Accepting credit card payments through your website is an absolute essential
part of doing business on the Internet. If you're not accepting online
credit card payments and processing orders online, you're losing a massive
amount of business. Studies have shown, you can increase your online sales
up to 400% simply by accepting credit cards. In addition, by offering a
combination of payment options, you can increase your sales even further.
With today's advanced
technology, you can start accepting credit card payments through your
website almost instantly (depending on the service you select). Preparing
your website to process orders online can be as simple as pasting some HTML
code within your web page.
There are many professional companies online that will enable you to accept
credit card payments through your website without a merchant account. These
companies are known as third party payment processing companies and provide
an invaluable service for homebased businesses.
Most companies will enable you to accept all major credit cards and
electronic checks. Some companies will also provide telephone billing and
recurring billing for paid subscription and membership sites. There may or
may not be a set up fee and there are usually no monthly fees. Some
companies charge a "percentage" and a "per transaction" fee. While others
simply charge a set percentage fee per transaction. They will process your
orders and send you payment for all your orders processed, minus their fee
and a reserve fee.
A reserve fee is withheld to cover any charge backs you may have. If you
have no charge backs within a period of time, your reserve will be refunded
to you. Each company has their own guidelines in regard to reserves.
Once you've applied with a company and/or have been approved and paid the
setup fees, you can immediately begin accepting payment. You will then be
provided with special coding to place within the HTML of your order page.
When your customer clicks on your order link or image, they will be taken to
the processor's secure server to process their purchase. Once their order
has been processed, they will then be directed back to a page on your
website that you specify. This page may be a download page, or even a
"complete your purchase" page that you can use to collect your customers'
name and email address and then direct them to your download page.
Once your customer places an order, you will instantly receive an email
notification letting you know that you've made a sale. Your account will be
instantly credited, minus the company fee, and you will be paid according to
the company's payment schedule.
Third party processing companies are great for startup businesses, as if you
don't make any sales, you won't be charged a fee. You are only charged a fee
when and if you make a sale.
The following third party processing companies will enable you to accept
credit card payments through your website:
=> iBill
http://www.ibill.com
IBill will enable you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express,
Discover, JCB credit cards and online checks. They also offer a telephone
billing service (900 toll phone number). There are no setup fees. They
charge 12%-15% per transaction fee for credit card and check purchases and
20%-30% per transaction fee for phone purchases. Services available for US
and non- US merchants.
=> PayPal
http://www.paypal.com
PayPal will enable any business or consumer with an email address to
securely send and receive payments online. You can also accept Visa,
MasterCard, American Express, Discover credit cards and electronic checks.
You can sell with PayPal through an online auction, on your own website, or
as part of an online marketplace. They also offer recurring billing. There
are no setup fees. They charge 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. Services
available for US and non-US merchants.
=> ClickBank
http://www.clickbank.com
ClickBank will enable you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express,
Discover, Eurocard, Visa-Debit, MasterCard-Debit, Novus credit cards and
electronic checks.
They charge a one-time $49.95 activation fee, and a $1 + 7.5% fee per sale.
There are no monthly fees. The great thing about this company is that
they'll enable you to run an affiliate program. Services available for US
and non-US merchants.
=> Revecom
http://www.revecom.com/
Revecom will enable you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express,
Discover and JCB credit cards in real-time. They also offer Check Processing
in Real-time and recurring billing. There is a $49 set up fee. There are no
monthly fees. They charge 3.95% + $1 fee per sale. Services available for US
and non-US merchants.
=> 2Checkout.com
http://www.2checkout.com/
2Checkout.com enables you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and
Discover credit cards. They also offer recurring billing and a free shopping
cart. There is a $49 set up fee. There are no monthly fees. They charge 5.5%
+ $0.45 fee per sale. Services available for US and non-US merchants.
Accepting credit card payments through your website is an essential part of
your online success. Don't put it off another day. Take your time and select
a company that will best suit your needs. It will be well worth your effort.
Copyright © Shelley Lowery
About the Author:
Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design
Mastery.
http://www.webdesignmastery.com And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks
the look and feel of a REAL book.
http://www.ebookstarter.com Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a
complimentary subscription to Etips and receive a copy of the acclaimed
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