Credit Card Processing in 2022: Everything You Should Know
Credit card processing is generally seen as a necessary unethical thing in business. The estimated share of card payments by number increased by just over one-third of a percentage, reaching 74.25 percent in 2020. This rush of card and digital payment methods continues to rule the market. Accordingly, businesses need to accept change consumer habits for payment processing.
For business
owners, it’s a mystery to understand. Oftentimes, the fees are confusing and
the terms get complicated looking at the nature of your business. Not to
mention, calling your processor for help majorly leaves you with more questions
than answers. If this has been your experience with payments in general, you’re
not the one who has suffered this problem, there is a list of people who are
facing this problem in their daily routine.
Many small
business owners admit their skepticism about their financial statements. This
is a continuous and yet understandable occurrence. After all, your expertise
lies in your industry and market, not in dealing with and understanding
payments. Despite this, you should understand the basics of your business.
Costumer behaviour continues to shift from a cash-dominated society to only 10%
of consumers solely relying on cash to make purchases in the US. But before you
ask how you can accept credit card payments, it’s essential to understand the
plus and minus of credit card processing.
This blog
will provide you with some clarity in your vision. We’re going to explore the
basics: exactly what you should know about payment processing.
Defining Credit Card
Processing?
Credit
card processing is the cycle that allows your customers to pay your business
via card payments. It’s the sequence that happens when your customer uses their
debit or credit card until you receive that money in your business bank
account, right after the process is done, this hardly takes a few seconds to
cover the process.
Parties
Involved In ItThis whole process may take a fraction of seconds but nobody
knows about the behind the scenes parties involved in it :
1. Merchant : The first and most compulsory
party involved in your business. You offer a product or service to your clients
in exchange for money. In this, you’re considered a “merchant.”
2.
The
Cardholder: On the other hand, is your customer. They carry a credit card or
debit card to make the payment against the purchase. In this context, your
customer is a “cardholder.”
3.
Credit
Card Processor Or Payment Processor: A credit card processor or payment
processor is the party that tracks the transactions by smoothly o transferring
data between you and your customer. They are the party where you sign the
contract to set processing fees and agreements.
4.
The
Card Issuer: Your customer’s credit or debit card connects to a bank
account. This could be a large bank like Bank of America or a small bank like a
credit union. The bank that houses the account is known as the “card issuer”
because they issued the credit or debit card to your customer.
5.
The
Acquirer (Merchant’s Bank): A bank holds your business bank account. Again, this could
be a large bank like Wells Fargo or a small bank like a credit union. The bank
that holds your account is the “acquiring bank.” An easy way to remember this
is to think that it holds the funds at the end of the transaction.
6.
Your
Customer’s Card’s Brand (The Network/Association): The network, also
known as the card brand, is the brand of your customer’s credit or debit card.
Besides being hosted by a bank, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express
sponsor your customer’s card.
Working on Credit Card
Processing?
Credit card processing is more complicated than it seems. To the cashier or
customer, it appears the card is either approved or declined: at the end. But
it is far more complex than it seems. Now after exploring who is involved in
processing a transaction, let’s talk about the process and discuss the roles of
each party plays.
Credit Card Processing for Small Business in 7 Steps
Step 1: The customer starts a
transaction
The cardholder (the customer) swipes their card to pay for a transaction
at the store/online etc against the purchase he/she has made and starts the
credit card payment process.
Step 2: The merchant accepts the
information
The merchant accepts and gathers the cardholder’s payment information in
person, online, or over the phone.
Step 3: The information is given
The merchant either manually or automatically sends the funds directly to the
payment processor via the processing equipment: online through a payment
gateway, or keyed in through a virtual terminal.
Step 4: The information is
checked
The network sends the transaction information to the customer’s bank. The
issuer then verifies the bank’s records match the information provided and the
cardholder has enough money in their account to proceed. The processor checks
for any doubt of fraud and runs a data security scan.
Step 5: The processor is notified
The issuer notifies the processor, who then sends an “approved” message if
everything is okay and verified from its end. If the information is incomplete,
inaccurate, or the available balance is inefficient against the purchase, the
processor declares it as a “declined” message. This entire process, to this
point, takes a fraction of seconds. Receiving an approval message only
completes the half transaction. It’s enough to let the customer take their
purchase, but the merchant hasn’t been paid yet. The customer sees an
authorization on their bank statement. This process freezes the funds so they
cannot be used.
Step 6: The batch is closed
To get the money out of the customer’s bank account and into the merchant’s,
the merchant must automatically or manually close the batch or group of
transactions. A merchant can close batches manually to include any number of
transactions, or set them to close automatically in a given period.
Particularly, 24 hours is the common closing cycle for batches.
Step 7: The money moves
After the merchant has closed the batch, they indicate to the processor that
the transactions in the given batch are true, complete, and accurate. That
processor then routes the money over the network between the customer’s bank
account (the issuing bank) and the merchant’s (the acquiring bank). Hence, the
transaction is complete.
Knowing More About Credit Card Processing Fees and Costs
Now you are aware of the parties and how the process works in processing a
credit card transaction. Now, let’s talk about fees. We will go through some of
the more common fees given below:
Service Fees
Your monthly bill from your processor has these major things.
Transaction fees: Those fees correspond to
individual transactions and make up the bulk of your total fees. These include
any type of fixed percentage of the flat amount charged on the transaction.
Examples include an authorization fee or a fixed percentage mark-up rate for
the transaction.
Lapse fees: These fees do not tie to
individual transactions. For example, you may see monthly fees for things like
PCI compliance, PCI non-compliance, account on file fees, statement fees, batch
fees, etc.
One-time fees: One-time fees include setup fees, early
termination fees, and chargeback or retrieval fees. A specific or unusual event
activates these fees.
Pricing Models
Payment Processors use many different pricing
models to collect fees quarterly or monthly. As a result, your pricing
structure and the complete cost you pay will vary. This depends on your
business model, the deep-rooted riskiness of your industry, the credit card
acceptance method, and more.
1. Interchange Plus: Depending on the type of
payment method used, the charge can differ. The interchange-plus pricing
structure is the clearest, which makes it the most confusing. Each party
charges its fees for its involvement in the transaction. This pricing structure
passes those wholesale fees to you, which can include any number of the 300+
possible interchange rates and many association fees. It adds on a small fixed
percentage mark-up over cost that compensates your payment processor.
2. Flat Rate: This structure is a vague price
pattern but easiest to understand. It combines all the rates and fees you would
pay into one easy-to-understand and the predictable flat percentage each month.
Flat rate pricing is the structure you’ll probably be most comfortable with as
it is the structure used by Stripe, Square, or PayPal.
3. Tiered/(E)RR: The tiered pricing
structure is quite similar to the flat rate pricing structure, but a part of
one rate, there are a few. Your processor bundles the 300+ possible interchange
rates into three ‘buckets’ and charges you based on the transactions that you fall
into each bucket.
Types of Credit Card Processing Terminals
What are your
equipment options for processing credit card transactions? You connect to your
payment processor through referred credit card readers, so it’s an important
percentage.
Your choice
of equipment will depend on a few things:
·
What your payment processor carry
·
Your needs as a business owner. Do you need to take your
equipment to your customer, or do they come to you for registering?
·
The cost of the solution and future mobility, therefore, how
much the solution will cost you in the long run)
POS Systems
Point of Sale software systems is the gold standard in restaurants and retail
stores. They handle credit card payment processing as a small thing in their
function. They can also help in managing inventory and coordinate between the
front and behind the scene of the house. Not to mention, they’re amazing in
collecting customer information for long-term retention. They come in various
forms, so make sure to dig into your research on a POS system before
purchasing. This will ensure it has all the features you need to run and scale
your business in the market.
EMV
EMV is a credit or debit card with a fixed security chip. This technology has
replaced the magnetic stripe on the back of cards as a more secured alternative
for the customer and the merchants as well. Moreover, to decrease storing
direct information on your device, EMV tokenizes (or encrypts) customers’ card
data. Make sure to employ the best people at the time of storing credit card
information.
An EMV Terminal is a traditional countertop terminal that processes payments
using that chip.
Payment Gateway
This term is often confused with a virtual terminal because they’re used
correspondently, but there are many key differences between virtual terminals
and payment gateways. A payment gateway provider attaches the technology that
captures and sends encrypted transaction data from the customer to the acquirer
to an online checkout page on a website. It clarifies that the payment done is
not fraudulent and can even handle recurring billing, chargeback reduction, and
PCI compliance.
Virtual Terminals
Virtual terminals are credit card payment processing software that runs
entirely online. Just because of this, you can access them by logging into a
secure portal from any internet-connected device. A virtual terminal allows you
to quickly process single (as well as recurring) transactions directly through
your portal. You are the one in control of entering the card data. This is most
common with mail orders.
Online Shopping Carts
If you are planning to commence an e-Commerce business, you’ll need an online
shopping cart to make it flow. An online shopping cart utilizes a virtual
terminal on the backend to create a front-end store your customers can use to
purchase items. Because of this, it allows your customers to make purchases
without your direct involvement.
Choosing Correct Credit Card
Processor
You should now be familiar with how to accept credit card payments for your
business for its benefits. Now, let’s talk about how to find the correct
processor for your business. Choosing from too many options of credit card
processing companies is one of the most important and tough choices you’ll make
in expanding your business.
While cost is very important, it’s equally important to consider a credit card
processing company. Consider who picks up the phone when you call with an issue
and is compatible with your business and equipment needs. And most importantly,
focusing on keeping your business transactions safe and secure.
Merchant Services
Your credit card processor is your merchant services provider. Accordingly,
merchant service is a term that encloses a wide variety of business financial
services. The most common of which is credit card processing.
It may also, depends on your business, which includes things like ACH
transactions or electronic checks. Not mentioning physical check processing,
gift card, loyalty programs, etc.
Additional Services
Besides, with the merchant services offered by a credit card processor, there
are more services they might offer. These include things like:
·
Merchant
cash advance or money loans
·
Payroll
management
·
Stock
management
·
Accounting
and billing services
·
Customer
loyalty programs
·
Fraud
preventive tools
Integrations
Many payment processors offer
integrations with some other service providers. Further, this ensures you have
the most encyclopedic solutions. If there’s a service you need that your credit
card processor doesn’t offer you, cross-check with them for any relevant
integrations that they have available.
PCI Compliance
PCI Compliance is faith fullness to a set of comprehensive security standards
set by the PCI Security Standards Council. The main motive is to decrease fraud
and related costs for businesses around the globe utilizing credit card
processing. Failing to meet these standards may come with unreasonable costs,
so this is an important one we should keep in mind.
Fraud and Risk Protection
Accepting credit cards comes with a set of risks that you need to consider, as
it is its nature. For example, a transaction completed fraudulently at your
store without your review is a risk. One that may result in your loss of both
the merchandise/service and the money offered for it. This is due to
cardholders having protection from fraud.
The true cardholder can dispute transactions with their bank and issue a
chargeback, which will eventually hinder your day-to-day routine. Indeed,
this process is essentially a mini court case surrounding the transaction. Your
business practices and the industry you operate in affect your rate of
chargebacks. Industries or businesses that are considered as high-risk businesses
like adult businesses, CBD businesses, etc. are more affected by chargebacks
and fraud.
Having a merchant service provider who is looking out for your best interest is
key. It will also help to erase your risks of fraud and chargebacks while doing
business. It will save you time and money in the long run with good credit card
processing.
Responsive Customer Support
No solution is perfect. Sometimes the power goes out, your terminal
malfunctions or a point-of-sale system unexpectedly goes offline due to server
issues. Finding a payment processor that has responsive customer support when
you need them will make all the difference, and will offer a helping hand out
of it.
Closing Thoughts On Credit Card Processing by Payment Guru
Accepting credit cards is necessary for your business. Therefore, we hope you
feel confident enough to sort through credit card processing companies to find
the right partner for your business and understand it a bit better after
reading through this complete blog to credit card processing. Contact our team
at Payment Guru to discuss your business requirement. We just might give the
right solution for your business’ credit card payment processing needs.
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