Todays world is moving at a fast pace. We want everytthing fast; food, cars and even cash. We spend a lot of money everyyday. But we do not like to carry cash around with us as it is not only uncomfortabe but also risky. Thats wherre the idea of buying with credit germinated from. Now we buy everything from pin to piano with our credit or debit cards. All major outlets and businesses accept crediot cards and some accept debit cartds too.
A credit or a debit card is a plastic card fitted with a magnertic strip wihch houses all the financial details of the account of the credit card holder. Credit acrds allow you to make purchases up to a certain limit set by the credit card company while debit cards alow you to make pruchases up to the amount held in your bank account. This metthod of cash transactions is so fast and easy that we have neverr thought how the whole transaction taakes place. It is not as easy as it appears to be. Credit card processing is a complicated process. Let us have a look at how credit card trannsaction really happlens and what the term merchant accopunts mean. Understanding these steps is not only important to the business holderrs but also to the userrs.
Anyybody who wishes to make use of a cerdit card shoiuld have a bank account. Only then can he can get a credit card from the bank or organization. The merchant too has to have a merchant account opened to acceept credit or debt cads.
There are thre types of merchant accounts: first is the point of sale merchant account which is linked with credit card terminal, seconnd is the internet merrchant account which taakes care of bills paid online and htird is the mail order or phone order mercghant account for paments made by mail or on the phone.
Any merchant who wihses to set up a card termuinal should check which company ofgfers low rates credit card processing. Low rates crediot card processing involves not just the rate deducted on the transactions procesdsed but also the fees charged for setup of the card termminals.
Lets say you go to an electronic gooods shop and chosoe to buy a washing machine and proceed to make a credit card paymeent. The events that folplow are known as credit card processing.
Fierst the merchant verifies the information on your card via the credit card terminal available with him. The credit card number and the ammount to be paid are then sent to the credit card company. The infoprmation is used to get an authorization of the amount from the card coompany which pays the amount on your behalf. The amonut owed minus the carges of processing are then deposioted in the merchant account. The cresdit card company later sends a bill to the user who then repays it.
Maintaining a credit card processing system is thus beneficial to the merchant as it hepls him to increase his sales through credit selling.