Accept Credit Card Online Fast, Professional & Secure Merchant Services

Accept Credit Card Online

Extra CA$H in an Hour -- What Will You Do With It?

Paying with a credit card is one of the primary needs of every online shopper -- especially those impulse buyers who want to pay instantly. Accepting payments for these online products and services is an every day event and it is actually very easy to do.

There are three reasons for needing to accept credit card online.

1. You're an individual that needs to get paid.
2. You're a small business that needs to get paid.
3. You're a charitable organization that needs to collect donations.

These three reasons have pros and cons and we will try to point a few of them out to you so that you can make a better, informed decision for yourself.

If you are an individual and have an online business selling aquarium supplies for example, or even if you do e-Bay auctions, it will be better for you to be able to accept credit cards as a payment option instead of just cash or checks.

For simplicity sake, Paypal is probably the better choice for you. Paypal integrates with most shopping cart programs, or you can use their own secured, shopping cart. Don't forget their famous "Buy It Now" and "Pay Now" buttons that you can make and use relatively simply in your websites and blogs.

Not to have a monopoly on simplicity, but Google also offers their own service called Google Checkout and it too offers you to accept credit card payments without incurring a monthly fee. 2Checkout is another similar service.

They all accept major credit cards -- even if your customer does not hold an account with them.

And although you will have slighter higher fees on a per transaction basis, you will generally have a lower overall bill at the end of the month since you are only charged when you sell your product or service. It is simpler to keep up with and you're only out money AFTER you've actually MADE money. There's no hidden fees, no surprises and less hassles. All is good.

Your bill is dependent upon your number of transactions. Percentage rates change, but typically Paypal will charge you 2.9%, plus 30 cents per transaction. Google Checkout and 2Checkout have very similar charges.

In the end, you will have to look over your month income and determine which choice is best based on your current or future sales volume.

If you are a 'regular' business, one with employees for example, then Paypal probably is NOT the correct choice for your business only because if you can afford to have employees, then you are making some serious sales and cash and therefore would be paying hefty transaction fees too.

Another reason NOT to use Paypal is if you are selling products that tend to be returned for any reason. For example, you are selling items that are subject to high fraud -- where a customer will claim that they never received it and thereby refuses to pay. In these cases, Paypal is NOT good with disputes and will generally take the side of your customer rather than with your business, so keep that in mind.

There are financial institutions that are better suited for a merchant account, such as your bank that is probably already involved with your business. Investigate their charges to see how they compare. Be aware that several hosting companies also offer merchant services, but their terms and fees will vary and generally not for the best.

Overall, the per transaction charge is less than Paypal, say $0.25 instead of $0.30. The percentage charged for each sale is also lower, but there is one thing the Paypal does not charge that these firms do and that is a monthly fee in some form or fashion.

Most credit card processing companies charge between $10 - $30 a month regardless of your sales volume. It's a fixed expense so unless you're doing, or planning on doing, a decent amount of sales each month, you could end up spending all of your profit each month for the convenience of being ABLE to accept charge cards, not necessarily because you ARE.

In addition, each company may have a different rate that is charged for each type of credit card. This is called a "flat discount rate" and it certainly sounds good, but it isn't. For example, VISA and Master Card have the same percentage rate for transactions, but Discover or American Express may have a slighter higher transaction charge. You have to really read the fine print in any of these acceptances. Look instead for "interchange +" charges which, in banking terms, is like prime plus a percentage instead of an overall blanket charge.

Don't forget about some of these other charges as well. The first is the application fee. Then there's an initial step-up charge, although you may be able to get these wavered if you ask nicely. Next, there may be a monthly minimum charge that you are responsible for even if no sales are processed. You may also have to make an initial deposit just to cover chargebacks. Finally, you may have additional charges for what companies call "address verifications" and/or "non-qualified transactions".

In the end, modestly expect to pay between 10% - 15% of your total sales to your processor for the option of accepting credit cards. It's unfortunately becoming a requirement more than a option due to the no cash society in which we now live.

The third choice is for those organizations that are non-profit or church related. Being able to ask and collect donations is an important feature online and Paypal is an easy alternative to help you. Even though Paypal may not be the right choice for some businesses, charities get some features for free, so it's worth checking into, especially the "Donate Now" button creator.

All three types of people should still think about one thing before choosing a credit card processing service. The single most important factor in determining a company is their customer service department. Monthly charges and fees can be a burden, but there are nothing compared to the amount of time you can spend on the phone trying to set up your first account.

Whatever companies you are checking out, make sure that you can understand their customer service representatives. It might be a little thing now, but from experience there's nothing quite as frustrating as not being able to understand the language or accent of a particular agent. Sometimes you can transfer to another representative, but sometimes, what you get is what you get. Do they answer your questions, or just put you on hold?

We recommend calling each company's customer service and get a feel for the company from the service you receive. How is it? How do you feel doing business with these people? This is the real reason for doing business with anyone and especially since this is not a one time affair, but this is YOUR money we're talking about on a monthly basis for potentially many years to come. You should be happy, not just tolerate.

Life is to be enjoyed. Start today!

p.s. As with all things, there are people who try to take advantage of the system. While you're learning and processing your first payments, stay alert to the latest scams so you're not a victim to a fraudulent chargeback or other trick. My first e-Bay/Paypal experience cost me $400; not exactly the way to start a new business. Do your research. Accept credit card online effortlessly and in no time at all!

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