The Encyclopedia Of Accepting Credit Cards Payments Online & Offline!

Finding a company that assists in accepting credit card payments is no less than World War. And why so? Because our very beloved planet is occupied with thousands of payment processing companies, which makes it complicated to choose the firm that actually is worth all the blabbering it does. Other than this, there are too many factors to be considered, as ignoring even one can change the game completely.

Catching the flight to travel with an affordable and convenient route from a shopper’s credit card to a business account needs a careful look at rates, fee structure, and month-month service contracts of the service providing company.

Education about different rate processors and fees is of course a good way to crack the best deal. Another good way is getting in touch with a few credit card processing companies, comparing their quotes & terms, and then making the right decision.

Moving on to asking for pricing quotes, it’s required to gather a good idea about the kind of processor, which best fits the business. Also, it’s good to think about how to accept the payments and the type of processing equipment needed.

Be it any payment processor, it belongs to one of the below-given business types:

ISO/MSP:

The majority of credit card processing companies are independent sales organizations (ISO) and merchant service providers (MSP) that are engaged in reselling merchant accounts from direct processors. Now, these comprise Flagship Merchant Services and set up the business with a merchant account. There ain’t any doubt that these are the perfect choice for small-scale businesses with average or high sales tickets and processing of more than $3,000 per month.

Direct processor:

They provide merchant accounts and share close relationships with banks as well as credit card brands. Despite being favorable for large businesses, these companies work with small businesses too.

Payment facilitators:

These are also popular as merchant aggregators and sponsor merchants below their master merchant accounts. They are at times, distinguished as mobile credit card processors. Payment facilitators are the best match for very small businesses that process even less than $3,000. This processor is helpful for businesses that have small tickets, as it helps them save money. However, it is necessary to go for a company that does not charge a per-transaction fee.

Let’s now move on to the ways to do business with customers and accept payments from them.

• Card present: Both credit and debit cards are accepted in person through a POS system, mobile card reader, or credit card terminal.
• Card not present: Credit and debit cards are accepted remotely, either via the phone or online.
• Both card present and card not present: Credit cards are accepted in several ways.

And now comes the turn to decide the type of processing equipment that’s needed. Though all card readers accept magnetic stripe cards, it is required to have a model that is able to accept EMV chip cards too. Moreover, it must have NFC technology to facilitate accepting mobile wallets. Thanks to this benefit, there isn’t any need to update the equipment because the payment method is quite popular.

4 Ways To Accept Credit Cards —

1. Mobile Credit Card Reader:

Mobile credit card reader a portable device, it enables the business to accept credit cards via tablet or smartphone that has a credit card payment app installed on it. Particular models plug in the headphone jack of tablets or phones; however, the latest models connect through Bluetooth.

• Processors provide free magstripe card readers but it is good to upgrade it to a model that is able to accept mobile wallets and chip cards.
• It acts as a stand-alone device or can be connected to a POS system.
• Best for businesses accepting payment in several places or running limited transactions at a physical location or looking forward to processing transactions from anywhere in the store.

2. Credit Card Terminal:

It is used to accept credit and debit cards. Most of the credit card terminals have built-in keypads as well as receipt printers. Talking countertop models, they connect through dial-up or Ethernet. As far as the wireless models are there, they connect via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPRS, or 3G.

• Terminals can be purchased for $150 to $600.
• To accept mobile wallet payments, it must read EMV chip and magstripe cards. Also, it should have NFC technology.
• Best for businesses looking for a card reader to connect to or work with a POS system. It is also good that the ideal credit card processing system isn’t needed to do anything besides accepting payments.

3. Point-of-Sale (POS) System:

A full-on checkout station, it has software, a touchscreen, a card reader, a cash drawer, and a receipt printer. Additional may include barcode scanners and other peripherals.

• They can be purchased from merchant account providers or POS companies. Price varies on the type of system. The least expensive ones are tablet-based systems working with third-party hardware.
• They connect to or are used with a terminal or mobile credit card reader.
• Best for businesses that have a physical location.

4. Payment Gateway:

An e-commerce solution is used with shopping cart software or an e-commerce platform so as to accept payments through an online store, a website, or a blog.

• Monthly fee is charged by most processors to provide this service. However, some processors also charge a gateway setup fee and an additional per-transaction fee.
• Available for credit card processing companies. If cards are already being accepted at a physical location, it is recommended to check with the processor before signing up with another service for online processing.
• Ideal for businesses selling goods or services online.

And the discussion has come to an end. If you are a business owner with a thirst to expand further, pull massive customer crows, ease cash flow, and never see the ugly face of bad checks, merchant service is the boat to sail.

To know more or say all about the world of merchant services, feel free to get in touch with us. We are at your feet 24/7 and would love to take you on a stroll of the merchant accounts world.