Accepting Credit Cards Online, Part 1

You have a new website and hope to sell your products or services. What forms of payment do you accept? Do you accept a personal check, money order or rare form known as cash? Many people like to pay with credit cards, so instead of losing those customers, you decide to accept credit cards.

If you don't have the budget, a business account or a merchant account, you may want to consider PayPal. It is a cheap alternative to having a merchant account, monthly gateway fees and other expenses. To accept PayPal payments for your business, you must become a business member. Membership is free for both customers and businesses. Visit PayPal for more information.

Upon request, I became a PayPal member to accept credit card payments. I had to submit my business checking account information where the payments should be deposited. PayPal had to test the account by making two small deposits into the account to be sure it is active. Then they sent an email requesting me to submit my social security number or a credit card number to verify my PayPal account. My customers have to go through the same steps before transferring funds. Since my services are customized, I use the PayPal request form to send an email payment request to the customer. Those with a shopping cart website do not need to do this. The payment is accepted like any other third party billing.

If both the business and the customer have existing accounts, the transfer of funds should occur quickly. Since both my client and I are new customers, we have been waiting for almost two weeks! I know millions of people use PayPal and I have used my personal account for one or two occasions where that was the only accepted form of payment. Most people are happy with this service, but there is one other thing to note. New members must verify their accounts to lift the $500 transfer limit. My client did not do this immediately which delayed the transaction further. I will let you know if I ever get paid. :)

I planned to accept credit cards through another company. I have researched many to compare prices, services, reputation and customer satisfaction. Verisign has extensive knowledge, services and customer service, but they are not the least expensive. Be careful when selecting a credit card processing company. Be certain that you can choose your own bank or that they accept your bank to deposit the money collected from your customers.

Accepting online payments is safe for your customers and yourself. The transaction is private and secure, the card is instantly verified and the payment is received almost instantly. No bounced checks, no waiting for snail mail, no large cash deposits requiring you to show your id, sign your name and walk with a bodyguard. This sounds great, doesn't it? You can even pay for fraud protection. Just be sure to have your refund policy and privacy policy clearly stated on your website.

To satisfy more customers and to receive fast, verified payments, accept credit cards online. Or at least get one of those transaction boxes to submit manual payments. You know, those boxes that you see at the checkout in the grocery store. You can lease or buy one of those and send payments by telephone. You must have a merchant account. Do some research and choose the best option for your business and your customers.

Yvette Kuhns, Power Pages Web Design, September 6, 2002

Printer Friendy Version. If this article helped you, please donate any amount via PayPal. Thank you!

If you have any questions or helpful hints to share, please email me.

Please view our list of past articles for more useful information.