What kind of businesses do you accept?
We accept and specialize in retail, professionals, trade shows, mail order, telephone order,
Internet based, and home based businesses. We may accept high risk and adult related businesses through one of our offshore partners. Call us.
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What if I have less than perfect credit?
Our approval rate is 98%, so even if you have bad credit you are likely to get approved.
If you do happen to get declined, you have nothing to lose, we do NOT have an application fee.
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What credit cards will I be able to accept?
We set you up so that you can accept MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and bank ATM debit cards.
We will also apply for American Express at the same time. There is no extra set up fee for American Express but their rates
are slightly higher than the other three card types.
Discover rates are currently the same as Visa and Mastercard.
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Are there any monthly fees for accepting Discover Card or American Express?
Discover's discount rate and transaction fee is the same as Visa/Mastercard.
American Express charges a transaction fee, but instead of a discount
rate, for just $5.95 a month American Express allows "keyed" merchants to process up to $5000 per year, resulting in an
effective discount rate of just 1.20%. American Express Corp. will determine a discount rate for your specific business
for amounts processed over this amount.
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Do I need a business license?
You need to have documentation showing you have registered your name -- such as a business license,
trade name registration, dba certificate, etc. Each state has its own requirements. Generally, sales in
interstate commerce are not taxable
at this time. Check with your state's Dept. of Revenue as to the taxability of sales within your state.
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What is the discount rate?
Every processor charges a discount rate. The minimum discount rates are set yearly by the Visa/Mastercard Association.
The discount rate is the percentage of each transaction that the processing company charges to handle the transaction for you,
Our discount rates are exceptionally low, starting at under 1.49% for retail debit(swiped) merchants and 2.19% for mail order/telephone
order and Internet merchants. Foreign credit cards, rewards cards, and corporate cards carry a small surcharge.
Tell us if you plan on taking those types of cards so we can classify your business properly.
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Do I need a Gateway or Shopping Cart or an Order Form?
If you sell through the Internet, you have to pass the transaction information to the credit card networks.
This is why you need a Gateway. Now, in order for the networks to read the data sent through the gateway, it needs to
be a format it can recognize....hence, the need for an order form or shopping cart. There are dozens of order forms and
shopping carts available, some are FREE! Most do not require any programming expertise. Remember, you get what you pay for.
You just need to be sure that the formats are compatible with the gateway selected or your transactions will never be processed.
See shopping carts.
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What is a Virtual Terminal?
The gateway selected will have a Virtual Terminal so you can enter telephone orders, mail orders, issue credits,
void transactions, or even search for specific transactions or customers within a secure, password protected website.
If you do not have a website connected to the gateway or an order form, this is where you would enter manual type transactions.
This is also called the administrative site. After logging in, you can view the details of all of your transactions.
You are able to run reports for specific periods, change your sales confirmation email addresses, change security features, etc.
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What is the Address Verification System (AVS)?
If you sell mail order/telephone order, or through the Internet, you don't want to send a product to a false address and
have a risk of receiving a chargeback. The Address Verification System (AVS) lets you enter the customer's home or billing address and
zip code and compares it to the address on file with their credit card company. If someone uses a stolen card, and wants products
shipped to a false address, AVS will detect this for you. You can set the system to accept or reject "negative" AVS responses.
Foreign (non US issued) credit cards do not adhere to AVS regulations at this time.
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Will I receive a statement?
Yes. A statement is mailed out at the end of every month with the information on all deposits into your account, your total sales volume,
and the charges for the month. There is a combined Monthly Statement/800 Help Desk Fee. You must notify us of any mailing address changes.
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How will I get my money?
Your money will be automatically deposited directly into your current business checking account within 2 business days.
Amex and Discover transactions usually take 1 more day to reach your account. Note: Discount fees will be deducted
from each transaction so your deposits will be slightly less than the gross amount of your sales...so at the end of each month
you won't have to pay all those fees!(except for Visa/MC regulated surcharges)
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How do I apply?
If you have not already done so,just fill out the FREE, SECURE, no obligation,
online merchant account application. We will contact you within 24 hours (not including weekends and holidays) and let you
know what program you have qualified for, and answer any questions you might have. If you would like to go ahead with your application,
we'll send you a simple hard-copy application package via email or fax. When you receive it, you will need to sign where indicated, and
return it along with the requested documents. Most of our underwriting banks require hand written original signatures.
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How long does the approval process take?
Once all necessary paperwork is received, and a credit check is completed, most accounts are approved in 24-48 hours or less.
Once approved, and all networks are tested, we will immediately inform you of your acceptance and send you and/or your web developer
complete set up instructions along with credit card processing safety and security tips for your specific business type and gateway selected.
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Is there a service phone number that I can call if I need help?
Yes! Once approved, you will be given a "live", toll-free merchant assistance phone number available to you 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, 365 days per year.
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Can I SET A LIMIT or charge a SURCHARGE for credit card sales to my customers?
NO !! Visa U.S.A.'s rules for merchants state, "Always honor valid Visa cards, in your acceptance category, regardless of the dollar amount of the purchase.
Imposing minimum or maximum purchase amounts is a violation." Visa's rules are available online at
Visa Merchant Rules(145 pages).
MasterCard Worldwide's rules state, "A merchant must not require, or post signs indicating
that it requires, a minimum or maximum transaction amount to accept a valid MasterCard card."
Furthermore, if MasterCard becomes aware that any merchant has violated its restrictions pertaining to minimum and maximum transaction amounts,
it will notify the merchant's acquirer of the violation. And it will request that the acquirer take action to
ensure the merchant discontinues the practice within 10 business days - at all locations covered by
the governing merchant agreement. Steep fines may be imposed.
Visa's rules provide that merchants must "always treat Visa transactions like any other transaction; that is, you may not impose any surcharge on a Visa transaction.
"You may, however, offer a discount for cash transactions, provided that the offer is clearly disclosed to customers and the cash price is presented as a discount from the standard price charged for all other forms of payment."
Fundamentally, the distinction between a surcharge and a discount is minimal.
MasterCard's rules provide that "a merchant must not directly or indirectly require any MasterCard cardholder to pay a surcharge or any part of any merchant discount or any contemporaneous finance charge in connection with a MasterCard card transaction.
"A merchant may provide a discount to its customers for cash payments. A merchant is permitted to charge a fee (such as a bona fide commission, postage, expedited service or convenience fees, and the like) if the fee is imposed on all like transactions regardless of the form of payment used.
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Can I ask for identification from a customer?
Yes! Visa rules do not preclude merchants from asking for cardholder identification.
But merchants cannot make providing identification a condition of acceptance. Therefore, merchants cannot refuse to
complete purchase transactions simply because cardholders refuse to provide identification
when asked.
According to Visa, merchants should not ask for identification as part of their regular
card acceptance procedures. Also, it is illegal in several states for merchants to write
cardholders' personal information, such as an address or phone number, on a sales receipt.
If a merchant is suspicious about a transaction or feels the need for additional
information to ensure a cardholder's identity, the merchant should make a Code 10 call.
Code 10 authorization requests can alert card issuers to suspicious activity, without
alerting customers. During a Code 10 call, a retailer speaks with a card issuer's special
operator, who provides instructions on any necessary action. This type of authorization
request is the most likely to result in a call to law enforcement.
MasterCard rules provide that merchants must not deny MasterCard-card transactions solely
because cardholders refuse to provide additional identification. However, merchants may
require additional identification from cardholders if it is required for shipping purposes.
Merchants using Address Verification Service may require cardholders' ZIP or postal codes
to complete cardholder-activated POS transactions, or cardholders' addresses and ZIP or
postal codes to complete MO/TO and e-commerce transactions.
In-depth answers to these and other questions merchants and MLSs often ask are available
online in MasterCard's "Merchant Rules Manual"(270 pages)
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What types of transactions are PROHIBITED?
"I've often heard that it's against the Visa and MasterCard rules and regulations for
merchants to process their own personal credit card through their merchant accounts. Is this true?"
This issue falls under the card Association rules stating 1) merchants are prohibited from
making cash disbursements and 2) merchants are allowed to accept cards only for transactions
that are bona fide sales of goods or services to third parties.
Only financial-institution card Association members may disburse cash. This can be both at
their facilities (for example, bank branches) and through authorized agents.
Also, card Association rules state neither a merchant nor a member bank may accept any
transaction that represents the refinancing or transfer of an existing cardholder obligation
that is deemed uncollectible or that arises from the dishonoring of a cardholder's personal check.
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