What To Consider When Setting Up Your Virtual Merchant Account

A virtual merchant account can be a vital part of the way you do business. The way the world pays for goods and services has changed dramatically in recent years, and card payments have virtually taken over. Any business which relies on the old payment methods is now going to fall by the wayside, as customers now universally expect to be able to pay by card. With the phenomenal growth in Internet commerce, sole traders and part time business are also now able to accept card payments, usually through third party processors.

The option of using third party processors is one you should seriously consider if you are starting up an online business. Whereas applying for a merchant account is both time consuming and difficult, setting up an account with a third party processor can be done in a matter of minutes. In some cases there will be set up fees to pay, in others there will not. It all depends on the individual third party processor. The best known of these, PayPal, charges no fees until transactions occur, making it a risk free option for many setting up a new business.

There is no doubt, though, that having your own merchant account does add to your image of respectability and of being established. This will be especially true if you are selling high-ticket items. Anyone who is used to the Internet will know that PayPal never upholds a dispute started by the buyer of a digital download. If you are selling these downloads at a high price, people will feel more comfortable paying with their credit card.

Getting your own virtual merchant account is not simple, and there are different components which you will need to integrate together. Firstly, you will need the shopping cart software. This will need to integrate with your payment gateway, in order to allow the customer's details to be analyzed. In the interests of avoiding fraud, it is necessary for the customer's address to be checked with the card issuer using the Address Verification System, and any good gateway should need to see the CVV number. These steps play a huge part in cutting levels of credit card fraud.

Applying for a merchant account is easier with a specialist provider than it is with your bank. Banks are worth considering if you have a good relationship and good credit, but even in this case they will tend to charge more than the dedicated providers. If you run an Internet based business, that will be even more so. Some categories of business which are traditionally considered high risk, such as the adult industry and gambling, will need specialist providers. If you cannot qualify for your own account, these providers will be able to offer you a third party solution, until you have enough turnover to qualify for a virtual merchant account.






 

Credit Card Processing News:

 

Hackers Steal Customer Data from Solitude's Credit Card Processing System - First Tracks

First Tracks

Hackers Steal Customer Data from Solitude's Credit Card Processing System
First Tracks
Online Media Solitude, UT - Skiers and riders who visited Utah's Solitude Mountain Resort recently and paid for lift tickets, food or other purchases with a credit card will want to keep a close eye on their bank statements. Officials at the ski resort .
Solitude's credit card system hacked, information stolenSalt Lake Tribune

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Freedom Merchants Corp. Launches FM Reporting Solutions „˘, Proprietary . - EON: Enhanced Online News (press release)

Freedom Merchants Corp. Launches FM Reporting Solutions „˘, Proprietary .
EON: Enhanced Online News (press release)
With FM Reporting Solutions „˘, all restaurants, retail stores, automobile dealerships, private schools, Non-Profits, and other US-based businesses will be able to effectively eliminate some of the largest cost leaks in their credit-card processing .

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Mobile credit card processing made easy
William Lewis highlights two easy options for getting started in the credit card game and staying mobile in the process: Square and GoPayment...


BluePay Provides All-In-One Payment Gateway for Merchants with Multiple . - EIN News (press release)

BluePay Provides All-In-One Payment Gateway for Merchants with Multiple .
EIN News (press release)
/EINPresswire.com/ CHICAGO - BluePay, a top credit card processing firm based in Chicago, simplifies the payment process with its all-in-one payment gateway solutions. Instead of relying on a third-party payment gateway, which often creates more of a .

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Selecting a Smartphone Credit Card Processing System
Small scale credit card processors now benefit from secure smartphone credit card processing systems...


2012 Credit Card Processing Trend Predictions Released by CardPaymentOptions.com
CardPaymentOptions.com has released its 2012 predictions for the payment industry and the focus for this upcoming year is mobile processing.Santa Monica, CA (PRWEB) February 07, 2012 CardPaymentOptions.com has released its 2012 predictions for the payment industry and the focus for this upcoming year is mobile processing. With the boom of near field communication, mobile payment systems, as well ...


Bonus or bogus: Who pays for rewards credit cards? - Fox Business

Bonus or bogus: Who pays for rewards credit cards?
Fox Business
When you pay with a rewards credit card, you might get airline miles, points redeemable for merchandise, or cash back into your account. Ever wonder who's footing the bill? Every time you pay with a debit or credit card, retailers get charged an .

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Solitudes credit card system hacked, information stolen
Solitudes credit card system hacked, information stolen By Steven Oberbeck The Salt Lake Tribune Published Feb 14, 2012 02:32PM MDT Solitude Mountain Resorts credit card system was hacked into during the past couple of weeks and customers information was stolen. The resort said it has heard from several patrons whose information had been lifted, although Solitude officials believe the breach ...


Merchant e-Solutions Named Finalist for Customer Service Team of the Year in Stevie Award Competition
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Feb. 15, 2012  /PRNewswire/ -- Merchant e-Solutions, a global leader in the credit card processing industry, has been named a finalist for a Stevie Award for Sales & Customer Service ...


Etsy Now Accepts Credit Cards. But Is It Safe? - www.CreditCards.org

Etsy Now Accepts Credit Cards. But Is It Safe?
www.CreditCards.org
But pressure from both buyers and sellers motivated Etsy to make the leap into credit card processing, taking their business model one step closer to that of Amazon. EURśDirect CheckoutEURť will only be available for a small group US sellers at first, .

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JHA Payment Processing Solutions Adds 16 New Credit Union Clients in Six Months - Sacramento Bee

JHA Payment Processing Solutions Adds 16 New Credit Union Clients in Six Months
Sacramento Bee
PPS enables credit unions to consolidate credit, debit, and ATM card processing services which provides a single point of contact for settlements, adjustments, and reconciliations. PPS also offers an array of complementary products and value-add .

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Cash-Back Credit Card Rewards Offers Going Strong
More credit card issuers offer cash-back rewards of at least 1 percent of spending...


The Best Credit Card Processors Ranked by topcreditcardprocessors.com for February 2012
topcreditcardprocessors.com, the independent authority on credit card processors, has released their list of the best credit card processing companies for the month of February 2012.(PRWEB) February 08, 2012 The independent authority on credit card processors, topcreditcardprocessors.com, has named their list of the best credit card processing companies in the merchant services industry for the ...


JHA Adds Cards Processing Clients - Credit Union Times

JHA Adds Cards Processing Clients
Credit Union Times
Using PPS provides a single point of contact for settlements, adjustments and reconciliations for credit, debit and ATM card processing and other complementary services, the Monett, Mo., company said. New clients include the $2 billion Keesler FCU in .

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Leaders Merchant Services Ranked as Best Credit Card Processors by topcreditcardprocessors.com for Month of February .
topcreditcardprocessors.com, the independent authority on credit card processors, has named Leaders Merchant Services as the best credit card processor for the month of February 2012.(PRWEB) February 06, 2012 The independent authority on credit card processors, topcreditcardprocessors.com, has named the top ten best credit card processing companies for the month of February 2012. During the ...


The small business mobile credit card processing competition heats up - Going Cellular

The small business mobile credit card processing competition heats up
Going Cellular
The Square Credit Card Reader is a smartphone accessory available on the Apple iOS and Android platforms that plugs into the headphone jack of your device and allows you to accept mobile credit card payments anywhere, charging a 2.75% processing fee .

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