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Bagwell Marketing
A
full service Advertising, Public Relations and Marketing Company.
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Accept Credit Cards With Merchant Services
Need
Help Accepting Credit Cards for Purchases of Products or Services?
If you are selling a product or service on the Web, you know how important
it is to secure payment. Selecting the right merchant services provider is an
important part of your Internet Marketing plan.
The term "Merchant
Services" is loosely used to describe the overall process of accepting credit
cards. If you have a traditional "brick and mortar" business, you may
already be approved to accept credit cards. However, many Internet businesses
find it difficult to set up a merchant services account.
Banks and financial
institutions that handle these transactions are typically leery of Internet business.
Potential fraud and the liability associated with an unknown business may make
it difficult for some startup companies to get an account.
When negotiating
for a merchant services account, there are a number of things to take into consideration.
How soon can you get your money? This can vary from the next day to three or four
days.
What rate
will you pay? You will be charged a percentage of your transaction plus a transaction
fee. You, obviously, want to pay as little as possible. This is usually around 3
percent of the sale. For high risk business, the merchant service provider may charge more.
Are there additional fees? You should expect to pay a per transaction fee, a monthly fee, charge back fee along with other fees. Beware, sometimes vendors will quote a lower percentage
fee and than add on all kinds of processing fees, statement fees and other charges
at the end of the month.
Understand all the fees before you sign.
What credit cards can you accept? Most merchant services accounts handle Visa
and MasterCard. You usually have to make separate arrangements with American Express
and Discover, although you can typically process them through your merchant service
account.
Do
you need a "gateway" or other service with your merchant account provider?
Many merchant services providers handle the actual processing of your credit cards,
but you have to have a third party provider to "send" the information
to them. Gateway fees can also add up. These fees are typically monthly, and they
usually run about $30 for a typical small business. This can usually be negotiated.
At Bagwell Marketing,
we can help point you to options for accepting credit cards.
While there
are a number of choices, we have a strategic alliance that allows our clients to take advantage of rates usually reserved for large businesses.
Get a free no obligation review on your merchant services account .
For more ideas and resources on Internet Marketing
visit our resources page.
Bagwell Marketing - Dallas, Texas
We're more than an advertising agency--
We're your marketing partner.®
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