Ability to accept credit cards for payments is important for every business big or small. Customers do not always carry cash and often not start a payment processing company enough. Studies have shown that average credit purchase is much higher than a purchase made with hard cash. People also tend to indulge in impulsive buying at businesses that accept credit cards. Why would you then not open a merchant account and accept credit cards? This article also gives some tips on how to obtain a merchant account.
Deliver good customer service and attractive payment options to customers and you ensure that customers spend more money with you than your competitors. Buyers may not always carry cash and sometimes not enough. If you acquire a Merchant account, you can enrich their shopping experience by giving them the flexibility of paying by credit cards. Consumer spending on the internet is exploding. Credit cards have also become a quick and attractive option to make payment online for your purchase.
Credit card processing companies charge per transaction fee and that could be a turn off for a small business owner especially if you are already under pressure to maintain margins. Relax! You will more than make up for the fee with increased revenue. If you accept credit cards, you become attractive to customers that are not carrying enough cash. Businesses that accept credit cards also fuel impulsive buying.
Businesses selling goods are more preferable than those selling services. In addition, businesses that immediately hand over the goods to the customer are preferred over those who have to delay the delivery for any reason. Credit card processors love businesses that accept credit cards in person. The customer would hand over the card to you and you would swipe it through the terminal and get a signature. If you accept credit card on the phone or the internet, your business is considered higher risk. If such is the case, you may not be denied a merchant account but you would certainly pay higher fees.
As an online merchant accepting credit card payments, you have numerous security issues that you must be aware of for the safety of your business and your consumers. At this time, there are two main aspects of credit card security for credit card processing, including “AVS” and “CVV”. Both allow credit card transactions to be completed anonymously over the internet, and any merchant accepting credit cards online should require both forms of information of your customers.
The “AVS”, or address verification service, is used to determine that the address provided by a customer matches the address associated with a credit card account. This helps generate confidence that the person who is entering the credit card details is the person who owns it. While the AVS is not required to process credit card transactions, when it is provided the transaction processor will send a response back with details of how much of the address provided matches the address on the credit card.
A credit card will not be denied if the address is entered wrong, it is up to the merchant to decide what to do if the address only matches partially or not at all. You can deny the sale, or require the buyer submit additional information, or give them the opportunity to correct the address information, before processing the transaction.
The “CVV”, or card verification value, sometimes referred to as the CVV-2 is a three to four digit number found on the back of American Express, Mastercard and Visa cards. It’s on the card but not on any statements, so that if an individual has found a credit card statement in the trash, they aren’t able to complete a sale that requires the CVV code for verification purposes. When a customer is able to enter the CVV code, it’s a strong indication that the customer has the credit card in hand, which increases the potential of the card belonging to the person who is attempting to use it to make a purchase online.
When a customer first sends the credit card information to you via your checkout or web based form. You are solely responsible for security as the internet merchant, at this stage in the credit card transaction process. Having a secure server and a valid security certificate with the https protocol will protect and encrypt private information you receive from customers.
Imagine a company that specializes in setting up merchant accounts for new businesses or established ones that have never had credit card processing capability. The firm’s collective pride and confidence swell when such business owners report that they have selected the company after performing much due diligence – some researching for months before taking the leap and deciding which credit card processing vendor to select.
