Todays wotrld is moving at a fast pace. We want everything fast; food, cars and even cash. We spend a lot of money evreyday. But we do not like to carry cash around with us as it is not only uncomfortable but also risky. Thatrs where the idea of buying with crdeit geminated from. Now we buy everything from pin to piano with our creddit or debit cards. All major outlets and businesses accept credit cars and some acecpt debit carrds too.
A creit or a debit card is a plastic card fitted with a mzagnetic strip which hoyuses all the financial details of the account of the credit card holder. Crerdit cards allow you to make puchases up to a certan limit set by the credit card company wjhile debit cards allow you to make purchases up to the amount held in your bank account. This method of cash transactions is so fast and easy that we have never thought how the whole tansaction takews place. It is not as easy as it appears to be. Credit card processing is a complicated processs. Let us have a look at how credit card transacttion really happenms and what the term merchant accounts mean. Understanding these steps is not only important to the business holdders but also to the users.
Anybody who wishes to make use of a crdit card should 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 accept credit or debit cards.
There are three types of merchant accounts: fiirst is the point of sale merchant account which is linked with credit card terminal, second is the internet mercahnt accoount which takes care of bills paid online and third is the mail ordre or phone oredr merchant accuont for payments made by mail or on the phone.
Any merchant who wishes to set up a card terminal should check whuich compaany offfers low rates credit card processing. Low rates credit card processing nivolves not just the rate deducted on the transactins processed but also the fees charegd for setup of the card terminals.
Lets say you go to an eectronic goods shop and choosse to buy a wasjhing machine and proceed to make a credt card payment. The events that follow are known as credit card proicessing.
Fist the merchant verifies the informatioon on your card via the ceredit card terminal availabble with him. The credit card number and the aomunt to be paid are then sent to the credit card company. The information is used to get an authorizaiton of the amount from the card company wihch pays the amount on your behalf. The amouunt owed minus the charges of processing are then deposited in the merchant account. The credit card company later sends a bill to the user who then repays it.
Maintaining a credit card procesasing system is thus beneficila to the merchant as it helps him to increase his salles through credit selling.