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Do Girl Scouts Take Credit Cards?
It has never been easier to accept credit cards or contactless payments for Girl Scout Cookie sales through options like Square, Clover, Venmo, and more!
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WRITTEN & RESEARCHED BY
Staff Writer
Last updated onUpdated
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REVIEWED BY
Lead Staff Writer
Advertiser Disclosure: Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity.
The number one question people ask when buying cookies from their local troop: “Do Girl Scouts take credit cards?”
More than ever, troops are expanding their payment options and finding ways to take credit card and mobile wallet payments. Keep reading for how Girl Scout troops can accept cards and mobile device payments with the right tools and know-how, plus the best apps to accept credit card payments for cookies.
Learn More About Our Top Picks
| Company | Summary | Next StepsSummary |
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Square
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Venmo
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Clover Go
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Digital Cookie
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Read more below to learn why we chose these options.
Table of Contents [hide][show]
- Do Girl Scouts Take Credit Cards For Payment? Here's How To Start
- The Best Apps For Girl Scouts To Take Credit Cards & Mobile Payments
- 1. Square: Best App Overall
- 2. Venmo: Best Low-Cost Option
- 3. Clover Go: Best For Large Sales Quantities
- 4. Digital Cookie: Best No-Fee Option
- Do Girl Scouts Take Apple Pay?
- Final Word On How Girl Scouts Can Take Credit Card & Mobile Device Payments
- FAQs: Girl Scout Cookie Credit Card Payments
- In Summary: The Best Apps For Girl Scouts To Take Credit Cards & Mobile Payments
Table of Contents
- Do Girl Scouts Take Credit Cards For Payment? Here's How To Start
- The Best Apps For Girl Scouts To Take Credit Cards & Mobile Payments
- 1. Square: Best App Overall
- Why We Chose Square For Best App For Girl Scout Cookie Sales
- Square App Girl Scout Cookie Sales Features
- Square App Pricing For Girl Scout Cookie Sales
- Square App Hardware Costs For Girl Scout Cookie Sales
- 2. Venmo: Best Low-Cost Option
- Why We Chose Venmo For Best App For Girl Scout Cookie Sales
- Venmo Girl Scout Cookie Sales Features
- Venmo Pricing For Girl Scout Cookie Sales
- Venmo Hardware Costs For Girl Scout Cookie Sales
- 3. Clover Go: Best For Large Sales Quantities
- Why We Chose Clover Go For Best App For Girl Scout Cookie Sales
- Clover Go Girl Scout Cookie Sales Features
- Clover Go Pricing For Girl Scout Cookie Sales
- Clover Go Hardware Costs For Girl Scout Cookie Sales
- 4. Digital Cookie: Best No-Fee Option
- Why We Chose Digital Cookie For Best App For Girl Scout Cookie Sales
- Digital Cookie Girl Scout Cookie Sales Features
- Digital Cookie Pricing For Girl Scout Cookie Sales
- Digital Cookie Hardware Costs For Girl Scout Cookie Sales
- Do Girl Scouts Take Apple Pay?
- Final Word On How Girl Scouts Can Take Credit Card & Mobile Device Payments
- FAQs: Girl Scout Cookie Credit Card Payments
- In Summary: The Best Apps For Girl Scouts To Take Credit Cards & Mobile Payments
Do Girl Scouts Take Credit Cards For Payment? Here's How To Start
Yes, Girl Scouts can take credit cards for payment. There are so many reasons to take credit cards for cookie payments: many people no longer carry cash, people tend to spend more with cards as opposed to cash, and electronic payment methods are just more organized than cash payments.
Here’s what you need to know before getting started.
Rules, Regulations, & More
You should only use the mobile payment app or apps approved by the council governing the troops in your region. Some councils give you a choice of apps you can use, and others do not.
With payment apps, you will have to pay a per-order fee for the app to “process” the funds and facilitate payment to your or your troop’s bank account. This is called a payment processing fee and will vary depending on which app you use to take digital payments.
Your council may or may not pay credit card processing fees. If your council does pay for card processing fees, they will likely only pay fees on sales made through a specific app, such as Clover or Square.
Here are some more basic things you need to know about accepting mobile payments as a Girl Scout troop leader or Troop Cookie Manager:
- Your Girl Scout council will provide names of any approved app(s) for mobile credit card sales
- You may be able to combine mobile payment apps to give customers more ways to pay (for example, you can use a Square card reader and an app like Venmo to take payments)
- The council should provide guidelines for use and tax ID info for mobile payments
- Mobile payment funds should be directed to troop bank accounts, not personal bank accounts
- Troops may be responsible for paying credit card processing fees from mobile sales
- You are not allowed to pass any credit card fees to your customers
Again, you’ll be able to find more specific information and guidelines from your local Girl Scout council.
How Girl Scouts Can Take Credit Cards In-Person & Online
There are a few different ways to take credit card payments in-person using a mobile device:
- Phone/Tablet + App: Credit card information is entered manually by typing it into the app.
- Phone/Tablet + App + Mobile Reader: Swipe/dip customers’ credit cards the traditional way.
- Mobile Invoicing: Customer pays later; this feature is useful for large orders or group buys.
- Contactless Reader: With tap-to-pay readers that are typically around the $50 price point, you can accept tapped payments from contactless credit cards, smartphones, and smartwatches.
- Payment Link: A payment link allows you to send a payment button via email, SMS, or social post and let your customer pay online.
- QR Code: With many mobile payment apps, customers can scan your QR code and pay using their own devices.
Girl Scouts can also set up free or low-cost online ordering websites so people can order online with their cards. Buyers can pick orders up or get them delivered.
The Best Apps For Girl Scouts To Take Credit Cards & Mobile Payments
Taking credit cards and mobile payments is a fast, easy way to sell more cookies in-person and online. The best apps to make Girl scout troop credit card sales are Square, Venmo, Clover, and Digital Cookie.
1. Square: Best App Overall
Square |
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Get a free card swiper from Square at no cost when you create a free account. Claim your card reader.
Pros
- Instant setup
- Low-cost card readers available
- Easy to use
Cons
- Troops may have to pay their own processing fees
Why We Chose Square For Best App For Girl Scout Cookie Sales
Square is a very popular choice for in-person cookie sales, likely because the app is super easy to sign up for and free to use.
Square offers so many free features and is so easy to use that there's really no reason not to love this payment processor. If your troop wants to sell cookies in-person or sell online for pickup/delivery, Square allows you to do it for free (minus payment processing fees, of course.)
Also, Square's hardware is light, simple, affordable, and allows you to take all kinds of payments. Girl Scouts of just about any age can take card payments fast with the intuitive checkout process and tap card reader.
2. Venmo: Best Low-Cost Option
Venmo |
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Pros
- No monthly fees
- No card reader needed
- Popular payment app
- Fast QR code payment method
Cons
- Cookie buyers must have a Venmo account
- Not approved by all Girl Scout councils
Why We Chose Venmo For Best App For Girl Scout Cookie Sales
Venmo, a peer-to-peer mobile payment app, offers a completely contactless way for Girl Scouts to accept payment for cookies.
Venmo has one of the lowest barriers to entry in terms of taking contactless payments, since sellers don't need a card reader, and buyers don't need to have a card with them. It's also simple to make online sales since all you need to do is post your Venmo username and let people find you online. Also, Venmo has lower payment processing fees than payment apps like Square, so there are fewer fees your troop needs to absorb.
There are a few drawbacks, namely that buyers have to already have, or make a Venmo account on the spot, to pay using Venmo.
Your best option may be to offer Venmo as a payment method and consider using another service like Square to take physical cards. To get lower payment processing fees, you can steer people toward Venmo if they already have an account.
3. Clover Go: Best For Large Sales Quantities
Clover Go |
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Pros
- Dedicated merchant account
- Easy to use hardware
- Lower payment processing fees
- Clover may cover payment processing fees
Cons
- Additional monthly fees possible
- Not all Clover sellers are reputable
- Long-term commitment with possible early termination fees
Why We Chose Clover Go For Best App For Girl Scout Cookie Sales
With Clover, Girl Scout troops have the opportunity to get lower payment processing fees than other payment providers like Square. This means that troops that sell a lot of cookies will have to pay way less per order and make more money overall.
The Clover Go (Bluetooth card reader) itself is straightforward, and the Clover online dashboard is easy to use, so there will be very few barriers for Scouts and volunteers to start using it.
It is worth noting that getting a merchant account can be difficult, and you can run into Clover scams.
Make sure you read and negotiate your merchant agreement before making any long-term commitments.
4. Digital Cookie: Best No-Fee Option
Digital Cookie |
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Pros
- No payment processing fees
- Designed by the national Girl Scouts organization
- Each Girl Scout gets her own website for online ordering
- Added legitimacy
Cons
- No swipe, chip, tap, or mobile payments available
- Credit card numbers must be manually typed in
- App functions poorly
Why We Chose Digital Cookie For Best App For Girl Scout Cookie Sales
Digital Cookie is the official Girl Scouts of the United States of America online cookie sales solution.
The main advantage of the Digital Cookie app is that it's completely free and there are no payment processing fees involved. It's also great that Girl Scouts get their own individual websites for people to order online.
However, there are many drawbacks to using Digital Cookie.
Girl Scouts are very limited on the types of payment they can take, and physically typing in card numbers takes so long that people may not be willing to wait. Also, the app itself can glitch. If this happens, you really may lose out on customers.
We recommend using Digital Cookie only if you really want to avoid fees and want to use something specifically made by Girl Scouts of the United States of America.
Get Started With Digital Cookie
Do Girl Scouts Take Apple Pay?
Yes, Girl Scouts can take Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other types of mobile wallet payments. Mobile wallets essentially allow people to pay for things without even needing to pull out a credit card. The information is already stored in their phone, so it’s even faster and easier for people to buy cookies!
To accept Apple Pay and other mobile wallet payments, all you need is a contactless tap card reader or payment QR code.
With a tap card reader, buyers simply hold their phone near the card reader. Then, you complete the transaction on your phone or tablet. With a QR code, buyers scan the QR code and finish paying on their own mobile device, choosing Apple Pay or another type of mobile wallet payment method they’d like to use!
Final Word On How Girl Scouts Can Take Credit Card & Mobile Device Payments
It’s exciting that Girl Scouts do take credit cards. With just a smartphone and a free app, you can accept payments from anywhere in under an hour.
There is very little risk in adopting credit card payments for Girl Scout cookie sales; you just need to be thorough in researching your options and making sure that whatever platform you choose works for your troop.
Make sure to advertise that your troop takes credit cards, mobile wallet payments, and/or payments through apps like Venmo. Also, let people know that they can order online in case their favorite flavor at a booth runs out or if they want a large order delivered.
By helping your troop select a credit card payment processor, you can provide young Scouts with useful business know-how that will allow them to approach the payments industry with confidence later in life.
FAQs: Girl Scout Cookie Credit Card Payments
In Summary: The Best Apps For Girl Scouts To Take Credit Cards & Mobile Payments
- Square:
- 2.6% + $0.10 payment processing fee
- No monthly cost
- $59 contactless & chip card reader
- Venmo:
- 1.9% + $0.10 processing on business accounts
- No monthly fee
- No card reader required
- Clover Go:
- Custom payment processing rate
- $14.95/month
- $49 chip + contactless card reader
- Digital Cookie:
- No payment processing fees
- No monthly fees
- No hardware required
Kymberlin Bush
Staff Writer
Kymberlin started contributing to Merchant Maverick as a freelancer in 2022 and joined the team as the full-time small business health insurance expert in 2023. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from Pacific University in 2020 and continues to reside in Portland, Oregon.
View Kymberlin Bush's professional experience on LinkedIn.
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