what is merchant services?

Answer 1

Merchant services refer to a range of financial services and solutions provided to businesses to facilitate electronic payment processing. These services are typically offered by financial institutions or specialized payment service providers. The primary purpose of merchant services is to enable businesses to accept and process various forms of electronic payments, such as credit cards, debit cards, and mobile payments.

Merchant services encompass a wide array of functions and features, including:

1. Payment Processing: Merchant services providers offer the infrastructure and technology needed to process payments securely and efficiently. This involves capturing payment information, authorizing transactions, and transferring funds from the customer's account to the merchant's account.

2. Point-of-Sale (POS) Systems: Merchant services often involve providing businesses with POS systems that allow them to accept payments in physical retail locations. These systems may include hardware like card readers, cash registers, and terminals, as well as software for transaction management and reporting.

3. Online Payment Solutions: With the growth of e-commerce, merchant services also extend to online payment processing. This includes integrating payment gateways into websites or online stores, enabling businesses to accept payments over the internet securely.

4. Mobile Payments: Merchant services may include support for mobile payment options, such as mobile wallets or payment apps. These solutions allow customers to make payments using their smartphones or other mobile devices.

5. Fraud and Security Measures: Merchant services providers implement robust security measures to protect against fraud and ensure the integrity of transactions. This may involve employing encryption technologies, fraud detection systems, and complying with industry security standards, such as Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

6. Reporting and Analytics: Merchant services often provide businesses with tools and reports to track and analyze transaction data. These insights can help merchants understand sales patterns, customer behavior, and make informed business decisions.

7. Customer Support: Merchant services providers typically offer customer support to assist businesses with any issues or questions related to payment processing, equipment, or software.

Overall, merchant services play a vital role in facilitating smooth and secure electronic payment transactions for businesses, whether they operate in physical stores, online platforms, or both.

Answer 2

Merchant services is a financial services product provided by a bank or merchant acquirer that enables a merchant with the ability to accept electronic payment transactions. The services typically delivered could involve payment processing for one or more of the following: * Credit Card * PIN Debit Card * PINLess Debit Card

* E-Check - conversion, verification, and/or guarantee services

* Electronic Gift Card * Loyalty Card * ACH * EBT - Electronic Benefits Transfer (Foodstams)

* Age verification, gateway services, merchant cash advances, and more... The top few processors currently control about 90% of the U.S. Market. To learn more about these market-dominating players, you can Google for "top bank card acquirers". These acquirers typically market their services in four primary ways.

* Bank Alliances * ISO/MSP Relationships * Alliance/Referral relationships * Direct Sales Bank Alliances are typically defined as a partnership, joint-venture, referral relationship, and/or (in the case of JP Morgan/Chase, US Bank, and Bank of America) a wholly-owned subsidiary. If you ask your local bank for merchant services, they will likely refer you to a processor/acquirer. ISO/MSP's are defined as Independant Sales Offices or Merchant Sales/Service Partner. These are 3rd-party re-sellers who market services directly to merchants. In most cases, when you look up "Merchant Services" in the yellow-pages, or visit a paid-ad (you know the ones on the top and right side?) you are probably dealing with a 3rd party ISO/MSP. Alliance/Referral relationships are usually setup by trade associations, discount clubs (i.e. - Costco and Sams Club both have programs), or possibly your gateway or software provider. Direct Sales are just what it says - if you call the 800# for any of the "major" acquirers you will likely speak with someone in direct sales with the organization. Some organizations also maintain their own direct sales staff to actively solicit merchants. So the simple answer is that you can call your Bank, lookup a provider in the YellowPages, sign up through a discount club or other association, or directly with the acquirer. There are pricing and servicing pros and cons to each option so who you use will really depend upon your needs.