Merchant Account Blog & Credit Card Processing Blog

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Convenience Store Merchant Account

Accepting credit cards at a convenience store is a must in today’s marketplace. Getting the best rate is equally important to be competitive in your business. We offer special pricing for C-Stores with good monthly sales volumes. Now, convenience store owners can receive special pricing, once only reserved for corporations like WalMart. Saving money on your credit card processing rates & fees has never been more important for convenience store merchant account owners, as we move into a slowing economy.

OTHER C-STORE PRODUCTS:

Convenience store owners looking to reduce their expenses should grab their current statements and give me a call to immediately cut their current credit card processing costs. We look forward to working with you.

MARK SANDS
1st National Processing
http://www.usa-merchantaccount.com
1-866 828-8683

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PAY AT PUMPS | MERCHANT ACCOUNT | SAVE THOUSANDS


Gas station owners are in a very competitive business. Every possible edge over the competition is a must to compete in this industry. Saving money on credit card processing can be a lucrative edge over your competitor down the street, who has not analyzed his merchant account expenses.

When you are working on pennies, your credit card processing rates and fees matter. Understanding what those transactions cost workout to on an average basis is key. If your average gas purchase is $40, you need to understand what your current cost is on that card transaction. This cost could really be eating away at your profits, if this goes unchecked.

We can offer you an interchage plus pricing program, at a small fraction above true interchange cost. This program is usually reserved for high volume accounts, but we are now offering it to independant gas station owners of all sizes. We can even included your in-store sales of food & convenience products. We even offer Fleet-Card acceptence like Wright Express and Voyager cards.

Grab your most recent credit card processing statements and give me a call. I’m confident that we can save you money, making your business more competitive.

MARK SANDS
1st National Processing
http://www.usa-merchantaccount.com
1-866 828-8683

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As we face these uncertain times in the worldwide financial markets, it seems that Ecommerce Sales may be resilient, even if we face a economic downturn and potentiel recession in the United States. According to a recent article in Barron’s, Jeff Lindsey reports that dispite a slowing economy, he forecasts Ecommerce Transactions to grow 14.3% in the US in 2008.

Online merchants should also benefit from the rising cost of fuel, as many customers would prefer saving the time & gasoline expense of traveling to make a purchase. Ecommerce merchants offering Free Shipping will really make it a “No Brainer” for the consumer looking to save money.

Lastly, online merchants selling products abroad, will benefit from the “Lower Dollar”, as foreign consumers can purchase products & services at a discount.

If you are looking to save money on your credit card processing fees and merchant account rates, please feel free to give me a call on getting your overall cost a an affordable level.

MARK SANDS
1st National Processing
http://www.usa-merchantaccount.com
1-866 828-8683

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Today is one of the best times in history to apply for a merchant account to accept credit cards at your business. You will find free credit card terminals being offered by many offices in return for your business. Credit card processing has become a must for most businesses and the competition between providers is fierce. This competition in my opinion is the result of the internet, with business owners being more educated by searching for the best deal on credit card processing.

Free equipment like; free credit card machine, free credit card software, and free ecommerce solutions are slowly becomming the norm on the internet. This competition was sparked a couple of years ago and may continue for the near future. No one know when they will “Pull The Plug” on free equipment, but for now it is available and everyone should take advantage of it.

If you are thinking about setting up credit card processing for your business or are thinking about switching your provider, for a much better rate, please give me a call to discuss your needs. We offer free equipment on all new merchant accounts for credit card processing.   

MARK SANDS
1st National Processing
http://www.usa-merchantaccount.com
1-866 828-8683

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Credit card processing is becoming the norm for new state-of-the-art vending machines. A vending machine merchant account is needed to accept credit cards with your machine. The process is very simple and your machine will be ready to process transactions once your merchant account is activated.

You will need to ask your equipment vendor which credit card processing network is compatable with the software installed in the machine, ie First Data Omaha, First Data Nahville, Vital, ect. You will also need to install either a telephone line or internet connection, which ever is required by your equipment vender. A download may be required to configure your machine, again please check with your equipment vender.

Customers prefer to use their credit & debit cards and the idea of using them at a vending machine is becomming accepted by the public. Increase your profits by accepting credit cards.

If you have any questions, please give me a call to discuss your needs.   

MARK SANDS
1st National Processing
http://www.usa-merchantaccount.com
1-866 828-8683

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Your credit rating can effect your ability to get a merchant account for credit card processing. When you apply for a merchant account, underwriters will look at a host of things, including your credit score. A bad credit score could stop you from getting a merchant account if your business type is slightly risky. For the most part if you have a retail location and resonalbe ticket sizes, your credit rating should not be a factor, unless you are currently in the process of bankruptcy.

Certain merchant services providers will accept more risk than others, so you may need to shop around. One alternative used by some merchant account providers, is to bring in a co-signer on the application. The co-signer does not need to be a principal in the business, but will assume any liabilities caused by a default on the account. Defaults could defined as not covering chargebacks, penalties, fees, etc. If you are have poor credit and wish to accept credit cards, you may want to consider credit repair to bring your scores higher. This would also allow you to qualify for better rates on business credit, as well.

If you have poor credit, please give me a call to discuss your needs.

MARK SANDS
1st National Processing
http://www.usa-merchantaccount.com
1-866 828-8683

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Businesses looking to use credit card processing software to process credit card transactions, should be thrilled to know that we are giving away free credit card processing software with every new merchant account. The software is perfect for retail merchants running transactions at the point-of-sale, using a mini card reader connected to their pc or mac system. Even more exciting, the software is perfect for merchants taking credit cards over the telephone, fax machine, or internet. These business types would include; phone-order, homebased, office billing, internet merchants, or any business type where the credit card to not present.

The credit card processing software will quickly install on any pc or mac computer. The software has a very small foot-print and can be called up from your desktop. Best of all it’s free !!!! Secondly, you have free lifetime technical support and all future upgrades are absolutely free. The software can bw downloaded immediately after your merchant account is approved.

If you have any questions about our Free Credit Card Processing Software, please give me a call.

MARK SANDS
1st National Processing
http://www.usa-merchantaccount.com
1-866 828-8683

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Accepting credit cards from customers over the telephone has become accepted and is a very popular payment method. Customers today actually prefer the convenience and are willing to give out their credit card information to a stranger over the telephone. Getting approved for a phone order merchant account has also become much easier as banks have also embraced the concept. Underwriters main concern is your product type and a fairly good credit rating on the principal of the business. Provided you are not selling phone-sex, you should have no problem getting approved for a phone order merchant account.

Credit card processing equipment is necessary to process your customers transaction. Choices to process credit cards will include a credit card machine, credit card processing software, or a ecommerce terminal.Cost can vary and most large credit card processors will offer Free Equipment with a phone order merchant account. Be sure to shop around for someone who can provide the best products at a fair price.

If you have any questions about phone order merchant accounts, please give me a call.

MARK SANDS
1st National Processing
http://www.usa-merchantaccount.com
1-866 828-8683

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The merchant services industry is constantly changing through the years. With every new technology comming to market, merchants have more & more choices in payment processing. Years ago, the biggest decision for a merchant would be, “Would you like an electronic printer with that Zon Jr terminal” or “Would you prefer to pay $1,200 for that Zon Jr or would you prefer to Lease-It”.

Today, merchant services providers are giving away free terminals, just to compete for your business. New technologies are constantly being added, making the decision  process a bit challenging. Options like, pin-based debit, check guarantee, check conversion, gift cards, ebt food stamps, pre-paid cards, and now contactless payments. The choices are never ending with a new finger-print technology waiting in the wings to be accepted.

Finding a merchant services provider who understands the products can also be a challenge, so if you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call.

MARK SANDS
1st National Processing
http://www.usa-merchantaccount.com
1-866 828-8683
 

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Getting The Best Merchant Account Rates

Understanding your merchant account rates, is the first step in insuring that you get the best rate. Most merchants do not understand the rate structure of their merchant account. The majority of merchant accounts are on a Tiered System, as Visa & Mastercard charge different rates for certain business types and transaction types. This is called “Interchange” and is extremely complicated. Between both Visa and Mastercard there are at least 100 different Interchange Catagories, here are the current interchange rates from Visa Interchange and Mastercard Interchange, as-of this writing. As you can see, Interchange Rates are extremely complicated.

The popular Tiered System tends to simplify this extremely complicated formula used by Visa & Mastercard. Most merchant accounts use a Three Tier System for Qualified, Mid-Qualified, and Non-Qualified Transactions with different rates for each. Basic understanding of each, is key to getting the best possible rate for that particular transaction type.

GETTING THE BEST RATE:

Alway’s swipe the credit card, when possible.
Use AVS & CVV2 when keying a transaction. ( Address, Zip Code, Last 3 On Back )
CLOSE YOUR TERMINAL BATCH DAILY !!!!!!!!

Majority of your transactions should fall under Quailfied Transactions, by following the above proceedure. Any Rewards Cards process will probally fall under your Mid-Quaified Tier. Finally any of the following card types will fall under the Non-Qualified Tier….Foriegn Cards, Business Cards, and any hand-key transactions with a retail account.

Larger businesses that process above $37,500 per month, may qualify for Interchange Plus pricing which is Interchange Cost, plus a flat rate of 0.27% above interchange cost. This is actually much simpler and you will receive a monthly break-down of where each transaction fall’s under the complex Interchange Structure. This option is reserved for higher volume merchants, currently processing credit cards. Call us today, to see if you qualify as a high-volume merchant account. Your 3 most recent credit card processing statements are required.

Both Visa and Mastercard offer special Supermarket Rates for grocery stores that:

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