Does your business accept credit cards?

by: Jakob Jelling

It has become increasingly important for businesses to be able to accept credit cards. Credit cards are the preferred method of payment nowadays. Whether you are an online merchant or own an on-site business, if you do not accept credit cards you are missing out on a lot of revenue. To accept credit cards your business needs a credit card processing system. Creating a merchant account gives you that ability. Merchant accounts are accounts especially crafted to fit the needs of businesses to accept money. If you own a store, you will need a card swipe terminal to accept credit card payments. Your merchant account provider may be able to provide you with this equipment. There will be a purchase fee or rent fee associated with the equipment. You can also shop elsewhere for point of sale equipment. POS terminal software can ease the processing of credit cards and can ease the job of a cashier at grocery stores, merchandise stores, bookshops, or any other type of store you own. Once the equipment is in place you are ready to go. When a customer asks ‘do you accept credit cards?’ your answer will be a definite yes. At the Point of Sale terminal, customers can check out their items and pay by credit. You slide the credit card into the machine and it will automatically make the payment. To accept credit cards is even more crucial for Internet merchants. If you only use checks to accept payments, it can be troublesome for customers to write and mail the check. Online payment methods such as Paypal and StormPay also have drawbacks since many people do not have accounts with them. These can be your secondary payment methods but it is important to be able to accept credit cards. Different websites have different reasons to accept credit card payments. Some sites ask for a membership or subscription fee. Some sites may deliver tangible products where the payment gateway must be integrated with the shopping cart. Others may require a fee for online consumption of such things as music, movies, etc. You will need an Internet merchant account to make a payment gateway on your e-commerce Website to accept credit cards. You have a great choice when it comes to selecting a merchant account. Things to look for when making your choice are: - Fees, such as transaction, set up and charge back - Reliable security features - Professional customer support - The Company’s reputation and stability If you are not skilled in programming, you should seek a merchant account provider that will set up your payment gateway for you or provide a cut and paste code. Setting up the payment gateway, to accept credit cards, in the right place and integrating it into your e-commerce Website is essential to driving sales. The gateway must be secure and the payment processing time must be fast. Why you must Accept Credit Cards? For online purchases, a majority of customers pay by credit cards. Thus if you do not accept credit cards you have reduced your customer base tremendously. Also credit cards promote impulse buying. You do not want to give your customers time to rethink their purchase when they are writing a check with all those zeros. Also it can add credibility and professionalism to your business. If you accept credit cards, your site will look more legitimate and customers will have greater peace of mind when making payments. Your payment processor will be working and making money 24 hours a day, even while you sleep. The benefits of accepting credit cards are many, even for on-site businesses. Credit cards are a convenient way to make payments. Customers do not have to carry cash around. Just slide the card in the processor and the payment is done. The merchant can potentially see a great increase in sales.

Credit Card Processing: Legally Beat the System by Passing Processing Fees to Customers

by: Jack Lang

Imposing surcharges on credit card transactions is illegal, and it will only lead to problems. The secret to beating the credit card processing system is not charging more for credit card sales, but instead is charging less for cash sales. It may sound like the same thing, but there is a big difference. The increasing costs associated with accepting credit cards are leaving many merchants searching for ways to pass along at least a portion of processing expenses to their customers. Card originators such as VISA and MasterCard are becoming wary of this new trend and are enforcing strict regulations specifically designed to hinder any such efforts by merchants to impose surcharges on credit card purchases. Discount fees, transaction costs, and other expenses associated with the acceptance of electronic bank cards (credit and debit cards) are putting a strangle hold on to the NET profits of businesses of all sizes. To help minimize the impact that processing costs are having on profits, many businesses are charging a surcharge to customers that choose to pay for products or services using a credit or debit card. Card originators such as VISA, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover have a lot to lose if the practice of imposing surcharges on credit card transactions becomes popular among merchants. When merchants impose surcharges on credit transactions, they make purchasing on credit a less appealing option to consumers, and many consumers choose to avoid the additional cost by simply paying with cash or a check. A decrease in the use of credit cards by consumers translates directly into lost revenue for processing banks. Not only do banks lose out on the processing fees that they would have collected from the merchant, but they lose any finance charges that would have been incurred by the customer as well. You may wonder why so many businesses still choose to place a surcharge on credit transactions, even though it is strictly forbidden in the processing agreement they had to sign when opening their merchant account. Quite frankly, many business people choose to ignore this clause in their processing agreement and impose a surcharge anyway. This approach is not recommended. When and if these businesses are discovered, their merchant accounts will be terminated, and they may even be placed on the Terminated Merchant File (TMF) which will make it nearly impossible for them to acquire another merchant account. Card originators and banks have control over credit card (bankcard) transactions, and they can legally ban a merchant from imposing surcharges. However, they do not have any legal control over other forms of payment such as cash and checks. The largest card originator (VISA) has even published information stating that, "You may, however, offer a discount for cash transactions, provided that the offer is clearly disclosed to customers and the cash piece is presented as a discount from the standard price charged for all other forms of payment".1 Most merchant accounts operate on a tiered discount pricing grid and, ironically, the secret to beating credit card processing fees is to impose tiered pricing on your products and services as well. The old saying, "if you can’t beat em’, join em’" applies perfectly. While you can’t charge extra for credit card sales, you can charge less for cash as long as all prices are clearly stated to customers, and the cash price is reflected as a discount from the original purchase price. For example: if the price tag on an item states that the item costs $10, the cash price must be represented as a discount from that price. The price tag for this particular item should look something like this: Price: $10.00 5% discount for cash payment @ $9.50 5% Discount for Check Payment @ $9.50 By utilizing a tiered pricing grid, merchants can alleviate the cost of accepting credit cards, while still providing their customers with the freedom to choose their preferred method of payment.

Credit Card Processing

by: Shane Penrod

Does your company need credit card processing? It does if you can benefit from the following: Credit Card Processing Enhances Your Professional Status. When customers know that you accept credit payments, they often are more likely to pay more, return often, and tell their friends if the service is good. This is because a company that makes credit payment options available to clients is telling the world that they care about customers and they are professional enough to invest in systems that will enhance the shopping experience for guests. No one likes that disappointed feeling when, after browsing, you find something you want to buy but then fail to find enough cash in your wallet to purchase it. Writing a check may put you over the balance, and you don’t want to take time to run to the ATM machine to withdraw the money from savings. When customers can pay with a plastic card, they may show their appreciation by returning again and again to shop your store. Credit Card Processing is Inexpensive. It depends on your current business budget, of course, but you don’t have to sink a lot of money into credit card processing equipment. All you need do is get a merchant account services account, buy or lease a credit card processing unit, and you are good to go. Plug it in or take a wireless unit with you on the road to make credit payments easy, fast, and secure. Plan on paying a per-transaction fee of perhaps 25 cents or a low interest monthly rate that may include minimums. Associated expenses may include discount fees, gateway fees, print statement fees, and membership costs. There may be others as well. Overall, however, the benefits of a merchant account outweigh its costs. Credit Card Processing is Flexible. You don’t have to be stuck behind the cash register all day to appreciate the advantages of a merchant account’s ability to provide credit card processing. You can take a wireless unit from one destination to another to let clients pay at the point of purchase rather than wait for billing. You may want to invest in a pager that will let you provide instant deliveries or prompt responses to customer inquiries, some of which could lead to direct or indirect sales with the option of credit card payments. You can also set up an online Website to accept credit card payments from potentially billions of customers around the world. It’s all up to you, of course, as to what you’re ready to do in terms of growing your company’s sales. You won’t need extra staff to manage credit card processing, either. In fact, you may be able to operate some credit card processing systems automatically when you opt for the telephone payment system or the Website option. But you will need to have a staff member available at certain times for questions or troubleshooting issues. Don’t get left behind by competitors who already have merchant account services and customers who expect them. Start browsing now to learn more about Credit Card Processing.

What is Credit Card?

A credit card is part of a system of payments named after the small plastic card issued to users of the system. It is a card entitling its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services. The issuer of the card grants a line of credit to the consumer (or the user) from which the user can borrow money for payment to a merchant or as a cash advance to the user.

A credit card is different from a charge card, where a charge card requires the balance to be paid in full each month. In contrast, credit cards allow the consumers to 'revolve' their balance, at the cost of having interestcharged. Most credit cards are issued by local banks or credit unions, and are the shape and size specified by the ISO/IEC 7810 standard as ID-1.

Best Credit Card Processing Rates

by: Shane Penrod

Everyone goes into business to make money, so why spend more of your profits on expensive transaction fees, Website maintenance, service agreements and high credit card processing rates? When you take time to shop for the best deals, you can save quite a bit of money that can be used to good purpose in other parts of your business. Start shopping for the best credit card processing rates and open a merchant account. You will first need to find a reputable bank or credit union that will agree to extend a merchant account to you for this purpose. To get approved, you will need a solid credit history, a reasonable business plan, and documentation to show that you are able to manage the costs associated with credit card processing rates. Typically, these include an installation fee for credit card processing equipment, a monthly gateway fee for your financial host, a transaction fee of a few cents per each or an overall percentage total each month. You also may be offered Website service that will entail a hosting fee, a service contract cost, and a designer’s or updating service fee. Be sure to carefully read the terms of any contract that you receive. Never sign something that you don’t understand or with which you cannot completely agree. Your company may have to pay for a monthly minimum up to a certain number of transactions, after which the balance for that month do not require additional fees. Credit card processing rates can vary by company or by processor program. Some companies charge no installation fee, while others require a one-time cost of a few hundred dollars, depending on the program’s complexity. You may have to pay between 15 and 25 cents per transaction, or you could opt to pay a monthly percentage for the entire amount of business generated by your credit card processing unit; this amount often falls below 2%. It is always a good idea to compare rates among competing financial institutions. If you really like the services offered by one merchant account company but prefer the lower rates of a second company, tell the first one about the competitor’s lower rates, and perhaps the first company will meet or beat the lower cost in order to get your business. At first, you may want to keep the customer’s interests in mind when shopping for credit card processing rates. In other words, passing on the savings of a particular program to your customers will keep them coming back to do business with you. If your rates are too high or not competitive enough, they may decide to take their business elsewhere. As you plan to set up your new credit card processing service rates, it may help to let them know in advance that this program is coming so they can prepare and perhaps even help to get the word out to other potential customers. Then, after installing your new credit card processor, you should not hear complaints that anyone was blindsided or treated unfairly. If someone does complain, politely remind them of the earlier notices. When you are ready to start processing credit card payments, don’t be tempted to go for the option with the most features or the most sophisticated set-up. Opt for a system that will best suit your company needs and your customers’ interests, as well as offering the best credit card processing rates.

Applying For A Credit Card With No Credit History – Tips You Need to Know

by: Gordon Goh

Oddly enough, not only will bad credit work against you when applying for a loan or a credit card, but no credit will too. Even though this doesn't seem fair, it is the way things work in the complicated world of consumer credit. Lenders are leery about opening accounts for people with no credit history because they simply have nothing to base your reliability on. So, if you can't build a credit history without credit and you can't get credit without a credit history, just what has a person to do? It's nearly impossible to rent a car, stay in a hotel, or shop online without a credit card, so let's explore a few of the options that can eliminate this Catch-22. Available Credit Options Although many of the major credit card companies won't give you a card without a credit history, some smaller ones, like department stores, will. Find a department store that will issue you a card and apply for it. You can try getting a gas station card also. Either way, use your card but be sure to make all payments on time. Your goal is to build a good credit history, not just get a credit card. Find a credit card company that will review your overall financial situation and not just your credit history. Some lenders will look at your employment history, your housing situation, and how often you have moved. If this is all on the up and up, they may approve your application. Again, use this card wisely. Credit Unions If you are a credit union member, or are eligible for membership, see what their card issuing terms are. Although they are no giving out cards with their eyes closed, they will often have more relaxed conditions for members. You no longer have to work for a specific company to be eligible to join a credit union. So it's well worth checking if there's one in your area. Secured Credit Cards Secured credit cards are offered by lenders who will give you a line of credit that either matches, or is slightly higher than, a cash deposit that you give them to hold. As your experience with the card grows, these lenders will often raise your limit without requiring you to increase your deposit. Eventually, you can use your experience with this lender to apply for cards that are not secured. Student Credit Cards If you are a student, then you'll be best off with a student credit card. Student credit cards can be a great way of building the credit history that you will need to depend upon after graduation. The important thing here is to remember to use that opportunity wisely. Many banks will issue college students a credit card, especially banks that are located in college or university cities and towns. When you do manage to get a credit card, remember that you are establishing a credit history. Show that you are a good financial risk by paying the bill on time. Don't go crazy with the spending. It will only cause you problems in the future.

Apply For A Credit Card Merchant Account Online

by: Shane Penrod

Who should ? Why, you should, of course, if you want to grow your business and maximize sales volume! In this day and age, more and more business functions are moving into cyberspace, which means that business owners must be ready to travel to this relatively unknown domain if they want to maintain strong customer ties and stay a step or two ahead of the competition. Don’t worry if you’re not Web savvy; most online processes that are geared to the general consumer are not hard to perform. In fact, most are downright easy. First, find a lender that you respect that is willing to extend you a credit card merchant account online. This may be the bank where your business interests and accounts currently reside. Or you may choose to shop for another lender with better rates or services. Don’t rush into this decision, however. Plan some time in your schedule to carefully browse the many services offered through a host of financial institutions today. You can browse the Internet by typing in search phrases like “merchant account” or “merchant services” and seeing what Google or your favorite search engine can bring up. Then it becomes a matter of checking out each lender to find the one that will best fit with your business budget or growth objectives. Some companies may seem a little too shady, while others may not have been in business long enough to enjoy a solid reputation. Others may charge a frightful amount for the services you want. Ask around your local business community to see which merchant account providers others are using, and then compare those costs and services with those you find online. You can probably reduce your list to a few of the better underwriters in short order. Then you will need to make the final selection by comparing monthly and annual fees. Applying for a credit card merchant account online is fast and easy. Just click on the lender’s home page link to “application” (or some variation thereof) and follow the links to the application page. Then type the requested information in each blank. Contact the customer service representative if you do not understand a question or if you are unsure how to answer it. Remember to print a copy of the application if you are able to do so, or keep a copy of the confirmation number if one is provided. Often a company will email a verification of your application’s receipt and tell you when to expect a reply. At least print this page, if nothing else, for your records. After applying for a credit card merchant account online, sit back and wait to hear about the decision. Often this arrives within a few days or even hours by email, although some are mailed out by post. When you receive approval and open your merchant account, you can begin to accept credit card payments right away. You will be delighted to see how quickly your profits increase as customers begin taking advantage of this valuable service. Don’t wait—consider applying today for your credit card merchant account online.

Alternatives to Credit Cards

by: Gordon Goh

Are you one of those people who only ever got a credit card for the convenience of being able to pay without cash, or because you weren’t aware of any other easy way to borrow money? Millions of us are, thanks to the unavoidable advertising of the credit card industry, and few people realise just how many alternatives to credit cards there are. Let’s take a look at a few. Debit Cards. Debit cards are often used in many European countries, but are relatively unheard of elsewhere. Basically, they’re just like credit cards and are accepted everywhere credit cards are accepted - the only difference is that they take any money you spend directly from your bank account, instead of you getting a bill at the end of the month. You should be aware,though, that you aren’t as well-protected from fraud with a debit card as you would be with a credit card. Pre-Paid Credit Cards. These are cards that work just like credit cards, except that you can’t have a negative balance - you have to put money on the card before you can spend it. That means that you ‘top-up’ the card, like you would a mobile phone. This is good if you want to know how much you’re spending, not to mention that you can even give the cards to children. They’re also safer than debit cards, since someone who stole the card could only spend whatever money was on it at the time. Bank Overdrafts. A good bank overdraft, used together with a credit card, can be a far better way of borrowing money than using a credit card. Your overdraft limit is set by the bank according to how much you gets paid into your account each month, and you don’t need to pay it off until you want to. Basically, it just gives your account the facility to go into minus numbers, if you want it to. Many banks charge relatively high interest rates for overdrafts, but rarely as high as a credit card - and they will give much better rates for good customers. Real Loans. When you’re buying one big thing at a fixed price (like a car), or you’re going to spend all the money on one type of thing (home improvements, for example), it’s worth budgeting it all out and going to a bank or another loan company. They’ll be able to lend you the money at a much better rate than a credit card would, simply because they know why you’re taking the loan and can set regular monthly payments for you to repay it. Credit Unions. Credit unions are like banks, only more local. They are co-operative, owned by their members and run by the community, and are a great place to borrow money. This is because there are limits in law on how much interest credit unions can charge, and they don’t need to make a profit for owners or shareholders, because they don’t have any. It’s well worth checking if there’s one in your area.

ACH or Credit Cards

by: Wayne Akey

Most businesses accept credit cards and consider the process fees a cost of doing business. However by implementing an ACH payment system you can realize dramatic savings and increase sales. ACH refers to the Automated Clearing House and generically means moving money electronically to and from checking and savings accounts. An example would be a check by phone or taking recurring payments directly from a checking account. The MAJOR difference between ACH and credit card processing is that a credit card transaction “captures” the merchant’s funds from the consumer and essentially guarantees payment. An ACH transaction is a request to transfer funds. The transaction may reject for several reasons with the most common being NSF (non sufficient funds) or a closed account. The funds are not guaranteed. It is the guarantee piece that allows the credit card company to charge a percentage of the transaction to cover the risks involved. Typically a transaction will consist of a discount rate, 2.5% for example and a transaction fee, typically in the 30 cent range. This means that every $100 processed incurs about $2.85 in merchant fees. Contrast this with an ACH transaction. Typically there is no discount rate just a .30 (or less) transaction fee. If you process $25,000 per month using ACH processing will save around $7500 per year. Certainly you will have more “failed” sales due to ACH transaction rejects (eg NSF) but your transaction savings will far exceed these losses. In addition you will appeal to a much wider range of consumers. Estimates vary but MANY people do not have credit cards or are at their limit on their cards. So the benefits are two fold-much reduced transaction fees and a new payment vehicle for your customers. So consider ACH processing for your business. It will save you money and win new customers.

Accepting Credit Cards Payments For Offline Businesses

by: Keith Baxter

Any smart business owner knows that accepting credit cards as a payment option will dramatically increase revenues. Not only do credit cards offer customers the convenience and ease of not having to carry around cash or checks, it lends a sense of professionalism to your establishment as well. The process of applying to become a credit card merchant can be a bit confusing and frustrating, so let's take a look at how it all works. The Credit Card Account The credit card account that you will use is called a merchant account. These accounts are different from a regular business checking account in that they are accounts that have been secured through a bank that offers credit card processing. This account enables you to process your credit card transactions through their banking establishment. This is a safe and secure process which provides both you and the buyer security and protection from the beginning of the transaction right through to the end. Since most of the merchant accounts are offered by a third party vendor, you are not obligated to use any specific bank or institution. You are free to choose the one that offers the options that will work best for you and your company. What you do need to pay attention to are the fees. These fees will come in three different forms. First, the initial setup fee (pretty self-explanatory), moving on to the percentage fee (the provider will take a percentage of each transaction based on amount of sale), and then ending with the monthly service fee. Read the fine print of any contract before signing it. Pay attention to all three fee categories, not just one. Also, look for contract obligations. Some providers will offer you great deals but will want you to sign on with them for a long period of time. You need to be aware of what, if any, penalties will be charged for getting out of the contract if things don't work out. How Do I Actually Get Paid Obviously, this is pretty important. If a customer has used a credit card, no money has actually changed hands. Since more and more customers are now using credit cards, how that money gets into your account and how fast has become vitally important. Any of the reputable merchant account providers will provide the business owner with payment into their account within the first 24 to 48 hours of the initial transaction. Whether that customer has a balance on that card is not a concern of yours. The bank will pay you anyway. If the customer disputes the said transaction, the bank is usually under no obligation to pay the business owner, especially if that dispute has been deemed acceptable. If a business owner has a high number of legitimacy claims against them, the provider may just drop them. The majority of the time, though, things go as planned and the money shows up in your account within a day or two.

1st Steps To A Merchant Account

by: Steve Jones

It's a fact that traders who are in a position to accept credit cards from their customers can expect to make more sales than those who only accept cash transactions. According to "Jumping Through the Merchant Account Hoops" by Khera Communications, the average credit card transaction is $40, compared to just $9 for cash sales. So, by not accepting credit cards you put yourself at a huge business disadvantage compared to your competition. It may also surprise you to learn that credit card transactions can cost your business less in transaction charges. A case study by Coopers & Lybrand found that it costs, on average, 2.7% to process a credit card transaction as compared to 4.8% for cash and 4.0% for checks. The reason for this perhaps surprising statistic is that cash and cheques require more handling by financial institution staff whereas credit cards tend to be processed electronically for the most part these days. To offer a credit card payment facility to your customers you need to set up a merchant account. Typically you will also need to have equipment installed to accept the payments. If you wish to accept credit cards Online you will also need to sign up with a payment gateway such as CyberCash or VirtualNet to allow for instant authorizations over the Internet. The provider of your business bank account should be your first port of call for a merchant account, but if you're looking to provide an Online credit card payment service to your customers, it's important that you make sure that any merchant account provider can demonstrate a track record with accepting Online payments. Applying for and being accepted for a merchant account can take anything from a couple of days to a couple of weeks or more. Your chances of being approved relate directly to your already-existing business track record. That's why your own business bank is a good first option, because they know you and your business better than anyone else. How much can you expect to pay? The cost of a merchant account can vary enormously mainly based on the perceived risk associated with the business applying for the facility and the area of business they are involved in. Typically you can expect start up costs to be in the $190 - $300 range with processing fees on individual transactions from around 2% variable depending on sales volume. The more business you're going to be putting through your merchant account, the more you'll be in a position to negotiate with your merchant account provider.