10 Facts About Merchant Account Processing

Merchant Account Processing: There are many misconceptions about Merchant Accounts and their service providers. In this blog, we will try to reveal some of the facts about the Merchant Account Processing.

While opting out for a merchant account, and choosing a payment gateway, businesses usually make mistakes some way or another. Whether you are new to the business or have lots of experience, you still might have some misconceptions about it.

Not Worth the Time – Firstly, entrepreneurs find that they have the best payment processing with the banks, some businessmen don’t care about the ease they get while doing the transactions through a merchant account.

Expensive Affair – Yes, the merchant accounts don’t come cheap, but they are not costly either. They just tell you the fees in a package where all the things are segregated and revealed as one. As well as the providers tell you the fees in percentage so, you have a clearer perspective on the rates.

Misleading Promotion – The misconception is that the service providers prevent the facts and sell the merchant accounts in higher percentages or give out misleading information as a result of non-formal training and burdened pressure to close a deal. Independent agents have a bad reputation for failing to disclose some of the more serious terms of the contracts they’re selling, especially early termination fees. Yes, there are some naturally talented and trained independent agents who have done well and can provide you with quality service.

Bad Customer Support – This whole game survives on the customer as it is fully dependent on them. It is a complete misconception that the providers don’t want to provide good customer satisfaction.

Payments are Going Cashless – Across the developed world, plastic and digital payments are overtaking cash. Cash is falling out of favor and the customers are more likely to pay by credit cards or online wallets than ever before. Offering solutions to the customers should be a merchant’s top priority (in this case, service provider), however, the rise in digital payments has also led to an increase in fraud and chargebacks.

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Merchant Account Vs. Payment Gateway | Merchant Stronghold

Merchant Account and Payment Gateway: The Basic requirement for starting up and running a business is having a Merchant Account and a Payment gateway. Both have an equivalent ratio for the smooth and balanced working of the business.  A businessman who has really started up with new e-commerce venture requires a point from where he can connect to the customers. Now we need to figure out how?

The foremost thing to run an e-commerce site is to have a proper cash flow in it. Hence, where do we need that money from; from the customer? Any entrepreneur running a High or Low-Risk business requires a Merchant Account and a Payment Gateway.

Merchant Account:

A type of an account that allows accepting online payment from the customers through many ways under legal wings of the payment service provider.

Merchant Account is created under the mutual agreement between a merchant and merchant’s acquiring bank, so to further proceed with future online payment.

Payment Gateway:

The next genuine question from your side: What Is Payment Gateway?

A payment gateway is a software program that works behind the scene. It is basically a process that enables the flow of the payment securely. It’s a secure way to transfer your customer’s money safely into your merchant account. It’s really very important to have a payment gateway for the following reasons:

• Prevents your money from fraudulent activities.
• Creates a trustworthy aura between you and your customers.
• Keeps you away from any future threat.
• Maintains a good graph in the competitive world.

Let's Understand The Best Merchant Service Provider

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST MERCHANT SERVICE PROVIDER?

Go for the Track record of various Merchant Service Providers. Before subscribing to the merchant service, you must check the previous records and reviews of that provider. If they have a positive record then you should feel free to add them to your list.

They are providing at a reasonable market price. You must check the market price for the services that you are looking for. Moreover, you can compare the prices and get the one suiting your requirements.

The Efficiency of the Support Service. While using the merchant service, a merchant may need assistance every now and then regarding the charges and more. In such cases, your merchant service provider must offer nice support, preferable 24/7 support.

Understand the need and requirement of your business. You must get the package or service that goes perfectly with your business. This includes subscription charges, monthly or annual limit, and more. Make sure you consider the expansion of business while choosing the merchant service provider.

THE QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK WHILE CHOOSING THE BEST MERCHANT SERVICE PROVIDER

• What kind of support services they offer? – 24/7 support or Live Support
• Will they allow both online and offline processing of transactions?
• Details related to the PCI-Compliance and other charges
• How long have they been into this business and What are their customer reviews?
• What is their response towards the chargeback and frauds?
• What is the average fund processing time?
• Details related to cancelation and fund replacement
• What kind of compatibility appliance do they need or offer?

We understand every business is different and so does the demand of the business. This makes it clear that your business needs customized planning. The article provides brief details to choose the merchant service provider. If you want to know more then contact Merchant Stronghold and talk to an expert.

Merchants Guide Getting Funds Fast | Fast Merchant Processor Service Provider

Merchant’s Guide to Getting Funds Faster – After the customer has made the payment, the amount paid is put under the review and it generally takes 1-2 business days to actually credit into the Merchant Account. The time between the transaction and addition of amount in the merchant account is called funding time. And the process is called funding.

A merchant wants quick funding because after the funding the merchant is allowed to use that money for investment or another purpose. This is an application in case of the digital money transaction. The cash transaction is free from funding, as the money is instantly available for the merchant to use or invest.

Minimize the Processing Time

The processing is the major step that takes most of the time. Additionally, if the processing time can be reduced, the merchant will get the money in no time. Let’s start the Merchant’s Guide to Getting Funds Faster with the fast processing.

Choose Processor with Fast Funding – There are a number of merchant service providers in the market. They offer different attractive schemes to the merchant to sell their service. But a merchant should choose the processor that takes the least time to process the transaction without breaching any security rules.

Avoid Card-Not-Present Transaction – The payment made with the means that do not ensure that card was not present at the time of the purchase can take more time to process. Use transaction with a magnetic stripe swipe or EMV chip to process the transaction faster as these ensure the Card-Present transactions.

Reduce Number of Chargebacks– If a merchant is titled with a great many numbers of chargeback. Then the transactions of that merchant will take extra time to process to avoid any illegal activity. Use the chargeback proof method of transactions for the business.

Do not Cross the Processing Limit – Each merchant service provider offer the weekly or monthly processing limit to the merchant. If the merchant crosses this limit then those transactions will not be processed.

Choose the Processor with effective 24/7 Support – If there are issues with the transaction processing then make sure your merchant processor offers the support to help with your processing error.

If you need more tricks to reduce the processing time depending on your business then you can contact Merchant Stronghold and talk to an expert. Call us at the toll-free number +1 (888) 622 – 6875 and talk to an expert to get answers to your questions.

Processors That Offers Fast Funding

Here is the list of the merchants that offer fast processing and funding along with other services. This is the Merchant’s Guide to Getting Funds Faster with the Fast Processor.

Paypal– If you have a Paypal Account then you can access the funds almost immediately after the transaction. Moreover, if you own a PayPal debit card then the funds can be used on expenses. The money transfer to a bank account can take up to 5 business days.

What are the Streamline Online Payment Services

Streamline Online Payment Services – Handling the online presence of your business is a difficult task. Furthermore, in the generation of competition, you must make your product and performances that make the customer stick to your services. This also includes the streamline online payment services. You can read this article for the tips to get a number of customers at your platform.

Reduce the Check out Time

Many experts claim if the customer spends too much time during the checkout, the chances of dropping the purchase also increases. You can try these methods to reduce the checkout time.

Give the customer the option to log in and then explore your products.

Moreover, you can also offer to add the delivery details or address during the login.

Also, ask the merchant to save the payment for the next purchase.

You can ask for the reviews related to their checkout and delivery services.

Seamless Site Navigation

Generally, a customer explores a lot before making a purchase. Especially when they are trying your services for the first time. In such a case, you can offer smooth navigation while jumping from one product to another product as easy as possible.

Ask the customer to add the items they like to add to the wish list.

The products that a customer sees should appear on the recently viewed panel.

Jumping between the products should be easy and more manageable.

Make it easy for the customer to purchase the product whenever or wherever they are. This helps you streamline online payment services and make more profit.

Availability on Different Devices

The matter is to make your website or platform easily available on the device.

Make sure your website is responsive and works on different devices including Smartphone and computer.

Also, Smartphones and Tablets are also available in different screen sizes.

You can also get a designer who can customize the website as per your requirements to get the streamline online payment services.

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Email Id_ info@merchantstronghold.com

Contact_ +1 (888) 622-6875.

Few Things You Must To Know About Credit Card Processing

Credit Card Processing: The Introduction of Square in 2009 and PayPal in 2012 brought the quick-pay system and ease of transaction, since then the E-Commerce business has thrived. Now everyone can accept the credit cards in addition to cash and check, which raises the question, how much should you pay for credit-card processing for High-Risk Merchant Account and payment gateway?

You must make sure that you’re not being looted in the name of special merchant services. We’re here to help you navigate credit card processing and help you get the best rate possible for your business. So, stick around!

Factors that affect the rate:

Privileged services:

Privileged services would not affect the basic rate, but it would surely affect your markup in the name of, PCI compliance, merchant gateway, statement fees and so on. So, kindly take in consideration all types of costs before signing up for an account.

Size of the ticket:

Different variations in your ticket size affect your price. Bigger ticket sizes are considered as high-risk that eventually increase the rate for you.

PCI Compliance:

PCI-Compliance is like a vow to protect the customer’s identity. It is the set of rules, which a company has to follow to keep the personal information of its customers safe.

Other considerations:

Many of the processors will charge you a minimum fee if you don’t meet a specific volume of processing. Many of them won’t show it to you at all. Also, worth noting is that if you have purchased a CNP (Card not present) then you might get a better rate otherwise, you get charged extra.

There is no control over the rates as all the companies have their own entities deciding on the rate. There could be a standard rate decided by a group or a region, but no one can say that the rate could be matched or has a single pricing model for all kinds of companies.

Wherever you can ask, we suggest you ask for interchange-plus pricing. Even if merchant accounts never promote these plans, they often have them. It’s the most transparent payment model which doesn’t have enough margin.

To get more information you can contact: 

PH: +1 (888) 622 – 6875

Email:info@merchantstronghold.com

Starting A Travel Agency Business in USA with Merchant Account

If you run a travel agency as the tour operator, or hotel operator planning to the same then you must be excited by the opportunities in High Risk. Before start receiving online funds, you must setup payment gateway for your merchant account.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO GET MERCHANT ACCOUNT

• Find consultants who specialize in the helping high-risk merchants finding a merchant account.
• We at merchant stronghold provide you the same.
• If you have a good record of risk, fraud, and charge-backs, you will be required to provide at least 6 months of prior financials to prove it.
• The best side of this is that if you can provide financial statements of 3 years, you will have more leverage to negotiate a better deal.
• Startups with a weak or non-existent record, you must accept a very well relationship.
• A common mistake that everyone does is to find big banks and merchant account, providers.
• If these processors receive any hint that you are high risk, there is a chance that the merchant account will get a termination.
• Develop and put into action a strong fraud prevention plan. Introduce new tools that will help you detect and fight fraud.

Purchase a financial failure insurance plan to boost financial security.

These actions will be enough to get a merchant account for your tour and travel business. Just because of rejection for a merchant account before, doesn’t mean you will not get approval again.

When it comes to your business plan and financials, providing complete transparency is a great way to build trust. Your business model matter, it will work to not only survive in the current market but also thrive.

Downtime in a Payment Gateway and Backup Options

Payment Gateway Outages: The customer becomes very insecure when it comes to the payment and methods of payment he uses. Whenever there is an error message or delay in payment, the chances of the customer staying on the website becomes little.

The various merchants use different types of backups for downtime errors whenever the customer is trying to make a payment. Nowadays, technology has advanced and made payment system much easier and convenient, however, it is still important to avoid errors.

What an outage can do?

• An outage can lose your payment.
• An outage can lose your rating and productivity.
• An outage can lose your customer.
• An outage can reduce your company’s credibility.

The usage of the Internet and electronic payment, net-banking, etc. is very much trusted nowadays. Naturally, the payment gateway, which you have provided to the customer for processing the payment, may experience a technical glitch. But when there is a problem there is a way.

SOME SOLUTIONS ARE:

Increase reconciliation: Increase accounting and reconciliation so that when the outage occurs, you can provide your customers with the correct status.

Infrastructure: you can enhance the infrastructure and hardware resources of the tool.

Safe fallback option: Provide different types of payment method options such as Credit cards, ACH EFT, etc. to your customers so that they do not doubt you.

Yet speaking for all these issues and their respective solutions, we still face unintended problems somewhere or the other. Even if all would be good there could still be an issue from the customer’s end. The problems are unending but it is just a matter of customer handling and acquisition. One can just be the best in the business with ethical practices and by adopting a healthy way to handle the business.

Payment Methods for your E-commerce Business

If you are dealing in different countries then your business will surely include foreign currency. And to avoid any conflicts in the future, you need to normalize the price of your product to match the demands of the customer from different countries.

Sometimes, customer likes a specific product but does not purchase it. Simply because their preferred payment method is not available.

It is ideal to use the local currency to get revenue from a specific country.

If you are not ready to deal with a different currency then make sure to give the currency conversion option so the customers can see what they’re paying.

Choosing the right payment provider for your overseas transaction can be a tricky job.

While choosing the payment processor, make the security of the transaction your priority.

Plan your Big Entry

Start Small on Existing Market Place

You can start small with the existing e-commerce platform like eBay. As we discussed, the small start can be ideal for a business that is just entering the E-commerce platform. Moreover, starting small gives you plenty of time while making a transition from store business to e-commerce.

Small start allows you to test your product online.

Also, you get the appropriate amount of time to focus on your main business.

Choose a popular marketplace for your E-commerce Business for International Sales.

Optimize the Current Website for Ecommerce

If you do not wish to share your profit with other e-commerce platform and are confident about your product then you can optimize your website and make an e-commerce friendly website.

And for the E-commerce Business for International Sales, you need to give special attention to your website. For example, it should be understandable to an international client of different ethnicity.

Finally, when you are ready to take your business online you should start planning the future of your E-commerce Business for International Sales. Here is the list of topics that you should start thinking about if you want to take your business online.

• What is International e-commerce
• International e-commerce business
• International e-commerce strategy
• Cross-border e-commerce
• International e-commerce meaning

Contact Merchant Stronghold and get the required assistance for all your queries. Also, we specialize in high-risk and offshore merchant accounts.

Protect Your Online Business With Cyber Security

Cyber Security for Online Business

Thе Internet аllоwѕ businesses оf аll sizes аnd frоm аnу location tо reach nеw аnd larger markets аnd рrоvidеѕ opportunities tо work mоrе efficiently bу uѕing computer-based tools.

Whеthеr a business iѕ thinking оf adopting cloud computing оr juѕt uѕing email аnd maintaining a website, cybersecurity ѕhоuld bе a раrt оf thе plan. Theft оf digital information hаѕ bесоmе thе mоѕt commonly reported fraud, surpassing physical theft.

Evеrу business thаt uѕеѕ thе Internet iѕ responsible fоr creating a culture оf security thаt will enhance business аnd consumer confidence. Thе Small Biz Cyber Planner 2.0 iѕ аn online resource tо hеlр small businesses create customized cybersecurity plans.

Cyber Security tips to Protect your Online Business

Broadband аnd information technology аrе powerful factors in small businesses reaching nеw markets аnd increasing productivity аnd efficiency.

However, businesses nееd a cybersecurity strategy tо protect the thеir оwn business, thеir customers, аnd thеir data frоm growing cybersecurity threats.

• Train employees in security principles:
• Protect information, computers аnd networks frоm cyber-attacks:
• Prоvidе firewall security fоr уоur Internet connection:
• Create a mobile device action plan:
• Make backup copies оf important business data аnd information:
• Control physical access tо уоur computers аnd create user accounts fоr еасh employee:
• Secure уоur Wi-Fi networks:
• Employ bеѕt practices оn payment cards:
• Limit employee access tо data аnd information, limit authority tо install software:
• Passwords аnd authentication:

A secure network iѕ a robust network. Cyber-attacks саn hарреn in minutes аnd аrе оftеn vеrу hаrd tо detect. Make ѕurе thаt уоu tаkе аll essential steps tо prevent a security breach.

Best Secure Merchant Account For Timeshare Business

Timeshares business offers various types of packages, vacation rentals, and airfares. It is considered as high risking business because credit card processing is high trafficked. The transactions also occur via phone and internet, and customers complain about services a lot. It takes a lot of time from booking to receiving, and because of it, disputes are common. A few years back, timeshares merchants weren’t offered credit card processing because of frequent cancellations and refunds. Now merchant account providers are able to take the risk, but travel and related business must keep terms and conditions clear.

Credit card fees and charges

There are various fees associated with transactions, mostly depend on customer’s card and type of transaction. Cards such as American Express, debit, credit card, and type of business are the key factors. Banks don’t want chargebacks because these cost money so they monitor timeshares business closely. Merchants must check best processing rates and look for an online merchant account that offers high processing limit. Those timeshares businesses with a chargeback rate of more than 1% are denied accounts. You should look for a merchant account that offers tools to reduce the risk of chargebacks.

Timeshares business should seek a merchant account that is trustworthy and offer the best rates. There are many strategies that can help you lower chargebacks. Effective sales and marketing methods, direct processing, and keeping records can reduce the risk.

Merchant Stronghold is familiar with many credit card processors and scenarios. We offer low rates to our timeshares business owners so that they can process credit cards without having to follow bank to bank approval. We can help you by finding credit card processors best suited for your terms, conditions, and rates. Before providing you services, we inform you of the advantages and disadvantages so that you are aware of possible risks and benefits. We work with businesses and individuals so that they can get the best solution. Merchant stronghold provides education so that you are satisfied with the outcome.

What Are The Benefits Of Opening Merchant Account With Bank

Merchant Account with Bank

If you own a small business or a large enterprise, it is necessary to open a merchant account with a bank. This is because the merchant account can provide many benefits to the merchant and customers, both.

Here are some benefits to use a merchant account for your transactions:

Better Customer Experience – The Merchant Account offers flexibility in terms of payment to the customers. They can access your services and get the products anytime they want by simply making the quick payment. This can result in an increase in customers and their satisfaction as well.

Increase in Sales – As mentioned in the above point that customer satisfaction leads to more customers. That helps your business to gain more loyal customers and increase sales. Furthermore, the merchant account handles and manages all the transactions without any issues and errors.

Accepts a wide range of payment methods – Every Customer uses a different mode of payment method as per their convenience. If you are a merchant then you should prepare your business to accept payment using various payment methods. This especially includes the credit card.

Prevent Payment Frauds – Payment frauds are common in the business. Moreover, there are many fraud tricks that can easily fool a person. But when you use a merchant account, you also get the security features provided by the bank to get genuine money for your original product and service.

To open a Merchant Account with the bank you need to understand the process or procedure. For such details, you can contact the Merchant Stronghold. Moreover, this article also includes some points that can make your decision easy while getting a new merchant account.

Frequently Asked Questions – Merchant Stronghold

• What are merchant account requirements?
• How to apply for a merchant account?
• What is a merchant account?
• Who are merchant account providers?
• How to get online merchant account instant approval?
• Should you Open Merchant Account with a Bank?
• How to open a merchant account online?
• Get chase merchant account
• Do I need a merchant account?
• What are the names of merchant accounts for small businesses?
• How to get a merchant account with bad credit?

These are some of the common questions asked by our customers related to the “Open Merchant Account with Bank”. In case you are also having similar queries then feel free to contact the Merchant Stronghold. You can access our 24/7 email support and a toll-free number to reach our technician.

Offshore Merchant Accounts Beneficial For Small Businesses

THINGS TO KNOW

When you own small sized online business or if you are setting up one, you cannot afford to become a victim of fraud. Fraud and scams are the harsh reality of the business world and usually new, small, inexperienced businesses are the target of these scammers. For the purpose of safety of merchants, offshore merchant account provider takes responsibility to protect their clients from online frauds.

The need for an offshore merchant account arises where a merchant deals with multi-national currencies. And, various credit cards used by the customers around the world. If you have an offshore merchant account, this will increase the chances of gaining more customers globally and increase annual revenue.

Normally SMBs do not have spare money to invest more in the accounts. This is where offshore can make life easier for merchants having small businesses. If a merchant runs his/her business with proper planning and strategy, he can expand his business. Also, way sooner than expected by gaining more customers nationally and internationally with high profits.

Benefits

1. Some offshore account providers may charge you but there are a few that do not charge a penny for initial setup, which is a beneficial deal for merchants running small online businesses.

2. Offshore accounts operate outside of your home country (where your business setup is), the merchant does not have to pay taxes as he will be out of tax regulation laws of the origin country.

3. Offshore Merchant account provider takes care to protect their clients (small business merchants, having an offshore merchant account) from online frauds.

4. Acceptance of multi-currency

If you want to know more about the benefits of an offshore merchant account give us a call on +1(888) 622-6875, Merchant Stronghold works 24*7, 367 days and with the vast knowledge of offshore merchant accounts, we will handle any type of query that you might throw at us.