If you want to sell online then you will need an E-Commerce credit card processing account. With the help of an online merchant account and credit card payment gateway, you can give your customers the option to purchase goods with the click of the mouse, at any time, day or night.
Advantage Card Services can provide you with an online merchant account and the ability to do online credit card processing on your website and, at the most cost effective rates.
Other questions? Please call us at 303-351-6016 or Get Started with a merchant account online.
How Online Credit Card Processing Gateways Work
The steps below show how online credit card processing works and how online payment gateways are used in order to accept credit cards on websites.
1. The online customer finds the merchant’s website and adds products to their shopping cart. When they are ready to check out, they enter their billing information.
- Chances are the merchant does not have a secure page so the customer is transferred to a secure payment gateway site. (If the merchant does have a secure site, then the information will be “passed” to the payment gateway without the customer ever leaving the merchant’s site.)
- Once the billing information has made it to the payment gateway, it is then transmitted to the processor.
- The processor passes the information from the payment gateway to the bank that issued the credit card, which verifies the card and also that the amount requested is available.
- The bank puts a hold on the sale amount for the merchant, then sends back an approval number or a decline message to the processor.
- Within 3-15 seconds, the information in steps 2-6 is passed back to the gateway.
- The gateway passes the approval code back to the merchant’s site or, if the merchant does not have a secure site, gives the customer their approval information. At this point, the merchant can also choose to have the payment gateway email the customer a payment receipt.
- Final payment is secured and is deposited in the merchant’s account in 24 to 48 hrs.
Other questions? Please call us at 1-866-311-0681 or Get Started with a merchant account online.
Online Credit Card Processing Tips
Follow the tips below to avoid any of the possible pitfalls of setting up an online merchant account.
Tips on Setting Up Your Online Merchant Account
- While it’s true that most online merchant accounts can be set up in a few days, it does sometimes take longer. A good online merchant account tip is to start thinking about setting up your account a few weeks before you plan on using it. You will have plenty of other challenges in those last few days before you open for business.
- Use credit card processing experts for your online credit card processing needs. Since internet and online credit card processing is relatively new, you should make sure you get the best advice, software and costs available. Most banks, superstores and other companies who do not specialize in merchant accounts can never be as up-to-date with the current trends as specialists like Advantage Card Services.
- Online credit card processing may have a few different fees than a retail merchant account. Understand all of your online processing fees and make sure everything is fully outlined. Be thorough reviewing the application and be certain to ask questions about anything you don’t understand. Taking the time to go through everything thoroughly may save you from surprises when you get your statement.
- Make sure you are quoted for online credit card processing and not a retail account. Many merchants may find that they are initially quoted, and mistakenly sign-up for, a retail account. If you have a retail account, you will get hit with much higher fees than you would have if you had set your account up properly. Most online credit card processing accounts will have a rate over 2%. If you are quoted a rate below this number, it is likely that you have been misquoted.
- Choose a leading payment gateway to handle your online credit card processing transaction. While some newer gateway companies have excellent products, nothing beats the reliability and the ease of integration that the more established gateway companies have. If you follow this tip, you know you are getting a product that works from a provider with a proven record.
Other questions? Please call us at 303-351-6016 or Get Started with a merchant account online.