Payment Gateway Services Review

As building websites and selling products and services online gets easier and easier, businesses are flocking to the eCommerce arena. Any business that can’t process payments online is missing out on a huge customer base. Not to mention the low overhead costs of eCommerce compared to operating a brick-and-mortar storefront. A payment gateway allows you to list your merchandise or services online and automatically process credit cards, debit cards or other forms of payment without so much as lifting a finger.

While online business has always been vulnerable to fraud, modern payment processing solutions include multiple security measures that verify every credit card number and intercept potential criminals before a transaction ever takes place. In our day and age of instantaneous data transmission, doing business online is no longer optional. Solidifying your business presence online will give you greater reach and maximize your profit potential.

Leaders in the industry can help you do everything necessary to get your business a merchant account and accepting payments within days. Flagship Merchant Services provides everything from merchant accounts to customized webstores. Intuit Merchant Services provides a handful of credit card processing solutions ideal for both web and traditional business models. If you’re already online but just need to implement a payment gateway, Authorize.Net is the leader in the field.

Payment Gateways: What to Look For

Not all payment processing solutions are ideal for every type of business. On this site, you’ll find reviews and comparisons of leading credit card processing solutions designed with eCommerce in mind. You’ll also find informative articles on payment gateways to help you determine which solution is best for you. If you operate a physical store as well as an online storefront, many of our top picks can provide solutions for both. To identify the leading payment gateway services, we evaluated each firm according to the following criteria:

Gateway Features
Superior services will authorize and transmit credit card numbers quickly and reliably without charging usurious discount rates or transaction fees. We gave good scores to companies that will allow merchants to process Visa, MasterCard, Discover, debit cards and other typical forms of payment at fair rates. Authorizing credit cards should take place in the background, leaving you free to address the logistics of day-to-day business. Reputable services integrate smoothly with merchant accounts, security requirements and banking procedures.

eCommerce and Site Integration
We expect good services to integrate smoothly with typical shopping cart software. Some services even offer the assistance of programmers and IT specialists to get you set up. An effective payment processing solution will allow you to quickly configure automated billing and other value-added services.

Merchant Account Features
Keeping tabs on customer information and transactions can be just as important as generating new leads. Good software will work hand-in-hand with accounting tools like Excel and QuickBooks. A merchant needs easy access to transaction records, deposits and charge backs—good merchant account services address these needs.

Support
Configuration, implementation and maintenance of a pay wall, webstore or shopping cart can be challenging for even the most IT-savvy businessperson. A solid and easy-to-contact support network is vital.

Ease of Use
We give preference to services that design their products with the end user in mind. A virtual terminal, API or all-in-one package shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out.

If you still don’t have a payment gateway on your website, you’re doing business in the past. From getting set up with a merchant account to automating deposits and recurring billing, online payment processing is mandatory in today’s fast-paced and competitive business environment.

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