Different Types Of Merchant Accounts

An account from where merchants can accept credit card payments & release too is known as a merchant account. Merchant accounts can be acquired through credit card companies, banks, or any other payment processor. A merchant wanting to take credit card payments must have a merchant account.

There are three major forms of merchant accounts. One is the retail merchant account. Although this account may offer the lowest transaction fees but most of the time comes with stringent rules. Retail merchant accounts mostly require credit card sales be done with the "card present." In other words, the card has to be swiped through a credit card terminal for the transaction to take place. Retail merchant bank accounts are generally linked with restaurants, small hotels and grocery stores. Retail merchant accounts are not suited for merchants who want to conduct business through the Internet or the mail.

Mail Order Telephone Order (MOTO) accounts usually charge higher transaction rates; these accounts are used when the credit cards cannot be physically utilized. In this situation, merchants process the payments by entering the customer’s credit card data onto a personal computer, or through a standard web browser, where they can process the transaction on the payment service provider's website.

Internet merchant accounts are quite similar to MOTO accounts in that the credit card need not be physically used. However, these transactions can only be accessed & performed through the Internet. Merchants with Internet accounts set up a payment service gateway or a virtual terminal to process credit card transactions.

Such accounts can be used only for online transactions. To process credit card payments one has to use a payment service gateway. These kinds of gateways are now part of most business web hosting packages. They can be customized to cater to the requirements of merchants. The transaction fee charged by Internet accounts is higher than the retail and Mail Order-Telephone Order (MOTO) accounts.

While operating an Internet merchant account, security is an important issue. The nature and volume of business determines whether you need an Internet merchant account or not. One should read and understand the terms and conditions for operating this account carefully, before accepting them.

If you have $100, you can easily open an Internet merchant account; if you are paying more than this amount then you are being overcharged. Internet merchant accounts provide an account holder the ability to process transactions anywhere in the world. You can do it while traveling.

An Internet merchant account can be opened in a few minutes by filling out a form which is available online. It gets activated within seconds. Earlier, when online merchant accounts were not available, it used to take at least a few days and a few hundred dollars to open a merchant account. But the advent of the Internet merchant account has revolutionized the concept of merchant accounts. Even small businesses can afford to open such accounts. If you have a problem in operating your Internet merchant account, you can use the technical support made available by your banker.

But before you go for an online merchant account, you must find out whether you actually need it. Businesses dependent on online transactions generally find it beneficial. It is better to have a website before one opens an Internet merchant account. 

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