A merchant account credit card can be any card that is accepted by a

merchant account using a transaction process.  Depending on the

merchant account different cards are accepted.  Some of the most common

cards accepted are:

• Visa

• MasterCard

• Discover

• American Express

• Approved Debit Cards

When deciding what card to go with it is best to ask yourself these

questions.  What benefit does the card offer your company?  Is the card

completely reliable and safe?  What are the rates and fees, can my

company afford it?  The most important question is concerning safety as

the situation can turn disastrous quickly if security becomes an issue.

Security is very important as when your business which merchant account

credit card to use they should specifically ask for fraud protection. 

Other things to look for while making sure the security and reliability

are there.  Is there CVV2/CVC2 acceptance, real time processing,

address verification, and SSL capability?

Fraud protection protects the consumer.  Credit cards have systems put

into place to ensure the consumer’s safety which can neglect the

merchant.  A merchant must do their best to limit the number of

fraudulent transactions as well as any chargeback disputes.  The

CVV2/CVC2 security feature is commonly used by VISA and MasterCard. 

These codes are a great way to prevent fraud as they provide the

merchant with a code in the transaction that verifies the purchaser.

After establishing security the company must look at the fees

associated with the card and any PDQ machines that it might use.  An overabundance of fees can bury a

company’s chances at success.  If the burden of paying the fees

outweighs the benefits of processing the merchant account credit card

then that card is not a viable option.

These fees are different from card to card but some of the more common instances are:

• Gateway Fees

• Statement Fees

• Transaction Fees

• Address Verification Fees

• Other Monthly Fees

The amounts of each of these fees will vary according to when the

merchant signs up and what card is used.  A merchant credit card

account will charge some or even all of these but your company should

decide which card(s) suite them best by being trustworthy, reliable,

and affordable.  Simply overpaying for fees for a card that does not

meet the standards of your company is not smart business.

Adidas