On the internet, people tend to go to those commercial sites which are similar to what they are looking for. So, as a merchant, it is your responsibility to make sure that your site offers a pleasant experience for your customers. This is why it is crucial to find a merchant services provider that can offer solutions to the problems that you may face.
The impact of digitalization on business and society, the speed of innovation, the new competitive environment, and the rise of new business models are some of the critical topics that need to be addressed if we want to remain relevant to our customers, customers’ demands, and the public perception of our business.
By the end of 2023, we will have the internet of things, virtual reality, smart glasses, and artificial intelligence all wrapped up in one device that will be able to take your digital wallet, track your health, listen to your conversations, and even recognize and respond to your gestures and facial expressions. This will be the year that every device — computers, smartphones, and even household appliances — can be connected and networked.
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Merchant services are there to help businesses process credit card payments. You may know them as credit card processors.
Whatever you call them, it’s important to choose the right merchant service for your business if you want to accept payments from your customers.
I looked at the six best trading services available today. These are proven and popular products at great prices.
However, they all work in slightly different ways and are better suited to some types of business than others.
Read on to find one that fits your situation. I will look at each of the six main purchasing services in detail and conclude with some basic criteria you should consider when evaluating your options.
#1. Area overview – Greater transparency of prices and tariffs
For :
- No monthly fees
- Transparent treatment
- Free card reader
- Great extras
Disadvantages:
- Lack of ACH payment processing
- Higher fees than desired
Square is known for its credit card processing and point-of-sale systems, but it offers much more. It has features like Card on File, which allows the user to store loyalty card information, which is ideal for regular customers trying to earn loyalty points and rewards of that nature.
The processor also doesn’t charge a monthly fee, and while Square’s features aren’t as advanced as some of the other payment processors we’re talking about, you can’t beat that advantage for a point-of-sale system with no monthly fees.
You can accept payments online and in person, with different transaction fees. Personal sales are assumed to be 2.6% and $0.10 per transaction. For online transactions, it will cost you 2.9% and $0.30 per transaction. There are other cases, such as. B. :
- Transactions with virtual terminals
- Transactions per file
- And cardless transactions
They cost 3.5% and $0.15 per transaction.
If you do thousands of transactions a month, you can certainly find something cheaper than Square.
But for small businesses, the lack of monthly fees and price transparency make budgeting easier than with other procurement services. Read more.
#2. ReviewPayment Depot – the best for established businesses
For :
- Without a contract
- Competitive rates
- Easy online integration
Disadvantages:
- Best suited for high volume activities
- Application procedure
Payment Depot uses a membership-based pricing model that can save existing businesses a lot of money.
New businesses that don’t have large transaction volumes won’t see the benefit (and may get higher rates than other services), but if you already process a large number of transactions, Payment Depot may be a good choice.
Unlike other companies, Payment Depot’s processing costs remain consistent and predictable regardless of your business volume.
Since Payment Depot does not pass the credit card service fee on to the customer in the form of an increased surcharge, you can save a lot of money. The more transactions you process, the more you save on your membership fee.
Payment Depot accepts all major cards as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay contactless cards. Take advantage of next-day financing and integration with leading POS systems and e-commerce platforms such as :
- Shopify
- Revelation
- QuickBooks
- PrestaShop
- BigComemrce
- WooCommerce
I don’t think it’s one of the best purchasing services for small businesses because of the price. Transaction fees go down when you pay a higher monthly fee, and they seem to force you to increase your package due to strict data processing restrictions.
Here’s a breakdown of their prices:
Basic plan
- Fees : $49
- Transaction fees : $0.15
- Monthly limit : $25,000
Popular plan
- Fees : $79
- Transaction fees : $0.10
- Monthly limit : $75,000
First
- Fees : $99
- Transaction fees : $0.07
- Monthly limit : $150,000
Unlimited
- Fees : $199
- Transaction fees : $0.05
- Monthly limit : Unlimited
So you can see that if you do a lot of transactions, it makes sense to switch to the most expensive rate with the lowest transaction fees.
#3. OverviewHelcim – the best for small businesses
For :
- Limited remunerations
- Volume-based remuneration
- Free software for online shops
Disadvantages:
- Limited integrations
- 199 for a card reader
If you are a small business owner, Helcim could be a good choice for you. This service allows you to process credit and debit cards online and in person. You can also perform some of the following actions: Set up recurring payments and send invoices.
Helcim’s card reader accepts all major cards including Amex, Google Pay, Apple Pay and JCB.
Helcim has no contract or termination fees, and the monthly fee is $0.
Overall, Helcim is affordable, but much better for in-person payments than online payments. Here is an overview of their pricing structure based on the amount of business you do per month:
Monthly volume : $0 – $25,000
- Staff: 0.3% + 8 cents (+ settlement percentage)
- Online: 0.5% + 25 cents (+ change)
Monthly volume : $25,001 – $50,000
- Staff: 0.25% + 7 cents (+ settlement percentage)
- Online: 0.45% + 20 cents (+ exchange)
Monthly volume : $50,001 – $100,000
- Staff: 0.2% + 7 cents (+ settlement percentage)
- Online: 0.4% + 20 cents (+ exchange)
Monthly volume : $100,001 – $250,000
- Staff: 0,18% + 6 cents (+ settlement percentage)
- Online: 0.35% + 15 cents (+ exchange)
Helcim offers good options for those who want to integrate this payment gateway into their online store. You can add a cash register to your site for billing and customer registration, and also accept recurring subscriptions.
#4. Fattmerchant’s Stax Test – the best for business by subscription
For :
- Simple pricing
- Omni Software
- The reliable choice for subscription-based businesses
Disadvantages:
- Higher monthly costs
- Transaction costs are relatively standard
Fattmerchant’s Stax is built like many other payment processors. As the monthly fee increases, transaction costs decrease. They offer Omni, which enables billing, payments and reporting. The service is incredibly user-friendly, ideal for beginners and included in the monthly fee.
Stax is a good choice for entrepreneurs on a tight budget, but it’s also a good option for businesses with a subscription. If you sell monthly coaching packages, agency or consulting services, you benefit from the Stax structure.
The processor accepts all major cards, including ACH, billing, Text2Pay and more. Same-day financing is available and you get a free POS app for iOS and Android, as well as Bluetooth card readers to use on the go.
Stax offers extremely competitive and easy to calculate prices.
For companies up to $5 million per year:
- From $99/month
- Rate for map presentation: $0.08 + decoupling
- Cards not presented: $0.15 + decoupling
- ACH processing fee: 1% of the transaction amount, up to a maximum of $10.
If your business has more than $5 million in annual sales, you should contact us for a custom quote. The company also offers merchant services for SaaS platforms, which may be the best choice for you as a subscription service provider.
Stax has a higher monthly fee than others, but the company says that’s how it lowers transaction costs. Read more.
For :
- A dedicated account manager
- Create a free account
- Free card terminal (against payment)
Disadvantages:
- Entangled property
- Little information about the price
Flagship Merchant Services was founded in 2001 and was acquired by iPayment in 2012. They’re mostly reselling iPayment right now, so keep that in mind.
This company was one of the first to offer a free account, with no application or fees, and with real monthly contracts. They serve tens of thousands of merchants and have a solid reputation.
Because they are not a direct processor, most of their merchant accounts are created by iPayment. iPayment uses First Data as their processor, and some confusion may arise when trying to figure out who is processing what through which service.
For shoppers, Flagship offers a free credit card terminal, but you are responsible for paying your bills and insuring the terminal to keep it in working order.
For e-commerce, they offer either Authorize.net to manage and integrate online cards into your website.
One thing that was a little frustrating at Flagship was finding information on pricing. If you go to their website, you will see that you have to fill out a form to get information about their rates.
I would like to see more transparency, but this strategy makes for a better overall package.
What I like most is that when you buy a gateway, you have a single line of communication with the company, which acts as the account manager. If you have a problem, you contact a specific person, an option I have not seen with any other trading service.
#6. Stripe test – the best for online payment processing
For :
- Make you grow
- Appropriate pricing
- The ideal solution for online businesses
Disadvantages:
- Complicated installation
- May require developers to
If your business operates entirely online, Stripe is the best choice. It’s specifically designed for e-commerce and online businesses, and many startups and Fortune 500 companies rely on Stripe.
The company provides advanced software and APIs that allow owners of online stores to customize the checkout process. You can use out-of-the-box integrations to connect your Stripe POS immediately, then customize it as you go.
This is one of the main reasons I love Stripe; it’s a payment processor that grows with you and allows you to change it up as your business needs change.
All these functions and moving parts lead to complications. It’s not easy to set up, and if you want to take advantage of the many benefits of Stripe, you’ll probably need a developer to do it for you.
Stripe offers a pay-as-you-go strategy with no monthly fees and transparent transaction fees worldwide.
- Online: 2.9% and 0.30
- Staff: 2.7% and 0.05
- International: Add 1% per transaction
- ACH Direct: 0.8%, up to $5.00 per transaction
- ACH credit: $1.00 per transaction
You can use all major credit and debit cards, as well as ACH, WeChat Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay and more. Wait two business days to make a deposit or pay a 1% fee for an instant deposit.
Stripe integrates with WordPress, Magento, Squarespace, 3DCart, Zoho, Big Cartel and more.
How to choose the best trading services for you
Before we get to the reviews, let’s look at what makes a quality trading service.
I’ve broken it down into three main areas:
- Processing costs / monthly costs
- Services
- Trading account type
Let’s look at each of these criteria one by one.
Processing fee / monthly contribution
It’s all about money, and credit card processing isn’t as easy as you think. You need to weigh the pros and cons of each service, or you will end up paying much more than you expected.
The first thing to look at is the treatment rate. With any merchant service, you pay a small commission each time a transaction is processed. It is usually between 1 and 3%.
You also pay a monthly fee, depending on the service you choose.
To take advantage of a slower processing speed, you usually have to pay a higher monthly fee.
So if you process a large number of payments, a merchant service with high monthly fees and low processing rates may be a good option.
On the other hand, if you don’t process a large number of payments, a higher processing speed won’t hurt you as much as a high monthly fee.
Rates are also applied by various credit cards, such as Visa and Mastercard. For commercial services such as B. Toast, you can choose between a fixed or an interbank transfer rate.
With a fixed rate, you pay a fixed amount each month for the treatment. When you change your card, you pay the same amount as with Visa or Mastercard, plus a small roster fee.
Fixed price processing is a predictable solution that works well for companies that want to avoid major price changes. At the same time, interbank transaction prices are generally lower.
Services
You want to see what the payment processor offers besides credit card processing. Do they offer free POS systems, hardware, mobile payments, integrations, etc.?
Some merchant services even offer consulting, customer loyalty functions and billing tools.
Sometimes the extra benefits you get from a merchant service provider can outweigh some of the disadvantages.
Dealer Account Category
There are two main types of accounts: aggregators (or resellers) and ISOs (or independent sales organisations). Let’s compare these two concepts and see why it’s important to understand the difference.
Aggregates
These are intermediaries who work between the business and the bank and provide the business with a simple solution for processing payments. Square is an example, and while they simplify the process, they generally have higher fees and transaction costs.
ISOs
Payment Depot is an example of an ISO, and while they generally have stricter payment acceptance policies, they offer lower prices and user-friendly software compared to a direct processor.
Integration
How well do your current systems integrate with the new trading service?
Whether you sell online or in person, the product you choose should complement and even enhance your current process.
Stripe offers a wide range of integrations for the most popular e-commerce platforms, making it an excellent choice for online stores. It also integrates with the best email autoresponders like MailChimp and GetResponse.
If you already use these tools, the Stripe integration makes it easy to set them up and keep them organized.
You don’t have to change your daily workflow to offer a new service; look for one that offers the integration your business needs.
Summary
At this point, you need to know which of these purchasing services is right for you. They all have their advantages and disadvantages, and you should choose according to the nature of your business.
Let’s take a quick look at my top picks:
- Kvadrat – Best price transparency
- Down payment – best suited to established businesses
- Helcim – The best for small business
- Fattmerchant Stax – the best for subscription trading
- Flagship Merchant Services – Best for Customer Service Excellence
- Stripe – the best for online payment processing.
If your business is already very large, I recommend you look into Payment Depot.
Square is generally a robust solution for all businesses, but the transaction costs are a bit on the high side and the scalability leaves something to be desired.
I’m also a big fan of Helcim because they allow you to grow with your processor and increase your monthly payment as your volume needs increase.
Whatever you choose, keep the important factors in mind and choose carefully so you don’t regret your decision later.
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Today, there are a large number of e-commerce websites that allow their customers to buy and sell products online. However, there’s one question that’s always been on everyone’s mind: which e-commerce website is the best? To answer this question, we will have to compare different e-commerce websites and the features they provide.. Read more about fattmerchant and let us know what you think.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which merchant service is best?
The best merchant service is the one that offers the most features and has the lowest fees.
How do I choose a merchant service?
There are many different merchant services available. You can find a list of the most popular ones here.
What is the best merchant service for a small business?
The best merchant service for a small business is PayPal.
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