2. If I decide to accept checks what other pertinent information should I know first?

There are other fees associated with accepting debit cards, however you may want to consider the consequences of dealing with a bounced check. This is a lot more secure and you are guaranteed to have the funds available to you.
 
Equipment cost - You could buy a separate check processing machine which would cost a lot of money usually in the $600 - $900 range. What most merchants prefer to do is have their terminal programmed to accept checks. This saves a lot of money and can usually be reporgrammed for free.
 
Cost per transaction - When you are processing checks the transactions are approved by risk which is based on the industry the check originated from. You merchant account service provider will detail how much the fees will be and are similiar to credit card processing fees.
 
Monthly service fee - There is usually a monthly fee associated with check processing and is usually between $10 - $20 per month. You may pay more on the application or set up fee. It still makes a lot of business sense to accept checks as another payment option. The more options that you have available the better chance of converting your potential sales into sales.

Monthly minimum - In order to make sure that your account is profitable for the processor they may assess a monthly fee to cover their costs. This fee can range anywhere from $0 to $100. It is a good idea to check with the processor and find out how much it is. This is not a separate fee but a set minimum on your transactions. For example if your monthly minimum is $20.00 and you only process $15.00 worth of transactions you automatically pay the difference of $5.00. If you process $25.00 in a month then you pay no monthly minimum.

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?