Accept Credit and Debit Cards Online

Accepting card payments online can be a great boon for your business, especially if you operate in e-commerce. In fact, without debit and credit card payments, it’s exceedingly hard and inefficient to run an online business. However, some business owners are weary of the entire process, because it may seem complex or obscure. In this article, we’re going to take a look at the two components you need in order to start accepting card payments online.

Merchant account

To start, you will need a merchant account. This type of account is opened through a merchant bank, and it allows companies to use certain services, such as credit card processing, and the ACH. The merchant account can typically be used for both offline and online operations.

The payment gateway

A secure payment gateway facilitates card payments by transferring all the information needed between those participating in the transactions. A payment gateway will validate a customer’s information, request the payment, and confirm once the payment is received. Your payment gateway will typically be provided by the same merchant account provider that provided your merchant account.

To sum it up, the best way to start accepting card payments online is by opening up both a merchant account and a payment gateway through a reputable merchant account provider.

For more information on merchant accounts and payment gateways, or to sign up for a merchant account,  please call (888) 924-2743 or go to Charge.com.