How to Accept Credit Cards Online, In-Store or Anywhere

More than 50 percent of small businesses in the U.S. don’t accept credit cards, despite credit card payments being standard practice these days. One reason why is that accepting credit cards might seem daunting, confusing or costly to merchants. But equipping your business with the facilities to accept credit card payments is not complicated. And the fact remains that they are missing out on millions of dollars in sales.

It all starts with a merchant account

To accept credit card payments online, in-store or on any other platform, you will need to set up a merchant account. Merchant accounts allow you to accept and process payments made from credit and debit cards. They are offered by merchant account providers, which may be a bank, a payment processor, or an independent sales organization. Different merchant account providers all offer different packages and services that enable credit card payments; the difficult part is choosing the right one for your business.

How to choose a payment processor

There are several questions you may want to ask about the type of services you need from your payment processor, including:

• Will I get 24/7 customer support?
• Are there any additional services included?
• Is the payment system PCI compliant?
• Are there additional security measures to make the payment system more secure?
• Are the fees affordable and suitable for my financial structure?
• How much flexibility can I expect if I want to upgrade or expand my business?

Accept credit cards anywhere, any time

Once you have a merchant account with a payment processor that suits your needs, you are ready to begin accepting credit card payments. The process is similar regardless of whether you want credit card facilities for your brick-and-mortar store or an online site. For physical stores, your payment processor can supply you with all the equipment you need, such as a POS (point-of-sale) card reading device, as well as the software and training to utilize them. If your business offers payment-upon-delivery services or is mobile, you can also get mobile credit card equipment to take with you so that you never lose out on a sale.

One of the great advantages of credit card payments is that, unlike cash or paper checks, they can be made online. If you already have a website for your business, setting up online payments is swift and simple.

Accepting credit card payments opens a business up to so many more potential sales. Often, a customer will walk out of a store without making a purchase simply because there is no way to pay with a card. The ability to accept credit cards, especially online, can help engage and retain more paying customers, which can lead to greater profits for your business.

For more information about how to accept credit cards or to sign up for a merchant account, please call (888) 924-2743 or go to Charge.com.