Accepting Payments Online Without a Merchant Account

Within a year after purchasing two credit card processing terminals, one for $350 and the other for $1,000, accepting payments online became much easier. Using web-based payment processing services, those terminals are no longer needed.

There are still reputable online services that require you to have your own merchant account to access their services, but there are far more companies that act as payment processors and maintain their own merchant accounts. Payment processors allow you to run your payment transactions through their accounts for a fee. Those fees are generally less than the cost of getting your own merchant account and quickly pay for themselves.

The growth of identity theft on and off the Internet to access your personal information and steal your wealth is growing at alarming rate. To help these issues, most payment processors provide valuable services to merchants to protect their private information. Most online credit card processors use encrypted website payment forms that not only protect the personal information, but also instill a strong sense of safety and satisfaction among consumers to protect their interests. The nominal costs are well worth the increased revenue that the online merchant can generate.

Listed below are some of the most popular payment processors, their strengths and general benefits.

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