally found it very useful because often guys would draw enough money for 1-2 hours (or their daily card limit if it was a home visit) but if they liked you they would regularly ask you to stay on a bit longer once they knew you were in a position to accept credit cards (especially if it was late and they were sufficiently tipsy!). I used to find on the hotel visits that tourists didn't like carrying too much cash, and it was also useful towards the end of the month when it would naturally quieten down because everyone is running out of money generally as they're waiting to get paid. Cash is king but having card facilities can make a serious difference to your money and turn an average month into an excellent month, or could take a totally diabolical month and make it bearable.

I've tried to get card facilities from various providers in the past and they just didnt want to know. Its really frustrating! I saw one advertised today for high risk/adult businesses. The set-up fee is ?200 -v- about ?25 plus another ?25 per month plus a further outrageous percentage per transaction.

Obviously I don't know if your experience was in the UK, or how long ago but it really isn't the norm and I would imagine the vast majority of punters here would run a mile if you started asking for things like passport details and driving licenses. There may a be a very few who won't, and Americans will possibly find it easier to deal with as they're more used to the screening procedures in the US although I had trouble just getting one to give me his hotel booking details for an overnight night in London (a six hour round trip away) so that's not a rule of thumb either.

By and large, if you play off the amount of hassle and expense (and if somebody decides to have a whinge about you to the card folks, I don't know how easy/possible it is to keep your personal details private either) against the number of occasions where it's actually likely to be worth the bother (and that's without taking into account the people who will try to steal their money back), is it really worth it as opposed to just expecting people to turn up with an appropriate amount of money like the rest of us?

I'm perfectly prepared to believe that there are a tiny number of ladies (more than likely in London and charging very high rates) along with a tiny number of punters for whom this is a perfectly satisfactory situation, but for the vast majority of us it's as much use as tits on a fish.

Obviously I don't know if your experience was in the UK, or how long ago but it really isn't the norm and I would imagine the vast majority of punters here would run a mile if you started asking for things like passport details and driving licenses. There may a be a very few who won't, and Americans will possibly find it easier to deal with as they're more used to the screening procedures in the US although I had trouble just getting one to give me his hotel booking details for an overnight night in London (a six hour round trip away) so that's not a rule of thumb either.

By and large, if you play off the amount of hassle and expense (and if somebody decides to have a whinge about you to the card folks, I don't know how easy/possible it is to keep your personal details private either) against the number of occasions where it's actually likely to be worth the bother (and that's without taking into account the people who will try to steal their money back), is it really worth it as opposed to just expecting people to turn up with an appropriate amount of money like the rest of us?

I'm perfectly prepared to believe that there are a tiny number of ladies (more than likely in London and charging very high rates) along with a tiny number of punters for whom this is a perfectly satisfactory situation, but for the vast majority of us it's as much use as tits on a fish.

:-) I like that one.

It wasn't more then about 5 years ago when I stopped using him and it was here in London and Surrey. I was only working part time and doing mainly home and some hotel visits (no incalls, etc.) You're actually spot on in respect of it not being particularly easy to get id out of them because if it was one-off visit, they'd get a bit funny especially when asked for the photo and additional id. But to some degree because I already had their home/hotel addresses, etc. all they were actually doing was confirming their details with their DL/passport. The card machine would only really come in useful, the later it got and more on Fri/Sat nights. They were normally far to tipsy or comfortable to want to wonder out at midnight to go and get more cash and it was those sorts of times when it came in very useful. Most of my work was straight cash so the cards only accounted for 2-3 hours extra work per week on average but it all helped. Clients finding out info about me wasnt an issue because it was someone elses card facilities that I was using and they were registered to that person's business. But I guess you're right and cash is best and the hassle probably does outweigh the benefits. Thanks for your input.x

How legit would if be for a guy to pay your sky tv bill for example, using his card in lieu of part payment?x

Lets say he owes you ?200 for your time, but he only has ?100 cash in his pocket and a credit card. So he gives you the ?100 cash and he then either offers (or you ask him) to settle your Sky bill which is a bill for ?100. If you are both happy for him to settle his debt to you on that basis, then I believe it is perfectly acceptable and taken to be a payment in kind. However for tax purposes, I believe that you would need to declare the full ?200 which would be included with your other income/turnover for that tax year. You should then be able to later list a proportion/percentage of your sky bill i.e. the telephone calls and broadband element if its a "package" deal as an allowable business expense. All boring book-keeping stuff which you would need to confirm with an accountant!! I think the answer is basically yes but by allowing him to pay one of your bills, he will then have access to your name, address and account details which compromises your privacy and security.