Should Churches Accept Credit Cards for Offerings?

I've had a lot of conversations recently about our giving kiosks and online giving. It seems like every conversation turns to: "As a church, we're wrestling with whether or not we should accept credit cards for giving? We teach Financial Peace University. Should we offer the credit card option?" I always offer an extemely helpful answer: I don't know.

The fact is that this is a question every church has to answer on its own. A strict Dave Ramsey Fundamentalist would say absolutely not. I respect that. However, a more "flexible" Dave Ramsey follower might say that there are those in the congregation who use their credit card regularly, for budgeted expenses, and it off every month. Those folks who use their credit card responsibly might appreciate being able to use their credit card to make their contribution so that they can benefit from the points or air miles. Also a valid argument. In fact, I've never talked to anyone who told me that they got themselves into deep credit card debt by over giving to their church on their credit card. Most folks seem to be very "responsible" when it comes to giving to their church.

At GCC, we take the flexible approach. We know that there are donors who are responsible with their credit card and we give them the opportunity to give with their credit card. For those who are prone to getting in trouble with a credit card, we strongly discourage the use of a credit card to make donations. For them, cash, check, or debit card is a more responsible choice.

No matter how a church lands on this issue, there are ways to accept electronic giving that will help to boost giving with or without credit cards. Our giving kiosks by SecureGive have the option to only accept debit cards. Fellowship One, our online giving tool provides the option to give using debit card or electronic check. Both solutions provide the opportunity to accept credit cards.