How Do You Get Approved for a Merchant Account?
You’re on track to grow your business and you’re wanting to accept credit cards and debit cards. You know that people will pay up to 18% more money when they pay with a card than with cash. That means bigger profits for you.
You’ve probably found out that it’s not quite as simple as buying a credit card reader off of Amazon. While it would be nice to get a “plug and play” EMV terminal, in reality, the credit card processing industry just doesn’t work that way. The first thing you’ll need to do is get a merchant account.
How do you get approved for a merchant account?
To be able to accept credit cards as payment, you’ll first have to establish a merchant account with a merchant account provider. A merchant account acts as the go-between for transactions to get from your customer’s bank account to yours, and you can’t really process credit cards without one.
How do you apply for a merchant account?
The easiest way is to contact the merchant account provider directly. They will walk you through the entire process. Usually, if they are like us here at Shift Processing, they will want to know the specifics of your industry, your credit history, how much money you are likely to process with them in a month, and if you’ve had merchant accounts with other providers.
Here’s the real kicker, you’ll want to do your research to find out the best company to go with so you don’t get locked into long term contracts bogged down with hidden fees. Many people just go to their bank to get a merchant account – this will probably cost you way more than you bargained for.
Most business owners expect to pay something in order to process credit cards. They quickly find out that it can really eat into your bottom line. Accepting credit cards doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. After all, you’re in business to make money, not lose it.
Research carefully and soon you’ll find that lots of the small business credit card processors charge many types of fees on top of transaction fees, like subscription fees or batch fees. It’s easy to feel like you’re being nickeled and dimed, especially if you’re in a high-risk industry.
We at Shift Processing wanted to offer a simpler and better way to process credit cards. Shift Processing provides merchant accounts that use a fee structure known as Zero Fee Processing. We know what you’re thinking – yes, it’s completely legal – no, it’s not a gimmick- and we’ve helped tons of small businesses eliminate their credit card processing fees.
Not only do we offer Zero Fee processing, but we also have no hidden fees or long term contracts. For those that qualify, you can get a free credit card terminal – saving you money and getting you one step closer to growing your business.
Let us help you take the next step and get approved for a merchant account – it’s easy and risk-free!