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| Credit Card
Processing Software (Accept Credit Cards via Sofware) |
| Accept Visa/ Mastercard, American Express and Diner's Club |
| Generally
speaking, credit card processing is done through a processing terminal or machine.
These machines are generally manufacturered by Nurit, Hypercom, or Verifone. There are
numerous other 3rd party manufacturers but these 3 are the most trusted. Another alternative is to accept credit cards via your personal computer using software. You can connect to the processing bank over the internet or through the phone line as it dials an 800 number. You enter the information into a computer screen and print out your receipts or labels. The benefit of using software is speed, ease of growth and cost. If you're a large organization which requires a number of people to run charges, then buying 4-10 credit card processing machines from Hypercom, Verifone or Nurit may not make financial sense. Space is also an issue. You have to have one of these machines sitting on everyone's desk along w/ a connection to an open phone line. With the use of a PC and software, anyone with a PC can turn their computer into a credit card processing terminal. They just run the software, enter the information, print any labels they need and they're done. The downside of this method is that you cannot swipe the card unless you buy a 3rd party machine to do just that. Without getting an impression of the physical card, you may not be able to prove that the customer was within your presence. A customer being physically there w/ you is one way to lower your overall merchant fee rates. You could use a traditional swiping machine and get a carbon copy of the credit card. But many merchants just choose to not do this at all. A physical signature is almost as good in most cases. There are just a handful of software vendors available. And all of them are lacking one way or another. The programs are usually clumsy to use and a bit "dated". For one reason or another, the best programmers have decided not to better this industry. You can approach your bank processor for more information and then buy the sofware from a 3rd party vendor at a much lower price. Some of the vendors are listed here. Continued... |