Credit Card Processing Company in USA

Accept Credit Card Online Merchant Accounts
By Shane Penrod

Learn how you can accept credit card online merchant account
payments by applying for this special account soon. Many
first-rate banks, credit unions, or other types of lenders are
eager for your business and will provide great deals on a
merchant account. You can browse the many available services on
the Internet by using a search engine for “merchant services
account” or a related keyword. Then start comparing the various
deals, costs, and terms for those that will best serve your
company’s needs and clients’ interests.

To accept credit card online merchant account payments, first
find the best lender and account terms that you can trust to
represent and safeguard your business interests. Once you have
located a company to work with, you may want to run a check
through the Better Business Bureau if you are not familiar with
the company’s name or history. When you are satisfied as to the
company’s ability to provide a helpful merchant services
account, negotiate the most relevant equipment, costs, and
services to benefit your company. Don’t be sold on additional
features that you cannot afford and do not need. You can always
add these later after profits increase and your client base
grows. At the outset, try a simple merchant account start-up
plan that will address your most pressing needs first.

After applying and getting approved for a merchant services
account that will let you accept credit card online merchant
account purchases, select the credit processing equipment that
fits your customers’ purchasing patterns. For example, if they
shop at a physical location like a shop or restaurant, a simple
credit card processor with a combined terminal and printer that
can be plugged into the wall near the cash register is your
best bet. If you process many e-checks or debit transactions,
consider adding this equipment as well. You may wish to add a
wireless credit card processor for remote destinations or
delivery services so that an employee can accept credit
payments promptly rather than waiting for the billing process.
Compare the cost of buying versus leasing this equipment, along
with transaction and maintenance fees.

The next level of e-commerce that can help expand the way that
you accept credit card online merchant account payments is by
establishing a company Website with a credit payment feature.
Work with a graphic designer to develop a site that will
attract current and new customers and keep them coming back.
Offer product and service descriptions, price lists, industry
tips, and other information that will make your site useful and
interesting. Then people who come to browse will be impressed
with your set-up and perhaps stay to shop and make credit card
purchases online.

Get ready to extend your business practices into the 21st
century by providing credit payment options to customers at
every level of commerce, from on-site at your store to
Web-based purchases. Your customers and employees will
appreciate this sophisticated upgrade in payment options when
you to learn how to accept credit card online merchant account
transactions.

About the Author: Shane Penrod is the founder of

Merchant-Account-Quotes.com Specializing in allowing merchants

the ability to shop and compare multiple quotes from national
merchant account providers. For free quotes on merchant account
rates and fees, please go to
http://www.merchant-account-quotes.com

Source: http://www.isnare.com

Credit Card Processing Company in USA

Credit Card - Advantages And Disadvantages
By Carmin Olivier

A credit card can be an asset to your lifestyle, but if not
handled carefully it can become a liability, especially if you
find it so convenient and easy to use that you lose control of
your spending.

This short guide will help you understand how you can use your
credit card so it works to your advantage, not against you.

Advantages

A credit card can:

1. Offer free use of funds, provided you always pay your
balance in full, on time.
2. Be more convenient to carry than cash.
3. Help you establish a good credit history.
4. Provide a convenient payment method for purchases made on
the Internet and over the telephone.
5. Give you incentives, such as reward points, that you can
redeem.

Disadvantages

On the other hand, credit cards can:

1. Cost much more than other forms of credit, such as a line of
credit or a personal loan, if you don’t pay on time.
2. Damage your credit rating if your payments are late;
3. Allow you to build up more debt than you can handle;
4. Have complicated terms and conditions;

What is a credit card?

A credit card is more then a simple piece of plastic, it is
first and foremost a flexible payment tool accepted at 30
million locations worldwide, and if the card balance is paid off
every month, then no interest is charged on purchases made so,
essentially, short-term credit is granted without the consumer
paying any interest.

Among its many features it provides:

1. Access to unsecured credit (no collateral required against
amounts charged)
2. Interest-free payment from time of purchase to the end of
the billing period
3. Instant payment of purchases, allowing for instant receipt
of goods and services
4. 24/7 access
5. Fraud protection

However before you decide to use your credit card, carefully
consider all of the factors and weigh them against your personal
needs and values.

What about credit card control?

Handling money and credit cards wisely is a talent few of us
are born with. But it is a skill that can easily be learned. The
place to start is with budgeting.

What is a Budget?

It’s simply an organized way of managing your finances,
basically, it gives you an overall picture of where your money
is coming from, when it’s coming in and how it’s being spent. A
budget should be flexible, changing according to your
circumstances.

Why Budget?

Budgeting helps us achieve short-term goals like paying the
monthly bills on time; it’s also for longer-term financial goals
like buying a home, a car, paying for an education, wedding or a
holiday. When you take control of your financial affairs, you’re
more confident about the future.

A budget is key to financial control. It gives you a “Polaroid
picture” of where you stand financially and where you’re
heading.

Credit card control tips

Use a low or no-fee credit card and save on the annual fee that
some companies charge.

Only charge to your credit cards what you can pay off in full
when the bill comes.

You might not use your credit card as much if you start
believing that you have to pay off your entire balance at the
end of each month.

A good way to help to reduce what you pay on your credit card
is to search for a card with a lower interest rate. Many
financial institutions now offer at least one of these types of
cards.

Remember that when you take a cash advance on your credit card,
the interest starts accumulating immediately and not on the due
date of your credit card bill.

Also keep in mind that if you make only the minimum monthly
repayment you may never get out of debt.

Conclusion

The main advantage of having a credit card is convenience but
if you're not good at budgeting and managing your finances, the
over-use of credit cards can leave you with a debt that's very
difficult to pay back.

About the Author: Carmin Olivier is the webmaster of
http://www.findyourcreditcards.com If You're looking for good
credit card deal visit http://www.findyourcreditcards.com

Source: http://www.isnare.com

Credit Card Processing Company in USA

Merchant Credit Card Services
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Alison_Cole]Alison Cole

Studies have shown that you can increase your business sales manifold if you accept credit card payments from your customers. This is because most people are not like to carry cash around, and so using their debit card or credit card is their preferred mode of payment. Suppose, you own an online store where people can make orders by the click of the mouse. It follows naturally that you should be also in a position to accept credit card payments online. Then there may be situations where the people would prefer to make their orders by phone. There are companies that give a toll free number and the people can place their orders and give their credit card information based on voice prompts.

To accept credit card payments, you need to have an online merchant account with any financial institution, bank, or acquiring institutions. These institutions will deposit the money accepted through a website into your account. Apart from getting a merchant account, you must also get a payment gateway. As the name itself suggests, the payment gateway is a gateway, actually a code, which processes and validates the credit card information by sending the information provided to the credit card company and gets an accept or decline message. On getting the accept message, the gateway then transmits the amount from the website to the merchant account.

Address verification is the most important aspect of credit card services, as it is essential to fight against credit card fraud. Some credit card companies ask for the CID or the credit card identification digits.

Software such as the IC Verify (DOS winpopup), PCAuthorize (Windows), or MacAuthorize (Mac) These software are required to process the credit cards.

As a merchant, you can accept credit card information on your own website or on the website of the acquiring institutions, with whom you have your merchant account. These institutions charge a nominal fee for their services, but the increase in sales is well worth the investment. [http://www.MerchantServices-Web.com]Merchant Services provides detailed information about merchant services, e-commerce merchant services, high risk merchant accounts, internet merchant services and more. Merchant Services is the sister site of [http://www.e-TelecomAudits.com]Telecom Audits Info.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alison_Cole http://EzineArticles.com/?Merchant-Credit-Card-Services&id=144902

Credit Card Processing Company in USA

Credit Card Basics
By Mansi Aggarwal

“Which bank’s credit card do you have?”, “what is its credit
limit”, “what type of card is it”…such questions are on
everybody’s lips today. The world seems to have been squeezed
and wrapped into a credit card. Nowadays everybody speaks and
grasps the language of credit cards. The credit card syndrome
seems to have gripped all of us.

But are credit cards only beneficial? Let us analyze the pros
and cons of this pocket plastic and see what outweighs the
other.

The Benefits of a Credit Card:

• Keep heavy cash in abeyance—money is the most coveted thing
in this world. Carrying lot of cash wherever you go is always a
bone of contention. A credit card facilitates you to travel
without heavy cash and have a carefree and happy trip or
shopping.

• Imagine yourself out for shopping in a wonderful mall. While
you shop, you remember to take boots for your son, spectacles
for mother, necklace for your beloved wife…but falling short of
money! The credit card is your best friend in such a situation.

• Even if you lose your credit card, you need not be
apprehensive and scared the way you get when you lose your
cash. This is because you can get the card freezed or blocked
from the bank and relax.

• Credit card works anywhere and everywhere nowadays. You just
need to bag your card and make a move to any destination
without bothering for money.

• Loan facility can also be availed via credit cards.

The Negative Aspect of Surge in Credit Card usage

• Generally everybody does not meet the eligibility criterion
to hold a credit card. yet in order to enhance their sales and
as part of marketing strategies, companies, private banks etc.
do away with giving these cards to who so ever caters even to
the minimum terms and conditions.

• The loan factor-the cards provide you with huge credit
limits. The consumer ignorant of the forthcoming trouble, keeps
on drawing money from his card and most often when he realizes
his mistake, it is too late. He not only comes in the debt of
the money he withdrew but also the massive interest that is
charged by these companies and banks.

• Many credit card companies provide lucrative offers almost
every month in the form of incentives. These incentives are
basically meant to boost the sale of their product. Incentives
like travel programs, gas purchases etc. are a very common
phenomenon these days. But one should not get lured by these
for it is well said that everything that glitters is not gold.
Initially the cards might be promising for some cheerful
moments but once you become habitual of them they can land you
in soup.

• The addictiveness- it is most often the addictiveness of
these cards that is a source of trouble. People, who keep on
drawing from the bank’s or company’s credit, suffer largely.

• Debit cards are believed to be different from the credit
cards. But actually the difference is minute. A debit card can
also be used as a credit card at times and there are some
eminent banks that charge fee with the debit cards too. So more
or less the situation remains to be the same.

When you make up your mind to go for a debit card, consult some
advisor. Know the details of the interest rate, the tenure to
repay the amount and other such things. Do not be carried away
by brand names. Just make a survey first and then decide which
one to go for.

About the Author: Mansi aggarwal writes about credit card.
Learn more at http://www.wisecreditcarduse.com .

Source: http://www.isnare.com

Credit Card Processing Company In USA

Credit Card Basics
By Mansi Aggarwal

“Which bank’s credit card do you have?”, “what is its credit
limit”, “what type of card is it”…such questions are on
everybody’s lips today. The world seems to have been squeezed
and wrapped into a credit card. Nowadays everybody speaks and
grasps the language of credit cards. The credit card syndrome
seems to have gripped all of us.

But are credit cards only beneficial? Let us analyze the pros
and cons of this pocket plastic and see what outweighs the
other.

The Benefits of a Credit Card:

• Keep heavy cash in abeyance—money is the most coveted thing
in this world. Carrying lot of cash wherever you go is always a
bone of contention. A credit card facilitates you to travel
without heavy cash and have a carefree and happy trip or
shopping.

• Imagine yourself out for shopping in a wonderful mall. While
you shop, you remember to take boots for your son, spectacles
for mother, necklace for your beloved wife…but falling short of
money! The credit card is your best friend in such a situation.

• Even if you lose your credit card, you need not be
apprehensive and scared the way you get when you lose your
cash. This is because you can get the card freezed or blocked
from the bank and relax.

• Credit card works anywhere and everywhere nowadays. You just
need to bag your card and make a move to any destination
without bothering for money.

• Loan facility can also be availed via credit cards.

The Negative Aspect of Surge in Credit Card usage

• Generally everybody does not meet the eligibility criterion
to hold a credit card. yet in order to enhance their sales and
as part of marketing strategies, companies, private banks etc.
do away with giving these cards to who so ever caters even to
the minimum terms and conditions.

• The loan factor-the cards provide you with huge credit
limits. The consumer ignorant of the forthcoming trouble, keeps
on drawing money from his card and most often when he realizes
his mistake, it is too late. He not only comes in the debt of
the money he withdrew but also the massive interest that is
charged by these companies and banks.

• Many credit card companies provide lucrative offers almost
every month in the form of incentives. These incentives are
basically meant to boost the sale of their product. Incentives
like travel programs, gas purchases etc. are a very common
phenomenon these days. But one should not get lured by these
for it is well said that everything that glitters is not gold.
Initially the cards might be promising for some cheerful
moments but once you become habitual of them they can land you
in soup.

• The addictiveness- it is most often the addictiveness of
these cards that is a source of trouble. People, who keep on
drawing from the bank’s or company’s credit, suffer largely.

• Debit cards are believed to be different from the credit
cards. But actually the difference is minute. A debit card can
also be used as a credit card at times and there are some
eminent banks that charge fee with the debit cards too. So more
or less the situation remains to be the same.

When you make up your mind to go for a debit card, consult some
advisor. Know the details of the interest rate, the tenure to
repay the amount and other such things. Do not be carried away
by brand names. Just make a survey first and then decide which
one to go for.

About the Author: Mansi aggarwal writes about credit card.
Learn more at http://www.wisecreditcarduse.com .

Source: http://www.isnare.com

Credit Card Processing Company in USA

Credit Card Processing On The Internet
By Ted Roxan

So you have finally finished your e-commerce web site, hired
the best web publisher, added all the bells and whistles,
outstanding graphics, and great merchandise. Now, how does your
prospective customer pay you for your products? Clearly, it is
necessary for your site to accept, and process credit card
payments, in real time. Failure to do so, would result in a
failing enterprise.

Before you can begin the application process, there are several
standards that all credit card processors have set. Follow this
checklist and you will save yourself a significant amount of
time, and aggravation.

1) The checkout, and transaction pages must be secure. This
protects the customer from credit card, or identity fraud,
which has become epidemic. You achieve this “security” by
installing a secure socket layer certificate, or SSL. SSL
encrypts information being entered on your site as it is sent
across the Internet, so hackers are unable to steal the
transmitted information. This Certificate has become very
common, and any web host would be able to assist you.

2) A robust Shopping Cart software that utilizes the highest
degree of security, and is compatible with the credit card
processor. This program must be able to receive, and process
orders. Collect personal data, and securely transmit the credit
card data from software to the credit card processor. Most
importantly, the software should provide the building blocks
for a complete, successful customer experience.

3) Your server must have a firewall, especially if you plan on
storing the credit card information on your server. Basically,
a firewall is a combination of software, and hardware, that
inspects incoming data, and filters unwanted, or potentially
destructive packets of information. This firewall will not
allow hackers to enter your server, and steal sensitive
information.

When all these conditions have been met, you are ready to
contact your bank to open a credit card merchant’s account.
Once your account is opened, your bank will suggest a credit
card Gateway. A credit card Gateway receives the customer’s
credit card information from your web site, approves or
declines the charge, and ultimately transmits money to your
bank.

Although the process appears to be very complicated, it is
quite straightforward when you know what you are doing. Plan
ahead, avoid frustration, and provide your customers with an
easy, secure experience that will make them come back for more.

About the Author: Ted Roxan is a contributing editor of
Internet Credit Card Processing Resource. For more details on
Internet merchant accounts and Credit Card processors go to:
http://myinternet-credit-card-processing.com/

Source: http://www.isnare.com

Credit Card Processing Company in USA

The History of Credit Card Processing in America
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Mike_Knudtson]Mike Knudtson

Charge cards can be dated back to the early 1900s. In 1914, what seems purely as a customer service goodwill gesture, Western Union gave some of their prominent (preferred) customers a metal card to be used in deferring payments-interest free-on services used. One source said this card became known as "Metal Money."

As time progressed so did the charge card. Up till the start of WW II, department stores, communication companies, travel and delivery companies, and oil companies had extended this service to their preferred customers. These company based charge cards were limited by their use exclusively through the issuing company. These companies issued the cards, processed the transactions, and collected the debts from the customer.

In WW II, the use of credit and charge cards was prohibited.

After WW II, credit cards became more accessible to the general public After seeing trends indicating increased travel and spending among those who held charge cards, banks became interested in credit cards-after all they were in the business of lending money, and they saw the profit potential behind attaching interest to the cards.

When banks first got into the credit card business, they were only issuing cards to local consumers. In 1951, the Franklin National Bank in New York, issued the "Charge It" card. Which allowed customers to charge purchases at local stores. This charge card system worked much like credit card systems work today. The consumer made a purchase using the card; the merchant performed a credit authorization from the network, then completed the sale. The bank would reimburse the retailer and collect the debt from the consumer at a later date. Other banks across the nation were impressed with the success of this process that within several years after the "Charge It" card they offered their customers similar services for making purchases at local retail establishments.

In the 1950s the first charge card was developed that allowed consumers to make charges for services and goods from a variety of retail outlets. This innovation was the Diner's Club charge card, which was established for business men to use for travel and entertainment expenses. The Diner's Club card gave its members up to 60-days to make payment.

The first "revolving-credit" card was issued in the State of California by the Bank of America. The card, BankAmericard, was marketed all across the state. This card set another milestone in the development of the credit card industry. The BankAmericard was the first card to give cardholders payment options. Payment options like today's cards, let consumers pay the debt in whole or they could make monthly minimum payments while the banks charged interest on the remaining balances.

By the 1960s, bank card associations begun to emerge. In 1965, Bank of America issued licensing agreements to other banks-both large and small-across the nation. These licensing agreements permitted regional banks to issue BankAmericards and to exchange transactions through issuing banks.

By 1969, most independent bank charge cards had been converted over to either the BankAmericard or Master Charge cards.

Eventually, charge card issuing and processing became too large of a task for the banking industry to handle. That is what lead to the emergence of credit card associations such as Interlink Association, Western States Bank Card Association, and National BankAmericard Inc. Current associations include Visa and Master Card.

The next major changes in the credit card industry involved streamlining transaction processing and reducing credit card fraud. In the early 1970s, electronic authorizations allowed the retail establishment to get approval for credit card transactions 24 hours per day.

By the mid 1970s, the credit card industry started exploring international waters, but had some difficulty because of the name association; "America" in BankAmericard, for instance. This lead to the renaming of BankAmericard to Visa and Master Charge followed suit by changing its name to Master Card.

By 1979, electronic processing was improving. Electronic dial up terminals and magnetic strips on the back of credit cards allowed retailers to swipe the customer's credit card through the dial up terminal, which accessed issuing bank card holder information. This process gave authorizations and processed settlement agreements in a mater of 1-2 minutes. An added benefit was paper reduction.

The early 1980s, gave birth to the first Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs), which allowed consumers access to cash, and to make deposits, 24 hours a day across our nation and in other countries as well. Credit card holders could access cash in different currencies.

Since its existence, Visa has been a leader in credit card innovation. Because of this they have emerged as the world's leading credit card association with over 1-billion cards being issued, and carrying over 50% of all credit card transactions conducted world wide.

"Visa (International) is a "not for profit" organization comprised of over 40,000 member Banks and MasterCard is a for "Profit" company who issues credit cards and sets and maintain rules for credit card acceptance and processing. They are both run by board members who are mostly high-level executives from their member banks and industry heavy hitters."

There are five leaders in the credit card industry: Visa International, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and Diner's Club. There are others trying to penetrate the industry like check processing companies, Euro Card, JCB and ATM companies but credit cards still account for over 90% of all e-commerce transactions!

Mike Knudtson is the co-founder of the Fastcharge [http://www.fastcharge.com]Payment Gateway and the founder of [http://www.electronictransfer.com]merchant account provider Electronic Transfer, Inc.. He has helped thousands of merchants set up retail and ecommerce payment processing for their business. Electronic Transfer, Inc. is one of the leading merchant service companies serving merchants since 1989.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Knudtson http://EzineArticles.com/?The-History-of-Credit-Card-Processing-in-America&id=599795