Frequently Asked Merchant Account Questions and Answers
2. What other options are available ?
There are a few options available but are quite costly and may not be suitable for you. The option that is available is a third part credit card processor. They charge large discount rates usually ranging from 15 to 20% on your sales which can have a huge impact on your business. The other problem associated with this option is that you only have access to your funds two or three times a month and there are more times then not that a customer may dispute the charge as they don't recognize the vendor on their statement 30 days later. This could kill your business or at least costing you a ton of money. It is strongly recommended you set up your own merchant account and not rely on a third party.
General Information
1. What exactly is a Merchant Account and do I really need to have one?
2. What other options are available ?
3. Is it necessary to accept credit cards ?
4. When I make a credit card sale how do I get the money ?
5. Can I apply for a merchant account at a bank ?
6. When looking for a merchant account provider how do I find the right one?
7. What information do I need to provide to set up a merchant account?
8. What is a high risk processor what makes them risky?
9. I plan to open an online store what must I know about processing credit cards online?
10. If someone wants to make a check payment on my site can I process it?
11. How do I implement the payment process on my website?
Fees/Expenses
1. What other fees are involved not listed on the site?
2. Are there any other fees you aren't mentioning on the site?
3. Why are American Express and Discover more expensive when they aren't as widely used like Mastercard and Visa?
4. What kind of fee does American Express and Discover charge?
5. What is the best price to pay for a digital terminal or software?
6. I don't have very much start up cashflow but would like to start right away what should I do first?
7. What can I do to prevent chargebacks and credit card fraud?
Risks and Safety
1. Is it risky to accept checks as I know some people refuse to pay with a credit card.
2. If I decide to accept checks what other pertinent information should I know first?
3. Is it possible to accept check payments on my website?
4. How safe is it to accept credit card payments over the internet? Is it really secure?
5. How can i reduce the risk of accepting bad or fraudulent credit cards?
More Information
1. If I already have a terminal is it possible I can have it programmed with my new merchant account provider?
2. Am I able to process Foreign, Government or Corporate credit cards?
3. If I have a retail business is it a good idea to accept debit or check cashing cards?
4. What is real time processing and electronic terminals? How about software?
5. Virtual terminal? What is that exactly?
6. Does a virtual terminal allow you to process checks?
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