How to Get a Merchant Account for Accepting Credit Cards.
Don’t Lose Out By Not Accepting Credit Cards. No matter what type of business you run or how big or small it is, if you don’t accept credit card and debit card payments you are losing out on sales. And not only are you losing out, you are giving your competition a big advantage.
Many small business owners think that accepting card payments is a complicated and costly process, but they are surprised to learn that the opposite is true. The most important thing is to find a reputable merchant card service provider that will explain and guide you through the application and implementation process. If you make the right selection, you could be up and accepting card payments within one business day of application.
It starts with a merchant account:
To accept any type of card payments you have to first open a merchant account. A merchant account is a kind of bank account where money from credit card sales can be deposited. A sale is made, paid for by credit or debit card, and the funds are available to be transferred to your regular bank account, typically within two or three days.
A merchant account services provider not only opens a merchant account for you, but they also manage your whole credit card payment system for you. You don’t necessarily need to have any special software, equipment or accessories beforehand to accept credit card payments, because it will all be provided by a good merchant account provider when your merchant account has been opened. Online sellers only need their website and/or a business that sell face to face, and they will be provided with either a card-reading terminal at the point of sale, a payment gateway for their website, software to act as a virtual terminal for card-not-present transactions, or they can have their mobile phone or tablet setup to accept card payments. It is that simple. If it isn’t, then consider shopping around for another merchant account provider.
How do you apply for a merchant account?
Look for a merchant account provider that offers online application because this is a great time-saver. Don’t be put off if you have a bad credit record or if you have no credit record, because there are still options available to you.
You will typically be asked to provide your IRS Employer Identification Number as well as details of your business checking account so that your deposit transactions can be confirmed, and you may be asked to provide additional documentation.
If you are trading as a sole proprietor you can open a merchant account in your own name, using your social security number as your tax ID number and, depending upon your merchant provider, you may be able to use your personal checking account to confirm deposits.
For more information about accepting credit cards and how to get a merchant account, or to open a merchant account, please call (888) 924-2743 or go to Charge.com.