Five things to look for in an online merchant account
An online merchant account is an invaluable tool for online business owners that allow them to receive payments via debit or credit cards. These merchant accounts allow the owners the businesses to conduct any other transactions online where credit or debit is involved.
It is imperative to choose the right merchant account or payment processor for your business from the beginning. Keep in mind, too, the technical aspects of this task. It should be noted that a merchant account is different from a payment aggregator, which serves like a bank only but operates online. Choosing a separate merchant account and aggregator can prove to be a redundant process, since most online merchant accounts today already have both. That’s the first thing you should look for when deciding on a payment merchant. Here are five other important considerations for you to look into:
Ease of use: It makes sense to go for something you can use more easily than others. A payment merchant that has a minimal interface and straightforward features will make it more time-efficient to readjust to your new payment merchant. As a business owner doing transactions online, you will have to check with your merchant account website now and again. Therefore, ease of use should be a primary consideration before you begin.
Features: Second of all, you have to look into the features. Different merchant accounts have different features to offer. Among the most useful for online business owners, and also the whole point of getting a merchant account, is being able to accept credit card and debit card payments. The features extend further than that, however. Look for a merchant that provides a sort of sales tracking or transaction history list, for example.
Pricing: After everything, pricing is where it all comes down to. Even though there are rich features included in the package, you still need to think whether or not it is cost-effective. The pricing should be relative to the available features as well, so these two aspects are directly intertwined. Consider how much the fees will be, or if there will be any other things you have to pay for when a transaction is made.
Security: As an online business owner, you should never compromise on the security. It’s strongly advised to all business owners to look for an online merchant account that offers completeness when it comes to their security. Looking for a secure login page on the merchant’s website is a great first step for business owners. Additionally, go over the section in their terms and conditions where it details the security features, guarantees and resolutions.
Integration: To complete the list, go with a payment merchant that makes it easy to integrate their credit or debit services to your online website. This is especially important if you own a web store and require a shopping cart feature or a payment button. Keep in mind that most of the integration process will have something to do with codes. If you are unfamiliar with these, make sure that you get help from a professional.
When it comes to Internet merchant services, be sure to work with a reputable provider to get an online merchant account that does well in these 5 areas of consideration.