Echeck And Merchant Services Providers

Keeping a steady cash flow is a major worry for small-business owners. Here are our picks for processing credit card payments most efficiently. You've worked hard to build your business, and now it's time to get paid. But keeping a steady cash flow is often the number one worry for small business owners. So we've stepped in to help, researching credit card processing solutions that get you your funds most efficiently. "Far too many business owners take the path of least resistance, and use their bank's credit card processing service," says Kwame A. Michel, an Atlanta-based accountant who specializes in working with small business clients. "But banks charge high  credit card processing fees and rarely offer the best deals." And the market is crowded with credit card processing companies, all of whom make ambitious claims about their pricing, flexibility, customer service, equipment offerings, and mobile credit card processing capabilities....

If you’re serious about opening—or have already opened—a retail store, you’ve come across at least one merchant service provider (MSP). These are the gatekeepers between customers’ credit and debit cards and your cash register. As such, the relationship between you and your MSP is a critical one because: They allow you to accept credit and debit cards They help you meet and maintain security standards That’s why we’re explaining exactly who these gatekeepers are, and how you and your business fit into this relationship.   What Is a Merchant Service Provider? The central authority on all things payment-related across the globe is the Payment Card Industry (PCI). They set the standards and best practices that merchants, service providers, banks and card issuers must abide by. According to the PCI, merchants are defined as: “…any entity that accepts payment cards bearing the logos of any of the five members of PCI SSC (American Express, Discover, JCB, Ma...