Selecting Your Merchant Account-3 Things To Consider
Wednesday, September 15th, 2010The process of getting a merchant account can be intimidating to the new business owner. But it doesn’t have to be. Nevertheless you must pay attention to several factors when you are searching for the best credit card processing services provider for your needs.
1. What do you need? Some merchants need much more than others. If all you need is the ability to process credit and debit cards, there is no need to pay for check processing, for example. Are most of your customers paying with cash? Perhaps they go online and order there; write down what you need so you only get those services.
2. Buy or lease? If you have a small, new storefront, you probably don’t want to buy your credit card terminals right off the bat. After all, the economy is uncertain and you don’t want to be stuck with equipment you no longer need if things don’t work out. On the other hand, if you are stocking several locations, buying is much cheaper in the long run.
3. How much business will you do and what kind? Comparing prices between merchant accounts can seem like looking at apples and oranges, unless you know how to read the numbers. For example, if company A offers a discount rate of 1.5% and a transaction fee of 25 cents, and company B has a discount rate of 2.5% but only charges 5 cent per transaction, which makes the most sense?
It really depends. If you have a few, high priced transactions, say you process 10 sales of $50 each, the total cost with company A is ((50 x 0.015) + 0.25) = $1 per transaction - $10 for the day. With company B it will be ((50 x 0.025) + 0.05) = $1.30 per transaction - $13 for the day. It seems like a clear choice.
However, at 50 sales of $10 each, things are very different.
Company A ((10 x 0.015) + 0.25) = 0.40 per transaction for a total of $20 for the day, and company B ((10 x 0.025) + 0.5) = 0.30 per transaction, resulting in a bill of $15 each day.
You see, how you sell and how many transactions you process will affect which is the best deal for your company.
In the final equation, you should find an online merchant account that meets your needs and your anticipated habits – it makes business much more pleasant for all.