Card-Not-Present Processing: Web-Based vs. Virtual Terminal

Card-Not-Present Processing: Web-Based vs. Virtual Terminal

Payment processing tools for card-not-present transactions — web based and virtual terminal — allow merchants to accept and manage credit card transactions without their customers having to be there. The tools needed to accept these payments are minimal–an Internet connection, a Web browser, and possibly a shopping cart. Let’s take a look at the different…

Creating a Virtual Terminal Operator

Creating a Virtual Terminal Operator

Are you a mail order/telephone order (MOTO) merchant accepting payments over the phone? Here in the tech department, we often speak with merchants about the flexibility of the Instabill payment gateway. As a merchant, you want as much control as possible over your payment gateway, and with good reason. Being able to secure your customers’…

Should I use an open source shopping cart for my online business?

Should I use an open source shopping cart for my online business?

When looking for a shopping cart for your e-commerce business, you will undoubtedly come across shopping carts that are labeled “open source.” You’ve probably even had sales reps or IT consultants recommend a shopping cart for your business. But you may be asking yourself: What makes an open source shopping cart different? Are they affordable? Are they…

Declined? Make Sense of Your Declined Credit Card Transactions

Declined? Make Sense of Your Declined Credit Card Transactions

Finally! You’ve gotten approved for a merchant account, picked a shopping cart, and integrated your payment gateway. Now you’re eagerly anticipating approved transactions. But what if your first few transactions are returned with a more disappointing message: DECLINED. When an online credit card transaction is declined, you might assume there’s something wrong with the payment…

Do These 5 Things to Accept Credit Cards Online

Do These 5 Things to Accept Credit Cards Online

Congratulations! You’re about to launch your website and you’re ready to accept credit cards online for the products or services you offer. And you want to move fast. Paypal is an option, but then you read about merchants being unexpectedly shutdown by the payments giant. It is a risk you cannot afford to take. You…

Mysteries of Online Payment Gateways...Solved!

Mysteries of Online Payment Gateways...Solved!

If you are a merchant who has never processed payments online before, or if you are looking for a new merchant account, you may sometimes feel like you’re learning a new language. Deciphering the payment processing lingo can be dizzying. Instabill’s merchant account glossary is a great place to start for the basics. But some…