Accepting Visa Credit Card Payments

Answer 1

Whether in person, over the telephone or through a secure online payment gateway, business owners will need a merchant account for the processing of visa credit card orders. In particular, orders placed via the internet need to leave the customer with a feeling that the transaction is legal, encrypted and can be verified and tracked. Setting up an account with a merchant account provider helps insure this.

Linking The Website

When a domain is taken and a website is designed, business owners and entrepreneurs need to make sure the checkout page has been coded to link purchases to a gateway service. Most often this design code is standard if the company assisting with the website understands that it involves a checkout page. These companies often can recommend a merchant account provider and/or gateway link service that will connect the customer's Visa payment information to the clearinghouse. If a retailer orders product from a particular source, this wholesaler often has special deals in place for the opening of a merchant account that will allow Visa transactions.

An Easy Setup Process

Once a merchant account is agreed upon, the company acting as a distributor of funds will either set up the gateway or advise the business owner to find a provider of this link. A gateway is like a series of coded instructions that tells the merchant account company what to do. As an example, if a Visa purchase is made in the amount of $100, this information must be sent electronically to the merchant account company in order that the funds can be transferred from the buyer's account to the bank account of the retailer, minus any fees associated with the merchant service. The gateway is a code string that is linked to the checkout page on the website, much like an affiliate's code is placed on a Google advertisement

Visa Merchant Account Maintenance

Every month, the merchant account company will charge a fee to the retailer. This fee may be flat and constant, or may contain a small charge per transaction. Often the flat fee is the total charged each month; if the per-transaction fees exceed this total, the base charge is waived. The gateway company service charge is in addition to the amounts charged for the distribution of funds. It should be noted that the Visa merchant account is usually separate from the gateway company, the latter being set up in order for the merchant account company to receive any information at all.