How Should I Accept Payments on my Business’s Website?
If you have a small business with an online store component, you may be wondering how to accept credit card payments online for free. Unfortunately, even if you avoid startup or monthly fees by choosing the right payment processing company for you, transaction fees are something that you’re always going to deal with when processing customers’ credit card transactions on your website.
There are ways however to reduce fees associated with payments online, including ACH cards and ecommerce platforms. You may not be able to accept credit card payments online for free, but you can always make the burden easier on yourself and your company’s bankroll with a few easy tips.
Consider ACH payments
Transfers through a customer’s debit card are probably the cheapest way that your business can accept payments online, which is even more important as the COVID-19 quarantine has made people rely more on online transactions for their needs.
As a small business owner, what you need to know is that a debit card transfer has far lower fees associated with its transactions than a conventional credit card.
Ecommerce
Ecommerce is looking to be the future of payment processing. An ecommerce platform offers you an easy solution to your online store’s payment options with built-in processing systems for all forms of payment that your customers will use, including paying by debit card.
Obtain a merchant account
Of course, you may decide that a traditional merchant account will save you money over other payment processing methods. High-volume businesses can obtain discounted rates from merchant account providers who want to provide their services to clients that make more money. This could give them the edge over other ecommerce platforms for you in terms of price since those companies charge flat rates for their services regardless of your company’s performance. When getting a merchant account, make sure the company you choose offers low price assurance to make sure that you are getting the lowest possible price.
Think about the bottom line
Saving on expenses is great, but you may be stepping over dollars to pick up pennies. The real question is what will increase your profits the most. By accepting more forms of payment, you prevent having to turn away customers, and you enable your business to grow. Studies show that just by accepting credit cards and letting customers know about it, businesses can increase their sales by up to 500% or more.
The Takeaway
If you’re wondering how to accept credit card payments online for free, you may be disappointed to know that transaction fees for an online store are a given in today’s payment processing landscape dominated by merchant account providers and third-party processors.
However, you can easily reduce these fees by negotiating with a merchant account provider if you’re a high-volume client, or use a debit card system or certain ecommerce platforms to mitigate the cost. As a small business, you may want to reduce transaction fees as much as possible, even if you can’t accept credit card payments online for free. Use these tips to get them as low as you can. But also consider what will help your business grow the most and the fastest.
For more information on accepting credit cards for the lowest possible rates, or to sign up for a merchant account, please call (888) 924-2743 or go to Charge.com.
