What is an Online Gateway?
When starting a business, there are a lot of factors that will need to be taken into consideration. One main aspect is how you’ll accept payments. While you can always take cash or checks, most customers in today’s market want to pay with a credit or debit card. In this situation, one tool that you may want to utilize is an online gateway. What exactly is this and how can it help your business get started?
How it Works
After setting up a merchant account, your credit card processor will provide you with the steps that must be taken in order to accept credit and debit card payments. Some merchant account services provide you with the option of using an online gateway instead of the traditional credit card scanner. With the online version, you can accept payments directly from your Internet-connected device. When a customer wishes to make a payment, you simply enter the information from their credit card and process the payment on the spot. The money is then transferred from their account to yours. This can be done on a desktop computer, a laptop, a tablet computer, or even on a Smartphone. As long as you can connect to the Internet, you’ll be able to use this type of service.
Advantages
The advantage of using this method of accepting credit card payments is that it is convenient. You don’t have to worry about learning how to operate a new credit card machine. You just enter the information that you are asked for on the screen, and submit. In some cases, it can also save money. Some processing companies will give you a bit of a discount on this type of payment processing because they don’t have to send you any of the equipment that comes with a typical setup.
Considerations
If you’re looking for an easy way to get started taking credit and debit card payments, using an online processor may be the way to go. Setup is easy and fast, and you can be up and running right away. If you don’t like it, you can always get a regular credit card processing machine later on and see if it better suits your needs.
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