Merchant account
A merchant account is a type of bank account that allows businesses to accept payments
by debit or credit cards. A merchant account also serves as an agreement between
a retailer, a merchant bank and payment processor for the settlement of credit card
and/or debit card transactions.
Methods of processing credit cards
Today a majority of credit card transactions are sent electronically to merchant
processing banks for authorization, capture and deposit. Various methods exist
for presenting a credit card sale to "the system." In all circumstances either
the entire magnetic strip is read by a swipe through a credit card terminal/reader,
a computer chip is read, or the credit card information is manually entered into
a credit card terminal, a computer or website. The earliest methods, submitting
credit card slips to a merchant processing bank by mail, or by accessing an Automated
Response Unit (ARU) by telephone, are still in use today but have long been overshadowed
by electronic devices. These early methods used two-part forms and a manual device
for mechanically imprinting the embossed card number information onto the forms.
Credit card terminal
A credit card terminal is a stand-alone piece of electronic equipment that allows
a merchant to swipe or key-enter a credit card's information as well as additional
information required to process a credit card transaction. A credit card terminal
is a dedicated piece of equipment that only processes credit cards although it is
common for related transactions including gift cards and check verification to also
be performed. A credit card terminal typically must be plugged in to a power
supply and connected to a telephone line. However, some terminals may be powered
by batteries, communicate over the Internet or through the cellular phone networks.
When a credit card is processed (either swiped through the magnetic stripe reader
or keyed in to the keypad), it contacts the network to verify if the credit card
can be authorized. The transaction is then stored on the machine until the
polling window is opened. The machine will either upload the electronic funds
directly to the merchant bank, or a polling service provider will dial in to collect,
process then submit the data to the merchant bank. The most popular credit
card terminals consist of a modem, keypad, printer, magnetic stripe reader, power
supply and memory card. They have had the same basic design since the 1980s.
As with computers, there is a wide range of memory capacities and other features
like built-in printers and debit card pinpads that affect the manufacturing cost
of a credit card terminal.
Automated Response Unit (ARU)
An ARU (also known as a voice authorization, capture and deposit) allows the manual
keyed entry and subsequent authorization of a credit card over a cellular or land-line
telephone. With this method a merchant typically imprints their customer's
card with an imprinter to create a customer receipt and merchant copy, then process
the transaction instantaneously over the phone.
Payment gateway
A payment gateway is an e-commerce service that authorizes payments for e-businesses
and online retailers. It is the equivalent of a physical POS (point-of-sale)
terminal located in most retail outlets. A merchant account provider is typically
a separate company from the payment gateway. Some merchant account providers
have their own payment gateways but the majority of companies use 3rd party payment
gateways. The gateway usually has 2 components: a) the virtual terminal that
can allow for a merchant to securely login and key in credit card numbers or b)
have the website's shopping-cart connect to the gateway via an API to allow for
real time processing from the merchant's website.
Level 2 or Level 3 Processing - Purchasing Cards
Visa and Mastercard have created a specialized type of credit card used primarily
by government agencies and businesses. Increasingly, corporations and government
agencies are relying on this form of payment to compensate their service providers
and suppliers. Businesses benefit by receiving their funds quickly and by
winning competitive bids and government contracts where purchasing cards are the
required form of payment. The downside, however, is the increased costs associated
with receiving these payments. These costs will usually be much higher than
accepting a standard consumer credit card. The solution is that some businesses
may qualify for ways to process these transactions that allow them to pay lower
fees if they can supply additional information, called "level 2 or level 3 data".
For example, if government transactions are over $5,000, businesses can significantly
reduce their transaction costs by including "level 2 or level 3 data" about the
purchase along with each transaction. Examples of level 2 or level 3 data
is a purchase order number associated with the transaction that the credit card
will be paying. This data is passed on to the purchaser so that it may be
many times easier to reconcile the transaction. If all the required data is
not collected and passed on during the transaction, the merchant can have surcharges
added to the basic fees or be forced into a non qualified transaction category.
Merchant Account Marketing
Merchant accounts are marketed to merchants by two basic methods: either directly
by the processor or sponsoring bank, or by an authorized agent for the bank and
additionally directly registered with both Visa and MasterCard as an ISO/MSP (Independent
Selling Organization / Member Service Provider). Marketing details are by card issuers
like Visa and MasterCard, and are enforced by various rules and fines. A few
of the largest processors also partner with warehouse clubs to promote merchant
accounts to their business members, such as NovaMerchantFunding.
Marketing by Banks
A bank that has a merchant processing relationship with Visa and Mastercard, also
known as a member bank, can issue merchant accounts directly to merchants.
To reduce risk, some banks limit approval to merchants in its geographical area,
those with a physical retail storefront, or those that have been in business for
2 years or more.
Marketing by Independent Sales Organization (ISO)/MSPs
To market merchant accounts, an ISO/MSP must be sponsored by a member bank.
This sponsorship requires that the bank verify the financial stability and suitability
of the company that will be marketing on its behalf. The ISO/MSP must also
pay a fee to be registered with Visa and Mastercard and must comply with regulations
in how they may market merchant accounts and the use of copyrights of Visa and Mastercard.
One way to verify if an ISO/MSP is in compliance is to check a website or any other
marketing material for a disclosure "company is a registered ISO/MSP of bank, town,
state. FDIC insured". This disclosure is required by both Visa and Mastercard
and will cause a fine of up to $25,000 if it is not clearly visible. In almost
all cases, if there is no disclosure, the company is likely to be an uninformed
4th party or worse. In many cases unregistered operators have been responsible
for some of the worst horror stories from merchants.