Top of the class: Swoofee is best way for Schools to take online payments

Top of the class: Swoofee is best way for Schools to take online payments

Swoofee, the safe, quick and reliable new way to receive payments through debit and credit cards is ideal for use by Irish schools.

Parents and students will no longer need to search for cash the night before a school trip fee is due and teachers will be saved the hassle of collecting cash.

A scan of the school’s bespoke QR code with any smartphone processes the student’s transaction. There’s no need to download an app or buy any hardware, while pupils, parents and school administrators have peace of mind with Swoofee’s secure system.

How does it work?

Once you have created an account - at www.swoofee.com - we’ll provide you with a unique QR code, which launches a payment page when scanned by a typical smartphone.

You can enter a payment amount, credit or debit card details and simply click pay. Alternatively users can pay with Apple or Google Pay on their phone.

The possibilities for sharing your school’s QR code are endless; the image could be reproduced on homework journals, printed on notes given to pupils when informing them of a fee for equipment or a trip or posted on social media channels and your website.

And, importantly for fundraising, at any point if the QR code is scanned they can make a quick donation.

Sending a payment request

As well as the QR code technology, your Swoofee account will mean you have a unique link -- like stpatricksschool.swoofee.com -- that you can share with anyone and students and parents can visit the site to make a quick payment.

Also, people aiming to collect donations on your behalf as part of a fundraising drive can easily invite friends and colleagues to support their fun-run sponsorship by sharing the bespoke URL on social media, by text or email. The QR code can also be used to power the ‘donate’ button on your website or facebook page, of course.

As well as this, Swoofee allows you to take donations over the phone through the technology’s virtual terminal, meaning there’s no need to acquire expensive card terminals.

1.4% + 25c per transaction.

Swoofee connects to the premier online payment technology company, Stripe, who process the credit/debit card donations; so you’ll need a Stripe account.

Fees are subject to VAT. This is the only cost involved in using Swoofee.

Co-founder of Swoofee, John Twomey says: “As a parent I know the headache of finding out, the night before it’s due, that one of my kids needs to bring in ten or twenty euro to school to cover an expense. With Swoofee, it’s easy to quickly and safely transfer the money with a reference, so the teacher knows exactly who’s paid using the handy software and we’re saved a lot of hassle.”