Domestic & International Merchant Account For Your Travel Business

Travel-oriented businesses are considered risk merchants as far as credit card processors are concerned. Therefore are among the most difficult business types to acquire successfully accepted for a Merchant Account. The reason is that experience demonstrates that customers are impressive. They are more able to dispute and chargeback travel agency transactions than most others.

Domestic & International Account

• International merchant accounts are the best solution if you have target markets outside of the US.
• Establish accounts with acquiring banks in all the regions in which business is conducted.
  Save money on processing fees by taking advantage of the lower intra-region interchange.
  Decrease foreign exchange expenses
  Pay local vendors and workers in local currency
  Gain access to alternative payment methods popular in many parts of the world

A domestic high-risk merchant account works well. The USA acquiring banks will accept travel merchants. Now, many US travel merchants combine domestic travel merchant accounts with offshore processing to:

• Mitigate risk by diversifying location of banks
  Obtain higher processing volumes. Offshore accounts often have no caps on processing.
  Take advantage of business benefits offered by some offshore jurisdictions

Understanding your risk exposure will help you take sufficient steps to minimize it. Also, protect your travel agency from losses associated with chargebacks resulting from customer disputes and fraudulent transactions.

For one thing, starters you should apply for a Merchant account with the suitable kind of payment processor. This implies one that represents considerable specializes in high-risk merchant accounts–otherwise, you are simply wasting your time and money. Fortunately, there are a few several processing networks available that do specialize in such higher-risk merchant types, unfortunately at a little-enhanced cost consistent with the improved risk involved.

Getting Cheapest Payment Gateway Is Not Good For Your Business

Cheapest Payment Gateway – Today there are so many options available to choose for payments; bank transactions, credit/debit card payments for your business. It can become very difficult to choose from the options available. However, the truth is not all payment gateways are reliable for your business. If you are a merchant who is setting up a new business and will be dealing with daily transactions then it is very important for you to have full knowledge of the suitable payment gateway for your business. There are a lot of points to consider while choosing the right payment gateway.

You might find a “cheaper” payment services provider, but there could be hidden charges too. You might choose a cheaper payment gateway, but choosing the cheapest one is not always the best option.

WHY THE CHEAPEST PAYMENT GATEWAY IS NOT THE BEST ONE FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

Cheapest payment gateway does not always deliver as they promise. They use different tactics to entice merchants. These could be very problematic for the health and reputation of your company.

Cheap Payment Gateway usually puts attractive advertisements with lowest pricing rates and other services to attract potential clients, but there come hidden fees with it.

If you want to expand your business and sell your products and services globally, some payment gateways will charge higher fees when you sell in other currencies.

Cheapest payment service providers may give you a headache due to lack of proper secure payment service. However, with the best payment gateways, you will not have to worry about PCI compliance, anti-fraud tools, and security issues.

The cheapest payment gateway cannot be an outstanding service provider. If some fraudulent transaction or something unexpected happens, they will fail to resolve your problem quickly or they may charge a very high fee for the assistance with it.

Most payment service providers hold your credit card data hostage. For example, you have several thousands of credit card details of customers that you may not be able to transfer. Now, in case you want to switch to other payment providers, you might not have the option of retrieving this data and take with you. In that case, you will have to ask all these customers to fill their information again and could cost you a lot of money in attrition and in the process you might lose the trust of your customers.

Cheapest payment gateway offers only one or two payment services, requiring you to hire your own vendors, maintain multiple relationships with other online security providers.

Hence, for the security and growth of your business, choose the “right” payment gateway instead of the “cheapest” payment gateway.
In case you want to know more, you can always get in touch with Merchant Stronghold. You can contact us through email or phone number +1 (888) 622 – 6875and talk to our experts at any time of the day.

What are the Reasons to Add Authorize.net Payment Gateway on WooCommerce Store

Here are few reasons why you should get the Authorize.net Payment Gateway on your WooCommerce Store.

Security and Support
Easy Configuration
Extension Management
net eCheck Support

We will discuss these points in detail. You should also know about the system requirement for Authorize.net.

An Authorize.Net account
PHP 5.3+ (You can see this under WooCommerce > Status)

SECURITY AND SUPPORT

When the customers have the assurance that making transaction is safe, they are more likely to purchase the services. Authorize.net offers the security to both the customer and merchant by its payment gateway.

• They keep the customer’s information and details safe
  Also, Authorize.net offers a reliable and secure atmosphere to make payments
  You can also access 24/7 support of Authorize.net
  Moreover, for the 1st year you get the premium support and updates
  Your business website will remain up and active with Authorize.net payment services.

EASY CONFIGURATION

You can install Authorize.net by visiting the WooCommerce plugin. Then go to the Payment settings and add Authorize.net Payment Gateway on WooCommerce Store. Once you have added it, you can start the configuration.

• After that, you need to visit Authorize.net on your browser.
  Login to your merchant account using the username and password.
  Then you need to go to the API Login at the Settings page.
  Use this API login credentials to use the Authorize.net account on the Website.
  Once you add the extension to the WooCommerce or the Website, you can manage the extensions.

EXTENSION MANAGEMENT

There are a number of extension settings and customization options available. It will take another article, to discuss all of the services. But here is the brief of available extensions.

• Enable/Disable the Gateway
  Title and Description of the Payment Gateway
  Card Verification Menu (CVV/CV2)
  Transaction Type and Accepted Card Type
  Option to add the API Login ID and Transaction key.

Finally, save the settings to add Authorize.net Payment Gateway on WooCommerce Store. After that, you will be able to customize the various settings provided by the plugin.

If you are looking for an expert to guide you to choose the best payment gateway then feel free to contact Merchant Stronghold at +1 (888) 622 – 6875. We provide specialized assistance with high-risk business management and merchant card processing.

Does Zero Credit Card Processing Actually Cost Nothing?

Zero Credit Card Processing – Credit Card Processing fees are applied as a cost of managing the exchange of money from customers account to the merchant’s account in a secured manner.

Does Zero Credit Card Processing Actually Cost Nothing?

As we have discussed, in the case of zero credit card processing the customer has to pay most of the charges.

However, it is not like the merchant is not paying anything entirely. Because there are still other charges to be paid by the merchant such as :

PCI Compliance
Monthly Fees
And many more.

Generally, these plans are designed in such a manner that the processing fees are reduced to “zero” or “no cost”. However, all the other charges are increased by a bit.

And when a customer is introduced to these prices, it seems like that the processing fees are reduced to zero.

What Does It Cost To Your Customers?

The charges are generally set to 4% or less for the customer as the surcharge of no-cost credit card processing of merchant.
Also, customers are generally charged dynamically and the range is between 3.45% to 3.65%.
However, this is not any kind of hidden charge and your customer will see the surcharge in the receipt on their purchased goods and services. And in such situation, a customer can feel like being charged more than he/she should.
No customer wants to pay extra for any goods and services and if this is the case with you then you can lose customers.

What To Do Next?

As the merchant, the first thing you should do is check your competitors. If most of your competitors are using the surcharge method to get a minimized credit card processing, then you can also use this method for your business.

However, if your competitors are not into “no-cost credit card processing” then you should also reconsider your payment methods. Applying surcharges to your customer results in loss of customers.

In such a case, you can try other methods that can help with the reduction of credit card processing charges. Also, you can contact an expert to help you choose the ideal credit card processing method for your business.

We, at Merchant Stronghold, provide you with an expert who will customize the perfect deal for you depending on the industry your business is in. Contact us at the toll-free number +1 (888) 622 – 6875 and get the required services that you are looking for as a merchant. We also offer assistance regarding high-risk payment gateway and merchant account services.

Virtual Terminal and It’s Benefits

Virtual Terminal: Virtual Terminal is an online application or operating system where a merchant can check all the transactions and get a detailed inquiry of it. By using virtual terminal merchant can accept the payment without physically using the credit card. It is contrary to physical payment where the credit card must be present at the time of the transaction. You don’t need an electronic machine (POS) or go through any hassle if you had opted for electronic payments. What you need to do is promote payment gateway, which will allow you to process your transaction without any inconvenience. You can get your payment even from miles away within a few seconds with the help of virtual terminals. Multiple companies are now offering these facilities one of them is IBM, PayPal, Linux and many more.

How does Virtual Terminal work?

As it is online, so it obviously requires an Internet connection. Usually, it is powered by the gateway, which means each and every transaction that the customer will perform would be processed by the gateway, which we are calling the virtual terminal.

For executing the transaction the gateway lands the customer to the payment page where he puts all the required card details manually, and then after getting a confirmation from the bank, the transaction takes place. For processing the transaction, the virtual terminal charges some amount, which is called gateway fees. Virtual terminal gives diverse options of payment to the customer. In case of recurring payments, the merchant can directly ask card details from the customer for the payment, which will allow deducting the charges till the subscription ends.

Benefits of Virtual Payments

Virtual terminal helps in processing a lot of transactions instantly. It is the solution that turns your computer into a payment processing device. It will allow you to accept your payment anywhere at any time without being necessarily present there. You can even process the transaction once you get the card details of your customer over the phone or e-mail.

Virtual Terminals also centralize data and make it more secure. So the chances of fraud or scam also reduce.

Unlike their physical POS counterparts, virtual terminals can handle recurring payments, easily.

High-Risk Tech Support Merchant Account In USA

Tech Support Merchant Account Provider

For retail merchants, it is pretty easy to get a payment processor but it’s not the same with tech support businesses. This is due to the high rate of chargeback risk involved. So when you are looking for a merchant account provider, you should always ask them certain questions before applying. These questions could go as follows:

Do you provide high-risk merchant account for tech support businesses?
What about remote tech support (if relevant)?
Does the underwriting department approve of it?

At times salesperson will assure you that they do provide service to tech support business and after you complete the process of applying for it, and send it for approval to underwriting department; you might find out that your application is rejected because they do not support tech support business.

Merchant Stronghold has expertise in providing all-inclusive high-risk credit card processing services to tech support merchants. To get the high-risk merchant account for your business, you have to fill the application form and provide us with all the information. We will respond you back through e-mail with the list of pricing and terms as per your requirements. Once your application is approved, you can start processing. To make the process easier for you, we can also set up your chargeback management tools and payment gateway.

Underwriter’s requirement

When you fill the application form for opening a high-risk merchant account for your tech support business, it is forwarded to the underwriting department for approval. The underwriter’s role is to make sure that the business is good for the credit card processor to take on and it’s worth the risk. Underwriter looks for any type of loopholes in your application and the likelihood of the credit card processor facing the losses on the account. This can occur due to the high number of chargebacks that went unpaid. Also, unpaid billing or fines imposed either by the government or card brand or the sponsor bank. These reasons are good enough for declaring a merchant as fraudulent and rejecting the application for a high-risk merchant account.

What are the benefits of E-Check

Benefits of E-Checks

Let’s take a look at some amazing benefits of E-checks.

COST-EFFECTIVE
Pricey credit card networks can be avoided with the use of ACH as transaction fee is comparatively low. There is no limit on the transaction amount. If any merchant, looking for a cost-effective processor to accept large payments, ACH is where your search ends.

FUNDS
In the traditional paper check method, it might take days to process a check whereas it is not the same with e-checks. Via E-checks funds get transferred faster and more conveniently.

RECURRING PAYMENTS
If a business is working on memberships or subscriptions, it is wise to choose the ACH electronic network rather than the traditional method.

IDEAL FOR SUBSCRIPTION-BASED BUSINESSES
There are many benefits to choosing E-checks for subscription-based businesses. Some of them go as follows:

AUTOPAY
Irrespective of a canceled credit card, ACH payment processing makes sure that the customer does not miss payments. Credit card numbers may change rapidly but it is very rare that the account details of the customer will change. With the use of ACH payment processor, it becomes easy to avoid payment gaps.

SAVE MONEY
Business can save a huge amount of money by long-term subscriptions. With electronic payments, network exchange fee is not applicable, which in turn helps the merchant to save a lot.

EASY & SECURE
In addition, it is easy to initialize online e-check payments. A merchant can create a simple and secure form as per the customer’s convenience. Autopay feature can be set within minutes that avoid extra work of writing checks every month.

REWARDS
With the use of ACH, savings are amazing, which can be available to attract new customers while retaining old ones. Schemes like an incentive for customers, rewards, discount offers or cash offers help businesses attract more customers.

WHO GETS BENEFIT
As a result, there are 8 types of businesses that enjoy benefits the most from E-check payments.

1. Membership Businesses
2. Schools
3. Non-profit Organization
4. A business accepting bulk payments
5. Online subscription-based businesses
6. Retail Businesses
7. Insurance Companies
8. High-Risk Merchants

Important Online Credit Card Processing For eCommerce Businesses

Let’s see some benefits of online credit card processing.

SECURITY

It is important for every online merchant to consider security and stability as the key factor of their business. For the long run of business and retention of customers, a reliable online credit card processing service is a must. The technology that is used for security includes PCI compliance standards. This makes it very difficult for criminals to crack the code and obtain customers data. Therefore, the customers gain confidence to use their credit cards to make a payment without hesitation.

FLEXIBILITY

When an online business touches international boundaries, it becomes essential to have a payment processor that can accept major currencies. We, at Merchant Stronghold, create such an E-commerce solution to deal with a variety of currencies. No longer bound by geographical boundaries, limited currency acceptance; the sky is the limit for your E-commerce business.

ACCESSIBILITY

To smoothen the process and gain accessibility from any part of the world, online credit card processing service can be configured to facilitate merchant to access the merchant account at any time. No longer bound to geographical location and address of the store, it is easier for the merchant to control and review business transaction from any part of the world with online access.

For more than a decade, Merchant Stronghold has proven its worth by providing excellent customer services, resolving queries of clients. And, providing them with the best solution for credit card processing. Go through the list of various options available, pricing, after sale service and compatibility before finalizing a payment gateway for your business. So, connect with our professionals now.

How can Accept Multiple Currencies with an Online Merchant Account?

Having a multi-currency merchant account can be a very easy way to increase the sales for business from the international buyers. The Multiple Currency Merchant Account or Multi-Currency Merchant Account allows a merchant to display the prices of products and services in a different currency. This means the buyers can choose the product from the list and make the payment as per their currency. This also helps Merchants to increase revenue.

It is very much required to have a multi-currency merchant account to accept the payment as the world is becoming a single marketplace. In order to sell products and services to global buyers, US sites are on the top till now. We at Merchant Stronghold offers the Merchant Accounts for your businesses as well as the 24/7 services. In case of any issues or queries related to the account setup or another technical glitch, you can visit us at merchantstronghold.com

BENEFITS OF MULTIPLE CURRENCIES MERCHANT ACCOUNT

Merchant:-

• Increase In Sales: As a Merchant, if you display the prices in different currency then it helps in increasing the sales globally.
• Higher Conversion Rate: While shopping from a website a buyer does not need to focus on converting the price into local currency. The only focus should be on buying product or services and making payment in their local currency. Using Multiple Currency Account gives you a higher conversion rate of shoppers to buyers.
• Reduced Chargebacks: Transparency in currency makes it easier for the buyers to make a purchase, which in turn reduces the chargebacks. Also, a reduction in other service queries from the buyers, as Merchant showcases that they care about the buyer’s shopping experience.
• Enhanced Buyer’s Trust: As the buyer becomes more comfortable buying any product or services in their local currency. So this builds the buyer’s trust or enhances their loyalty towards the merchant.
• Reduction In Expenses: Using Multiple Currency Merchant Account reduces the processing fees or expenses. Also, lowers the foreign exchange risk.
• Competitive Advantages: Multiple Currency Merchant Account gives you the provision of being top of the competitors as well as, makes your customers visit again and purchase more from your site.

For Customers:

• Better Experience: Prices displayed in the local currency gives the buyers a good shopping experience. It also offers them more familiarity.
• No Extra Fee: Buyers can pay in their local currency with no surprise factor at the end. They can avoid the currency exchange fees by paying in their local currency.
• Well Informed: If buyers are well informed then they will be confident enough to buy more from the site. This will eventually increase the number of sales and revenue.
• No Transaction Fee: If buyers are paying in their local currency then there will be no foreign transaction fees on their final statement of the purchase.

We have mentioned the benefits of having a Multiple Currency Merchant Account above. In case of any other queries visit us at app.merchantstronghold.com for better assistance.

What Causes Merchant Account Hold Or Freeze & How To Avoid This?

The Bank has the right to Hold and Freeze the Merchant Account without prior notice. This is a step of precaution in case of any frauds. Here are some situations that can lead to potential Merchant Account Hold or Freeze.

Before opening the Merchant Account, the bank asks the Merchant to sign the terms and agreements. And if the Merchant does not follow the bank norms, the bank has every right to freeze the merchant account.

High Number of Chargeback – If your business is causing a large number of chargeback every month then the bank will investigate your business methods and discontinue your banking facilities.

Dealing in Undisclosed Goods and Services – Before opening the Merchant Account, you must inform the bank about your business with a detailed description. In case, you are caught dealing in other goods then you can be subjected to Merchant Account Freeze.

Suspect of Fraud – If you or your business is involved in any kind of fraud or illegal activity then banks can take actions by freezing the account.

If you know the possible reason behind the merchant account issues then you can use the knowledge to avoid Merchant account hold or freeze in the future.

How to Avoid Merchant Account Hold or Freeze?

Get a nice payment processor for your Business Account. Also, get a High-Risk Merchant Account if necessary.

Moreover, if you are about to make changes to your business and starting to sell different goods or services, then make sure you inform your Payment Processor about the change.

Reduce the number of chargebacks. An excessive number of chargebacks can cause a variety of losses including the Merchant Account hold.

Finally, if you are going to make an exceptionally large transaction then inform the payment processor regarding your transaction details.

You can also hire an expert to help you avoid Merchant account holds or freeze. For such services, contact Merchant Stronghold and connect to an expert. We provide the best credit card processing services for all kinds of businesses. Merchant Stronghold specializes in high-risk and offshore merchant accounts. Reach us using the 24/7email support at info@merchantstronghold.com or directly visit us at app.merchantstronghold.com.