In today’s increasingly cash-free world accepting credit cards and debit cards is no longer a viable option for most businesses. If a merchant doesn’t accept credit cards they risk turning away a large portion of their potential market. Identifying who provides the best merchant account services has become a critical requirement in providing the merchant the widest range of payment options for their customers.

Merchant account reviews are not as common as reviews for restaurants or movies, merchants tend to enter into multi-year processing deals and switching costs can be high so side by side comparisons can be few and far between. But when evaluating a company such as Merchant Warehouse be aware that there are two primary methods in which a processor derives the bulk of their income. First there are fees, some of which are one time at setup and some of which are recurring on a per transaction basis or as monthly statement fees.

What About Fees and Costs?

All of these fees are negotiable, sometimes a processor like Charge.com will waive setup fees but not budge on transaction fees, other times they will offer discounts on monthly statement fees or offer free setup but not negotiate on per charge fee, also known as the discount rate. The second primary income source for merchant processors, and thus a critical evaluation point when reviewing, is on equipment leases or sales. To process a credit card a merchant needs to offer a way to accept the customer’s cards, while this can be done over the phone or with old carbon copy imprinters, it is most common to have a credit card terminal that a customer swipes their card through. Each merchant processor offers its own branded terminals and will attempt to sell or lease the equipment to the merchant. When selecting a merchant account processor it is important to be cognizant of leases versus purchases as it could factor into switching costs if a merchant decides to switch account providers.

The nature of a merchant’s business or the location of their customer is also a factor to keep in mind in evaluating who could best provide a merchant account. Some processors will only process domestically, other like WorldPay provide options that let a merchant accept credit and debit cards from customers all over the world.

In the end, to select the best merchant account a business owner must read and understand the contract they are signing. If a merchant isn’t sure which discount rate they apply for, ask the salesman, if the merchant wants a processor that de-emphasizes fee explore the account provider’s website or sales sheets. A merchant should be comfortable with the benefits and fees they are agreeing to when choosing to work with a merchant account provider; this understanding will ultimately determine whether a provider is the right match for the merchant.

Best Merchant Account Credit Card Services in 2024