Plastic is now a payment option for customers at the Caldwell County Clerk’s Office.

A credit/debit card system was installed in the clerk’s office late last month. The first transaction came Friday, Jan. 29, and several more residents have paid with their cards since then, County Clerk Toni Watson said Wednesday.

“We’ve had several people ask for it,” she said, adding that the plan had been in the works for a year or more.

Eight companies were considered. The firm chosen to provide the service was selected because of the way its transactions are handled, Watson said.

When a card is swiped and the transaction is processed, the system prints a check, which the clerk’s office employees take to the bank with the rest of their daily deposits.

“The company guarantees payment on any check it prints out,” Watson said. “So if there’s any problem with anybody’s account, then the company takes care of it, and we don’t have to.”

The office only has one credit card reader, but all of the office’s employees are trained to use it.

“Any of the employees can do the work (at their station) and can step down to the booth and do that transcation at the new system,” Watson said.

The system will accept Mastercard, American Express and Discover credit cards (not Visa) and most all debit cards, including Visa, she noted.

Using the credit card system does come with a fee. Debit card users will be charged $2.50 per transaction. Credit card users will be charged $2.50 for the first $50 of a transaction, plus a percentage of the remaining value of the transaction, she said.

Several local utilities have recently begun allowing their customers to pay with credit cards.

“It just seems to be a popular thing,” said Watson. “A lot of people carry the debit card but not the check. It looks like it’s going to be used quite a bit.”