Comments on: Should You Accept Credit Card Payments For Your Business?

By: PAssport

PAssport — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:04:39 +0000

No. That is what Paypal is all about. They act as your credit card processor. Just be sure and get setup well in advance of your first transaction as it takes a number of days to get setup due to bank verifications for your account for deposits.

By: blue_prince_of_dallas

blue_prince_of_dallas — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:44:26 +0000

dont wait for the businessman to call you back
You can take the credit card right now using paypal.

a priemer (sp) account would be fine for right now and as your business grows worry about talking to the guy then.
Right now ask him for his email address and just send him an invoice for his purchases.
Explain to him that you are just starting out and he will understand that.

later you can link your website to paypal but RIGHT now you need to make this sale before this potential customer goes someplace else.

Explain to your customer that paypal never gives YOU the credit card number and you can make up a yahoo email that goes with your business so that he will know what it was when the statement comes.

If you have that swipie thing at work then ask him for the number and manually enter the numbers….REMIND him of his credit card protection from the issuer so that he does not worry

By: JazzyD

JazzyD — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:13:35 +0000

why don't you speak to the local manager of the banks whose credit card u accept

By: Erik

Erik — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:47:24 +0000

Go to your local Costco and arrange for a merchant account. Their fee structure is the lowest around and their service is the best.

By: sumastorm

sumastorm — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:23:20 +0000

Go ahead and accept credit card payments if your losing customers. I personally have not heard anything bad about CitiBank. You should not be over looked because you are a small company. I do hear how bad Pay Pal is. I use SPS, and have the Vx570 terminal. When you look for equipment online there are many processors who try to charge you for every little thing.Read all paperwork before you sign up with a company. Don't pay for annual fees, application fees, start up costs, equipment, software, or training.Get a low discount rate and low transaction fee.Ask questions and shop around and see what is best for you and your business.

By: lazydazee_420

lazydazee_420 — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:10:28 +0000

I can tell you that a Pre Paid Legal Business Plan would be a great asset to your company. It provides a service called GoSmallBiz.com that gives you access to tax and accounting help, technology consulting and a business plan. You would be able to ask about the credit cards and anything else you need help with. There are experts in all areas if business: tax, marketing, accounting, technology, finance and HR. They provide a 4-page website builder to create, they host it and maintain it for you. As you start your business and it grows, this would be a valuable asset for you to have.

For more information, check out my Blog and email with questions.

Good luck!

By: simple

simple — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:21:54 +0000

well first you will have to sign contracts with the credit card company which will spell our the terms and conditions to allow you to accept payments!!!! they will charge you from 1 to 3% for this service!!!

By: ebizartistry

ebizartistry — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 04:27:06 +0000

A quick FYI, Authorize.Net is not a payment processor. They are just a gateway which means they just act like a credit card terminal in a store. The real questions you will have will be for the processor who actually processes your payments for you.

Here's a good list to start with:

1) Am I locked into a contract?
2) Is there a monthly minimum fee?
3) Is the equipment/software you are selling proprietary?
4) How long does it take to get my funds?
5) My average sale is $xx.xx. How much would I pay with you?
6) What will my fees be if I don’t do AVS?
7) Is this an introductory rate? Can my rates change?
What makes you different then the other guy?

Always do a comparison of providers as there are many different ways to say the same thing. I linked to a comparison worksheet that should help you out with this.

By: A B

A B — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 04:18:25 +0000

Encore Payment Systems (www.encoreps.com) presets qualified appointments for their independent reps. (On average I get 3 pre-qualified leads a day.) This helps get our foot in the door. Showing value and lowering costs are imperative to our business, but without that extra push, it would be far more difficult to reach out to business owners. The process is very simple but highly effective. Basically, the marketing center calls the merchant. In this step the importance of having our service is discussed. Credit card processing, debit card processing, electronic processing, and a wide array of merchant services are briefly introduced. Then the marketing center gets a verbal request from the merchant allowing us to set up an appointment. After the appointment is set it is up to the rep to present the materials and make the sale. This system has proven itself with me and I recommend to others who are interested to visit our website http://www.encorepaymentsystems.net to read success stories from our sales force.