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The Top Internet
Merchant Accounts For Websites

Compare Internet merchant accounts - just refer to our list of The Top Reputable Merchant Accounts for Websites.

top reputable internet merchant accounts for websites In compiling the list, we reviewed more than 40 Internet merchant accounts, their fees and credit card processing products.

USE OUR 3 STEP PROCESS
to Evaluate the Top Merchant Accounts:

Step 1
Compare the fees of the merchant accounts. CLICK on those that interest you.

Step 2
Read the descriptions and ratings of each for their fees and products.

Step 3
Review further information to help you understand credit card processing.

the top reputable internet merchant accounts for websites


Step 1:

The Top Reputable Internet
Merchant Accounts For Websites

Our Top Recommendations Are Featured in Red

NAME FEE TO APPLY DISC. RATE TRANS. FEE MONTHLY STMT. FEE MONTHLY MINIMUM MONTHLY GATEWAY FEE SET-UP FEE SYSTEM FEE
Quad Payments None 2.25% 25 cents $10.00 Not specified $16.95 None        Free
MerchantAccounts.co None 2.20% 20 cents $10.00 None Not specified None Free

TBMA Merchants

None 2.19% 24 cents Not Specified $25.00 $15.00 $10.00 Ask Provider
ACM Merchant Services None 2.29% 20 cents $10.00 Not Specified $10.00 - $45.00 None $175.00 to $499.00 one-time payment
CBD Domestic Merchants None 2.30% 25 cents $10.00 $15.00 $15.00 None Free Aauthorizenet setup. Low rates and no setup fee
creditcardprocessors.net None 2.39% 30 cents (plus 25 cent daily batch fee) $15.00 None None None $39.95 per month (includes website creation, hosting & gateway); $29.95 annual fee; Initial fee $49.00.
EXS Timeshares None 2.17% 25 cents plus 5 cents AVS $9.95 Not specified Not specified Not specified Purchase or lease. Contact the provider for fees
AdultMerchantService.com None 2.19% 25 cents $19.95 None None None FREE. No charge or lease for software.
PsBill Payments None 2.09% and up 25 cents 0 None $15.00 None Call for Quote

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Step 2:

Further Information To Help You
Evaluate The Top Reputable
Internet Merchant Accounts

Each of the Internet merchant accounts services is discussed below. We provide information on their products, as well as rating both their fees and products, utilizing a "10-star" system:

Charge.com
Website Online Since: August 11, 1995
Fees Rating: 10 stars
Product Rating: 9 stars
Apply: Online

Charge.com is very highly recommended. Pay $0.00 for your software to accept online payments. Charge.com was one of the first credit card processing companies to offer Internet merchant accounts. It provides free applications, free setup, a free shopping cart, free Internet check software, free technical support and free search engine submissions. Charge.com has received the highest ratings from AOL, Apple Computers, Excite and others.

Online applications are often approved the same day. If you find another provider offering a lower advertised purchase price for the same software within 30 days of becoming a Charge.com merchant, it will refund you the difference in price - and also pay you an additional $100.00.

Charge's Internet merchant accounts, real-time credit card processing and virtual terminal solution enables both automated credit card processing for website orders and manual processing of email, phone, mail, fax and face-to-face orders. Both you and your customer receive email confirmation of the order. The funds from the transaction are transferred to your bank account within 2 to 3 business days.


The Transaction Group
Website Online Since: May 1, 1998
Fees Rating: 9 stars
Products Rating: 9 stars
Apply: Online

The Transaction Group has been a long-standing leader in helping companies to accept all major credit card payments over the Internet in an easy, secure and cost-effective manner. The Transaction Group’s Internet based software solution, Authorizenet, is a secure real-time environment transaction-processing gateway. Merchants can use Authorizenet to submit, authorize, capture, and settle credit card transactions without the need for a separate transaction terminal or processing software. Credit card transactions are authorized in real-time (immediately upon submitting), through your website or virtual terminal. Automated Clearing House (ACH) collections,also known as Electronic Checks, are also supported by Authorizenet

With their quick and easy Internet Payment Processing account setup, you can be accepting credit cards and checks in as little as 1-2 days.
Features include:

User friendly, easy-to-use program.

Handles recurring monthly payments from credit cards.

Authorizes transactions within 2-3 seconds and emails the customer's order to you for fulfillment.

Merchants can sell online services and offer immediate product downloads (i.e. information, software, books, videos, etc.)
Secure payment order page can be setup to have the same look & feel as the rest of your site.

And if you are currently processing and are looking to lower your rates, contact them for a free rate analysis.


United Bank Card
Website Online Since: January 15, 2001
Fees Rating: 8 stars
Product Rating: 8 stars
Apply: Online

With a vast array of processing solutions to choose from, it is almost certain that you will be able to effortlessly accept as many forms of payment as possible. United Bank Card supports gateways such as Authorize.Net, Paradata, and UBC's own payment gateway.

UBC offers flexible solutions based entirely on your needs. It is possible to integrate the payment solution with your website or have a completely separate site. A virtual terminal solution is available for businesses that have a website and an order system and only need a method to collect the payment.

Applying and getting set up for a merchant account has never been this easy. UBC promises approvals in 24 hours and installation in 48-72 hours!


Total Merchant Services
Website Online Since: May 6, 1998
Fees Rating: 7 stars
Product Rating: 9 stars
Apply: Online

Total Merchant Services certainly qualifies as a top provider of Internet merchant accounts. It offers an automatic approval so that you begin to accept credit cards almost immediately, provided that your VISA/MasterCard monthly credit card processing volume is less than $10,000; your average item for sale sells for less than $300; your future service liability is less than 30 days; and your business type is not on its prohibited list. If you don't meet the auto-approval guidelines, you may still qualify if you have a good credit history or provide financial statements.

Two Internet merchant accounts services are offered:

TotalPay Powered by Authorize.Net
TotalPay Powered by Authorize.Net lets your Internet-based business authorize, process and manage credit card transactions without the complicated software and hardware that is normally needed to process payments over the Web.
You can also accomodate credit card processing manually, from any computer that has an Internet connection and a Web browser - and add an electronic check payment option to your website.

Payflow Link by VeriSign 
Payflow Link is an excellent solution if you are looking for a fast and easy way to conduct secure automated credit card processing over the Internet. The Payflow Link Internet merchant account solution allows merchants to support multiple payment instruments, including all major credit cards, debit cards and electronic checks. It also enables you to connect your consumers to a secure VeriSign-hosted order form and use it to automate order acceptance and processing of transactions. Payflow Link is a good choice if you process low-to-moderate levels of orders and prefer to accept credit cards using an Internet merchant accounts solution that is especially easy to implement and maintain.



Moneris
Website Online Since: August 9, 2000
Fees Rating: 8 stars
Products Rating: 8 stars
Apply: Online

Moneris Solutions® can help enable your website's online payment method. Whether you've decided to expand your brick & mortar store by offering your products on the Internet or you already have a web store, Moneris Solutions® is there to make the process smooth and simple.

Moneris offers Authorizenet, the world's leading online merchant account processing program. Authorizenet provides Internet services that enable merchants to authorize, settle and manage credit card or electronic check transactions anytime, anywhere.
Authorizenet features include:

User friendly, easy-to-use program.

Handles recurring monthly payments from credit cards.

Authorizes transactions within 2-3 seconds and emails the customer's order to you for fulfillment.

Merchants can sell online services and offer immediate product downloads (i.e. information, software, books, videos, etc.)
Secure payment order page can be setup to have the same look & feel as the rest of your site.


goEmerchant
Website Online Since: October 24, 1999
Fees Rating: 9 stars
Product Rating: 8 stars
Apply: Online

goEmerchant is an excellent choice for those seeking a total package including website creation, hosting and credit card processing, all for just $39.95 per month.

goEmerchant.com provides more than a mere storefront from which merchants can sell their goods and services on-line.

The Internet Store makes it easy for you to build your web site online. You don't need to know how to do any programming. If you can type, you can open your own Internet Store.

The Internet Store includes: Web Site (Internet Store); Shopping Cart; Payment Gateway (credit card processing); Virtual Terminal; and Merchant Account. It can also simply snap into any existing web site with a hypertext link.

Fixtures include a pre-integrated merchant account; built-in cash register; on-line, real-time credit card processing; virtual terminal functionality; secured transaction processing using SSL technology; unlimited product search engine; automated e-mail confirmation to all customers; a hit counter (customer counter); and 24/7 merchant upgrade and edit capabilities.


Merchant Express
Website Online Since: April 8, 1998
Fees Rating: Not available
Product Rating: 8 stars
Apply: Online

Merchant Express' pricing for its Internet merchant accounts and credit card processing solution is available through its representatives, when you apply. It will provide you with a written guarantee that it will not raise the discount rate charged to you for its Internet merchant accounts, unless VISA/MasterCard raise their rates.

WebLink: Allows you to link your website to the system in order to accept credit card payments from customers in real-time with complete automation. A free shopping cart system is also available with Internet merchant accounts.

Virtual Terminal: Enables you to manually process mail and telephone credit card transactions.

A live demo of how your credit card processing activity will work is available at its website, for both Weblink and the Virtual Terminal.

ADC (Automated Direct Connect) provides a mechanism to link more complex websites with the transaction gateway server (requires custom programming). Electronic check withdrawals are also supported on the Authorize.net system (additional fees apply).

Through Authorize.net, Merchant Express offers a wide range of fraud prevention and detection tools with its Internet merchant accounts. Some of these tools are included in the standard Authorize.Net payment gateway and others are additional services that may be subscribed to in order to further help you detect and prevent fraud.




Free Credit Card Processing
Website Online Since: 2003
Fees Rating: 8 stars
Product Rating: 9 stars
Apply: Online

Receive a free payment gateway, valued at $495. No upfront payment and no lease payments.

Features free tools including a virtual terminal, shopping cart integration, recurring billing, online ACH checks, check guarantee/conversion, and more.

Customizable fraud and risk management system helps you maximize sales and minimize risk.

Supports most available shopping cart software so it integrates easily with most e-commerce solutions.

 

 


Cardservice International
Website Online Since: August 28, 1998
Fees Rating: not available
Product Rating: 8 stars
Apply: Online

Cardservice International is a global leader in providing real-time, secure credit card transaction to more than 185,000 businesses in both the traditional and Internet marketplaces.

You can download a free copy of their Merchant Account Buyers Guide to help you make intelligent choices when selecting the best Merchant Account Provider for your business.

LinkPoint Secure Payment Gateway is for start-up merchants who want to get online fast, as well as for merchants who already have a Web site and want a secure, fast and reliable e-commerce payment solution (with the protection of 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption, as well as state-of-the-art fraud-protection features).

LinkPoint Central incorporates two of the main processing products, LinkPoint Basic and Virtual LinkPoint. LinkPoint Basic is a payment-posting tool that uses HTML. LinkPoint Basic supports sales, returns, real-time authorizations, purchasing cards and real-time reports. 

Virtual LinkPoint, which empowers merchants with the Internet equivalent of a point-of-sale (POS) terminal and software, is ideal for the merchant who requires a PC-based solution. Virtual LinkPoint enables merchants to process credit card transactions via any Internet-connected computer (including orders received from a Web site or via telephone, fax, mail or e-mail.


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Step 3:

General Information About
Internet Merchant Accounts


In the previous section where we discussed low cost merchant accounts, we briefly reviewed the standard costs you can expect to be confronted with in order to be able to accept credit cards, no matter what low-cost credit card processing solution you require. [NOTE: Other sections deal with merchant accounts for phone & mail orders and retail swipe machine processing. ] 

Besides the standard costs, each of the Internet merchant accounts providers has its own additional set of fees for real-time credit card processing from your website:

Start Up Fee or Lease: To be able to accept credit cards on your website, you can expect to pay a one-time start up fee for use of the provider's processing facility, when first commencing your real-time merchant account. The actual fee can vary widely from company to company ($100 to $1,000).
Alternatively, you may be able to lease the virtual facility, and make monthly payments. You'll find that leasing can be much more expensive, when you add up all of the monthly lease payments and compare that figure to the cost of one up-front payment. When selecting a service to allow you to accept credit cards, it is wise to assess the whole package of credit card processing fees being charged to determine which package is best for you.

Gateway Fee: Your processing service will almost always charge you a monthly credit card processing fee known as a gateway charge (usually $10 to $35) to cover its costs of accessing the gateway service utilized.

 

Sidenote: Before deciding which of the Internet merchant accounts and credit card processing services is best for your business, you should take The Nine Minute Tutorial. It will provide you with a basic understanding of what is involved in credit card processing, the costs you can expect to incur to accept credit cards, the equipment, software or system you may need to acquire, what you need to qualify for a merchant account, and how to select the best Internet merchant accounts provider for your particular business.

If you are looking for Internet merchant accounts with an integrated solution that also includes shopping cart functions, etc. or for other online payment options, such as wireless, debit card, e-check capabilities, etc., many of the above Internet merchant accounts providers also offer such services. You should also check our Other Online Payment Services section.
 


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