There is a great new feature available that is coming to a merchant account near you! It is an improved mobile credit card terminal that works via your smart phone, iphone or various other ones. An invoice form is available and the items being purchased can be listed and priced. Cards are then easily swiped into the system and it immediately sends the encoded information to the merchant account and within a minute you have the answer as to whether the card and the sale are good.
No longer do you have to have a building or a land line telephone in order to take credit card payments. You don’t even have to have a website. You can sell at a fair, a flea market, a park, or your customer’s home and complete the sale immediately, leaving him happily with his merchandise.
Filed under Merchant Account by on Jan 1st, 2024 . Comment. 
What do the merchant services providers actually do?
Think of them like a post office. If you want to send an invoice to your customer in the next state, you take it to the post office and pay them a small fee and they take it there for you, saving you gasoline and time and effort. The customer can then go to the post office and send his funds back to you in the same way.
When you swipe or key in the customer’s credit or debit card number and code, it is as though you have just gone to the post office to ask them to deliver your letter. Except, of course, for the fact that instead of waiting 2-3 days for the letter to get there, and another 2-3 days for the check to come back, and then another week for the check to clear, you get your payment immediately. It does take a few days before everything is clear and it is credited to your bank account, but it is still a lot faster than the old pony express.
Filed under Merchant Account by on Jan 2nd, 2024 . Comment.
If you are in any sort of retail business, then the last month of the year was a real adrenaline rush as you lived off of caffeine and excitement. The sound of happy customers checking out via master card processing or visa was the delightful reward after your endless hours of unloading merchandise, and placing products on the shelves and racks.
Your customers were no doubt happy that you provided the quickest, most efficient way for them to pay for their purchases also. After a leisurely hour or two of shopping, their frame of mind changes quickly to “time to go home!” when they hit that checkout line.
A quick swipe of the card, a smile from the associate, items placed into the bag with your logo, and they are out in the parking lot.
Filed under Credit Card Processing by on Jan 3rd, 2024 . Comment.
Sometimes we think that an item costs a lot, but it really doesn’t in comparison to other things that we pay for. Take for instance, the cost of credit card processing. Sometimes when you look at the total on your monthly statement, you might wish that everyone had given you cash instead. It seems to be a high price to pay.
But consider the services that are being provided. The merchant services provider is checking on the customer’s level of funds and clearing them for purchase. They are making a note of what was purchased and when and doing all of this in a matter of seconds. They are listing it by the next day so that you and your customer have a record of the purchase, and preparing a monthly statement as well.
So, when you think about it, $2.50 or so out of $100 is not really a lot to pay for all that you receive.
Filed under Credit Card Processing by on Jan 4th, 2024 . Comment.
Debit cards have become a great way for people to buy without going further into debt. Petrified of paying interest rates, there are still some folks out there shopping who will not use a credit card unless, perhaps, in the case of a dire emergency. Fortunately for you and for them, your merchant account also accepts their debit cards.
Instead of going into debt, or shopping with cash in their pockets or hoping that someone will accept their personal check, these bank customers can conveniently buy whatever they need with their debit card, and just subtract it from their balance just as they would a check. Your business provides a place for them to get the items they need in the easiest way possible.
Filed under Merchant Account by on Jan 5th, 2024 . Comment.
There is always a season for selling. If it’s not the holiday season, then it’s the post-holiday season or the pre-inventory sale or the President’s Day sale. Whatever the time, you need to be set up with a good merchant account so that those shoppers will experience convenience when they come to your shop.
So many people get gift cards for the holidays nowadays, and then wait until the sales are incredible. The crowds in January can be just as populous as those that hit the malls in December! Crowded stores bring the potential for cranky customers who might just decide to lay their items down rather than wait in long lines. Keep those lines short with the quickest merchant account around. Your customers will thank you by coming back for more.
Filed under Merchant Account by on Jan 11th, 2024 . Comment.
We get so used to hearing certain terms that we often do not take the time to really think about what they mean. For instance: transaction. It simply refers to the change of ownership from one person to another. And transaction processing therefore refers to something that aids you in moving that ownership from one place to another.
We do so many transactions every day. If we buy gasoline, it becomes ours instead of the station owner’s and if we stop for a hamburger, we own it once we have paid. The average person enacts at least a half dozen transactions per day, and possibly many more. The swifter the transaction can take place, the happier the customer will be, because he can now move along to the next “to do” item on his list.
Filed under Merchant Account by on Jan 12th, 2024 . Comment.
Enter any store during the week after Christmas and Hanukkah and New Year and what will you see? A big empty staging area where all of the holiday goods have been removed, and the Valentine’s Day items are being carried inside. Change promotes shopping and your merchant account is there, ready to accept all those transactions from your satisfied customers.
When the year ends, your merchant account provider may send you a year end statement that gives you an overall glimpse as to all of the sales that took place during your past year. This is a bookkeeper’s dream as it helps to assist in report-making and a manager’s joy as the decisions for the new year can be based upon hard facts. Do not underestimate the value of these statements.
Filed under Merchant Account by on Jan 13th, 2024 . Comment.
Even those who are less fortunate can benefit from using a debit or credit card for their shopping. That is why stores in every neighborhood should provide credit card processing for payment on their goods and services.
Consider this: by having the money safely inside of a bank, they are less likely to be robbed. If their card is lost or stolen, they can report it immediately so that they will not lose any funds. Another advantage is that people can purchase goods when they go on sale. That way they spend less in the long run.
With the majority of shoppers using debit or credit cards for all of their shopping these days, it only makes sense for your store or business to be set up with credit card processing.
Filed under Credit Card Processing by on Jan 14th, 2024 . Comment.
Everyone appreciates excellent service. So why should you settle for less? Have you been fully satisfied with the merchant services provider that you have been using during the past years, or have you just stayed faithful to them because it is easier than switching? Or maybe your banker is a really friendly person who makes you feel glad that you walked into his door.
Friendliness is important, but it won’t replace quick problem-solving of issues or higher percentage rates on every credit card sale that goes through. That’s why it is important to take the time to compare a few companies before you decide on who will be your provider this year. Fifty to one hundred dollars a week or even per month in savings might just be worth more than your banker’s smile.
Filed under Credit Card Processing by on Jan 15th, 2024 . Comment.