It’s no secret that credit cards play an indispensable role in business, especially in ecommerce. Not all services are created the same, so it’s important to choose credit card processing services that meet your needs.
What Is a Credit Card Processing Service?
This service makes it possible for you to accept electronic payment via your website or at your business. While the name specifies credit cards, these services may also accept the following types of payments:
- Mastercard or Visa debit cards
- PayPal
- Google Pay
- Apple Pay
- Samsung Pay
- ACH
Companies that provide this service work on the back end to accept payment types and transfer money earned to your business. These service providers charge a small processing fee for the transaction, which is why so many companies have purchase minimums for electronic payments.
How Do Companies Structure Fees?
Over the past few years, credit card processing companies have created many different payment options for businesses. In fact, even one provider may offer several payment options. These are the most common choices you may have.
- Flat Fee: If you have a large volume of sales, monthly fees may make the most sense as scaling up saves you more money. To save even more money, you may consider purchasing annual subscriptions. Note that these companies may still charge a per-transaction fee.
- Markup Fee: Some companies charge no monthly fees at all, but then charge higher fees for per-transaction costs. If you have a smaller business or sell expensive one-off items, this may make economical sense. These are some transaction fees that may arise:
- Chip or swipe
- Online
- Keyed
- Online
- Chargeback Fee: Some credit card processing companies charge their clients for chargebacks, while some do not. Unfortunately, how much money you spend on monthly and per-transaction fees rarely has any influence on what you may end up paying for chargebacks.
- Miscellaneous: There are other fees that may arise, depending on the service and your specific arrangement. For instance, you may need to rent equipment from the company or pay extra for PCI compliance.
What Should I Look For in Credit Card Processing Services?
Some business owners base their decisions on the pricing structure that best complements their business model and performance. This may make sense in the short term, but there are other important factors to consider.
Customer Service
If payments do not go through as planned or your customers get errors when attempting to make purchases, you need a company you can reach quickly and easily. The more time passes with your payment options not working correctly, the more money you lose. You will appreciate customer support more than ever the first time you need to address a chargeback issue.
Integrations
Being able to integrate this with other software can prove helpful. For instance, you may want to track credit card payments properly so you can account for each transaction. Being able to automatically write off fees as business expenses can make this so much easier.
Analytics
Some card processing companies go the extra mile of providing analytics, which can help you determine your business’s online sale performance.
Risk Support
Some companies have fewer options because they are considered high-risk operators. This may come down to the age of the business, its credit history or the industry. Companies in this category can have a difficult time finding a credit card processing company.
Anonymity
Some companies provide services where anonymity is strongly preferred by customers. The desire for anonymity may stem from not just the business itself but who it attracts. For instance, public figures may not want colleagues or the media to track some purchases or donations back to them.
Payments
Did you know that some processing services even accept checks? At first glance, it may seem crazy that anyone attempting to purchase something online may need to write a check. However, if your target demographic includes seniors, you may run into this more often than most.
Who Do We Recommend?
Naturally, we recommend Instabill for all your credit card processing needs. We have provided top-tier credit card processing solutions for almost two decades and take pride in our business. During that time, we have also specialized in serving clients that struggle to find credit card processing service providers, because they are considered high-risk. We have also worked hard to provide solutions that high-risk merchant accounts often need, such as chargeback support and anonymous transactions.
Instabill understands that who you allow to process your payments is a big decision, especially in today’s world of frequent cybercrime. We feel confident that once you have tried our services, you will become a long-term customer. Contact us for more information.
