summary
5/5
Best for
E-commerce companies, SaaS companies, "high-risk businesses", & established small/medium businesses ($500,000+ in annual sales)
Specializes in
Easy Pay Direct has unique gateway software and banking solutions to optimize payments for eCommerce, SaaS, information products, supplements, and CBD amongst other verticals.
Pricing Summary
Setup Fee: $99
Monthly Fee: $24.95
Swipe Rate: 1.59% + $0.17
Keyed-in Rate: 2.39% + $0.29
Early Termination Fee: $0 (domestic accounts)
Contract Terms:
summary
4.8/5
Best for
Small businesses
Specializes in
Online, retail, service industries
Pricing Summary
Setup Fee: $0
Monthly Fee: $20
Swipe Rate: Variable
Keyed-in Rate: Variable
Early Termination Fee: $0
Contract Terms:
summary
5/5
Best for
Merchants of all sizes and risks looking to lower their transaction costs and streamline their process while improving their customer’s experience.
Specializes in
CDG Commerce specializes in full-service merchant accounts. With all aspects of the process under one roof, they can carefully monitor what is being provided to their customers.
Pricing Summary
Setup Fee: $0
Monthly Fee: $10 (Support Fee)
Swipe Rate: 2.75% + $0.30
Keyed-in Rate: 2.90% + $0.30
Early Termination Fee: None
Contract Terms:
We all use credit cards every day, but few of us understand everything that goes on behind the scenes to make it work.
For a business to process credit card payments they need a merchant account.
When a customer swipes a card on a credit card machine, or enters their credit card information online via a payment gateway, the details of the transaction get sent to the business's merchant account.
The merchant account processes the transaction details and sends the request for funds to the cardholder's issuing bank.
The cardholder’s issuing bank (for example Visa or Mastercard) will check to make sure the transaction is legitimate, and that the funds are available before releasing the requested amount.
Typically a business settles their accounts once a day, sending all the requests to their merchant account at once. This starts the process of each transaction getting processed and the requested funds getting deposited into the merchant account.
The funds are released to the business in a timely fashion, although every merchant account may differ in the amount of time it takes. Some offer instant access to funds, while others take one to two business days.
Merchant accounts will accept all common forms of credit cards including Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express. They will also accept debit cards, checks, gift cards, and payments via mobile or online apps such as PayPal or Apple Wallet.
There is a lot of work that happens behind the scenes with every credit card transaction. Businesses must pay for that service and typically pass those costs on to their customers in the form of slightly higher prices.
The average interchange fee for a credit card transaction is 1.8%. For debit, it is 0.3%. However, these fees can vary a lot depending on the merchant account’s policies, as well as the card being used.
Some merchant account providers offer fixed rates, some offer flat rates, and some charge an extra fee on top of the interchange rate.
When it comes to credit card transactions, the price is almost always worth the benefits.
Wholesale businesses are dealing with large transaction volumes as they buy and sell in bulk.
Wholesale businesses also sometimes have slim profit margins as they are acting as middlemen between factories and retailers.
This means getting a great pricing structure for your credit card processing is essential, as well as avoiding any unnecessary or hidden fees such as early termination fees.
The ability to accept credit payments is a necessity in any modern business and the wholesale business is no exception.
Wholesale businesses are typically selling large quantities of products making cash or even check impractical. Retailers may want to take advantage of using business credit cards that offer perks like cash back.
Credit cards are more convenient for customers. Especially those making large payments.
Combining credit cards with the ability to pay online via a payment gateway means your business never sleeps, as customers can browse your website and make a purchase any time.
Allowing credit card payments via your website allows for other benefits as well, such as allowing customers to make recurring payments or keep a card on file for faster, easier checkout.
Any credit card payment is recorded digitally, which makes keeping track of payments and refunds easier for you.
A record of your payments with every client can be easily uploaded into tools like Quickbooks for accounting season.
A chargeback happens when a customer disputes a claim on their credit card statement. A merchant account can help reduce instances of chargebacks by alerting you to the disputed claim.
Getting notified of disputed charges quickly allows you to reach out to the customer to resolve the issue. That could be by offering a refund or replacement of a lost item or shipment.
Some merchant accounts offer chargeback protection and will handle the disputed claim for you.
In addition to credit card processing, your merchant account will process debit cards, checks, online payments, and mobile payments.
A merchant account can provide physical equipment such as a POS system or credit card terminal. It can also provide a virtual terminal to set up on your own devices whether it's a laptop, tablet, or mobile phone.
Your merchant account provider will also provide your payment gateway for online payments.
This means you can accept credit cards in person, online, via a credit card terminal, or a virtual terminal you set up on your tablet.
A merchant account allows you to offer subscription services, payment programs, gift cards, or loyalty programs to customers. These are all standard methods of increasing repeat customers which increases revenue.
A lot of data can be recorded about your customer with every credit card swipe. This is especially true of online payments.
Most merchant accounts come with analytics that help you make sense of all the data you’ve tracked. This can help you learn more about your customers and how you can better serve them and increase sales.
All these factors and more make accepting credit cards a no-brainer for your wholesale business.
Many businesses are attracted to payment aggregators such as Square, Stripe, or PayPal.
Payment aggregators are extremely easy to set up and get started and have an easy to understand flat rate per transaction.
Large more established businesses may want to opt for a dedicated merchant account that works solely for them.
Below learn more about the two options so you can understand what will work for your business.
A payment aggregator, or a third-party payment processor, manages one merchant account and allows many different businesses to use it to process credit card transactions.
Just like any other merchant account provider, a payment aggregator can supply physical equipment as well as a payment gateway for online payments.
Payment aggregators offer a very simple application process and quick approval.
They offer a flat rate on transaction fees which can end up being higher than a variable rate. However, a flat rate has advantages as it's easier to predict and plan for.
Because a payment aggregator shares one merchant account with many businesses, they have a very low tolerance for chargebacks and other transactions that may indicate fraud or high risk.
Payment aggregators will freeze or terminate accounts for too many chargebacks.
This means if you are in a business that has a high transaction volume or frequent chargebacks, a payment aggregator is a risky choice.
A merchant account provider typically has a much more detailed application and a longer wait time for approval.
The reason for this is that the merchant account provider works with many different merchant account services to find one that is the right fit for you.
After you are approved, you have a dedicated merchant account exclusive to your business.
The right merchant account will have a good understanding of your business model and can work with you to reduce instances of fraud and chargebacks.
Merchant accounts will typically charge a variable rate for credit card transactions. High volume businesses can often save money with this pricing model.
Being labeled as high risk sounds scary, but the truth is that more businesses today are considered high risk than not.
That’s because high risk has more to do with how your product is sold rather than what that product is.
Banks and financial institutions consider any business that offers card-not-present payments high risk.
This means any business that offers online or mobile payments is at high risk. This can include your wholesale business.
Whenever a card-not-present transaction takes place there is an increased risk of fraud, chargebacks, and disputed claims. This is why they are considered higher risk.
Not all merchant account providers accept high risk businesses. However, those that do, can help reduce instances of fraud and chargebacks.
Before choosing the right merchant account for you, consider how much the price you pay per credit card transaction will cut into your profits. Choose a merchant account with low transaction rates and no hidden fees.
Businesses with high transaction volume can benefit from a variable rate that may mean they can take advantage of lower rates of some transactions.
In addition to the price per transaction, some merchant accounts will charge additional fees.
Some common fees you may run into include:
Read the fine print to ensure there are no hidden fees in your contract.
Look for an account that is easy to set up and begin using without too much training or onboarding.
Live customer service that is 24/7 is ideal, especially for businesses that offer online payments.
Any business that offers online or card not present payments should be concerned about security.
Make sure the merchant account you select is fully PCI compliant, which means the processor meets Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards.
To speed up the application process, get all the information you need ready ahead of time.
This can include the following:
If you are planning on setting up a payment gateway for online payments, get your website up and running ahead of time. This will speed up the process of getting online payments up and running for you.
Although Payment Aggregators are attractive in their simplicity, large volume or high risk businesses are usually better off with their dedicated merchant account.
A merchant account provider will have a more detailed application process that will take several days to process. However, the result will be a merchant account that can work with your business model and help your business succeed.
At the end of the day, the wholesale business owner must choose a credit card processor with a pricing structure that makes sense for their business, without sacrificing equally important factors such as security.