Accept Credit Cards Online Review

When it comes to accepting payments online, the more options the better. Even small businesses can accept credit cards online without paying expensive terminal fees and getting locked in a long contract. Online credit card processors are cheap enough to implement without breaking the bank, flexible enough to accommodate any business type and scalable enough to grow with your company.

To accept credit cards online you need a merchant account and a payment gateway. If you’re planning on selling through an online store you will also need an online shopping cart. With an all-in-one payment processing service you can accept just about any form of payment from anywhere you have an internet connection.

What to Consider Before You Accept Credit Cards Online

There are thousands of merchant services and resellers out there, and they go by many names: eCommerce solutions, payments online, credit acceptance etc. So how do you choose the best way to accept credit cards online for your business? We used the following criteria to find the best all-inclusive merchant services and rank which ones are worth investing your money in to help you make more.

Application, Setup & Integration
Most merchant services are more than happy to get you signed up, so they make the application process very easy. Some companies accept online applications. Most provide a simple online form and then follow up with a phone call to discuss personalized options for your individual company. While most companies have a high approval rating and quick turnaround time, some are better than others.

Pricing
Make no mistake; while these services are here to help you make money, they want their cut too. Credit card processing involves a number of parties (banks, security, credit card companies) who all charge a fee for their part of the process and most of those fees are passed on to the merchant. Luckily, merchant providers are very competitive with pricing, so it’s important that you shop around and find the lowest rates. For the best rates, consider all of the additional fees and your realistic number of transactions. A lower monthly fee may be important to one company while the per-transaction costs might be more important for another company.

Features
Like pricing, there are a number of features that may be more important for one merchant than another. All merchants can appreciate a streamlined interface and easy transaction management when it comes to taking payments online. If you’re selling subscriptions you’ll want recurring payments online. If you have several employees you will probably need multiple accounts. Consider your situation and which elements are essential. In general, the more features the better.

Scope
While the site focuses primarily on accepting credit cards online, you may also wish to use credit card swipers or even your smartphone to process transactions. Other merchants may wish to integrate their payment gateway with an online eStore. Some services come packaged with a shopping cart, and others easily integrate with popular shopping carts. Whether you’re starting from scratch or integrating with existing software or services, find a credit card processor flexible enough to grow with your business.

Security
As credit card threats evolve and news of security breaches spreads, merchants and customers are understandably concerned about security with payments online. Luckily there are several security measures to protect the credit card holder and the merchant. Processors that don’t have the right security in place or aren’t completely PCI compliant aren’t worth considering.

We’ve compared and reviewed the best credit card processing solutions and found Flagship Merchant Services, GoEmerchant and EPX to be the best options available to accept credit cards online. You can also find some practical tips on credit accepting and guidelines with our articles on accepting credit cards online. At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don’t Have To.™