Virtual Terminal Credit Card Processing
Virtual Terminal Credit Card processing is a way to replace standard credit card terminals when processing card payments.
With virtual credit card processing individuals, or a business, get an online login area to process card payments on a computer. Virtual terminals offer all the functionality of standard card terminals, as well as other potential benefits, such as the ability to do checks to prevent fraud.
Virtual terminal credit card processing does not connect in with a website, it’s a stand alone solution. If you are looking for an Internet merchant account and shopping cart to integrate with an e commerce website, then check out the Internet Merchant Account review page.
Virtual terminal credit card processing is particularly useful for :
- When there are multiple operators inputting payments
- When you want the flexibility to process payments from any location
- Getting extra fraud checks
- Getting a comprehensive database of all payments processed
- Mail Order, or telephone based operations
There are two ways to get Virtual Terminal Credit Card Processing.
The first is to use software from an independent company and obtain a merchant number from your bank. This works, however, the costs for processing are generally high. It is usually more suited to ventures that have a relatively low, or infrequent payments to process.
The second is to open a merchant account with a high quality merchant account provider. This will offer the lowest processing costs. A high quality account provider will also offer the best customer service and technical infrastructure.
Processing cards virtually is obviously technology based, and sometimes technology goes wrong. So when systems go down or don’t work as they should, cards can’t be processed and profits are lost. High quality merchant account providers are continually investing in their systems and software, as well as their customer service, to keep these technical problems to an absolute minimum.
Independent companies don’t have the means to invest in this way, so users are often left frustrated. For these reasons, we always recommend merchant account providers for virtual credit card processing.
However
Finding a high quality provider is not easy. It’s a competitive marketplace known for it’s ‘sharks’. Companies are often not 100% upfront about all the fees they will charge and they differ in the quality of the customer service and technical infrastructure that they can provide.
Because of this, at this site we have undertaken reviews of the companies in the merchant account industry, to find the best companies for virtual terminal credit card processing. From here we’ve come up with a list of recommendations:
Updated:05/08/2012 (2 recommended Merchant Account Providers)
The Internet Merchant Account Review #1 Choice
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These guys are the best in the business in our opinion.
- They offer their own in house system for virtual credit card processing called Merchantware, with full functionality, including fraud checks, tips and tax amounts, full search capabilities and the option for a master user to create/manage users and restrict their access.
- They also offer virtual terminals for smartphones and have specific applications for the iphone, Android and Balckberry’s. So with the Merchant Warehouse virtual terminals people, can literally take payments anywhere.
- As a company they approve 99% of all the applications they get. Also most importantly, they offer all their clients month to month contracts. There are no long term deals to sign, so there is no risk involved. People can cancel at any time. There is also no start up fee to pay, or charge to apply for an account.
- The charges for Virtual credit card processing are also very low. In fact they go as far as to guarantee that customers won’t find cheaper anywhere else and will actually pay $100 if anyone can. Although, the best thing about the Merchant Warehouse is that they don’t use clever sales talk with their customers. They give them full consultations so that they can understand how the industry works, putting people in a proper position to decide which option, or company is best for their needs.
- They also offer shopping cart software and payment gateways if customers also want to take payments through a website as well.
- They constantly invest in the latest systems and software, so that their customers benefit from an absolute minimum of technical problems, as well as offering excellent customer service which is available 24/7.
- An indication of the high the level of service they offer is that they have an A+ rating from the BBB (Better Business Bureau). It was also was demonstrated when they were voted the best Independent Sales Organization of the year by the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA). The ETA are basically regulators in the industry, so it’s a really high accolade.
There is one disadvantage with these guys however, and that is that currently they can only offer Virtual Terminal Credit Card Processing to individuals, or businesses based in the USA. For international traders it’s best to look at the next option.
Internet Merchant Account Review Recommended
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Charge.com are a very high quality merchant account provider. They approve 98% of all applications and it normally takes just 48 hours to get an account set up.
They offer very low rates for Virtual Terminal Credit Card Processing.
The virtual terminal software actually works with their shopping cart directly, so you can actually operate an ecommerce store with the same software, or just process payments manually through it. This is a real advantage if business needs change.
Their customer service is excellent.
The main disadvantage is that they require a longer term contract with their accounts compared to the Merchant Warehouse, so the Merchant Warehouse is our number 1 choice for US based ventures. Charge.com still provide an excellent option for internationally based people and companies.
Go Through This Link For The Main Charge.Com Site
Conclusion
We can currently only recommend these two companies for Virtual Terminal Credit Card Processing. Although there are other companies out there that offer these facilities, they do not offer the same low fees, or if they do, they don’t have the same level of service and technical infrastructure to back it up. These are vital components to a successful business venture.
The best way to get started is to head to the Merchant Warehouse website, or alternatively call their consultation line on 1.866.372.1152.
