The Key To Increasing Your Customer Base: Accept Credit Cards

by: Jeff Usher
Here is a tactic you should heed for your online business… accept credit cards. Whether you’re selling digital products or tangible goods through online channels, your business should be able to accept credit cards to ensure the widest customer base possible. The importance of the ability to accept credit cards cannot be denied. Being able to accept credit cards makes your online business more accessible to a greater number of potential clients and customers.

World Of Benefits When Your Online Business Accepts Credit Cards

Credit cards have been tagged as plastic money because they have become accepted as a good alternative to actual cash. A lot of people actually prefer real world establishments who accept credit cards. They would rather shop in stores that accept credit cards rather than those that don’t accept credit cards.

The same principle applies in online transactions. People would look for eCommerce sites that accept credit cards, particularly those that accept credit cards which they own. I you would be able to accommodate these people by designing your online business to accept credit cards, you’d be able to increase the number of potential customers you could gain.

Additionally, by building an online enterprise that could accept credit cards, you will be able to secure payment in a more convenient and safe manner. If your online business would accept credit cards from paying customers, you’d be empowering them to spend for your products.

Overcoming An Important Hump When You Accept Credit Cards Online

Sad to say, however, that there are quite a number of people who are afraid of online transactions, even if your business would accept credit cards. There have been tales of so many scams and fraudulent dealings on the Internet, and legitimate businesses which accept credit cards are the ones that have to suffer such stigma.

To help stem the tide of this fear, businesses that accept credit cards should ensure the following things:

* A business that would accept credit cards should make sure that its payment processing page is embedded with Secure Socket Layers (SSL) of at least 128 bit.

* A business that would accept credit cards should also make sure that such SSL encryption appears on the lower right side of the user’s browser window, in the form of a lock icon.

* A business that would accept credit cards should establish a responsive customer support system that would answer the needs of your clients when it comes to transactions involving the acceptance of credit cards.

Allowing your online business to accept credit cards could only expand your customer base and provide good profits for you for many years to come.

About the author:
Jeff Usher researches and writes articles on all aspects of Internet Marketing and eCommerce. For further information on the subject of this article please visit:-
http://www.more-merchant-account.info

Shop: Is Shopping Online Secure?

by: Linda Quinones

Is shopping online becoming popular and safe enough for you and I
to do the vast majority of our shopping on the Internet?

As I contemplated, when I initially set up my website: www.shopshopshop.org The first thought that came to mind was will they
come and will they spend money? Sure people are always curious and some will visit but will they stay long enough to spend some money?

Safety was the first concern of those I had spoken to, they were somewhat skeptical and therefore reluctant to make any online purchases. It is our
responsibility as online marketers to convince them to about the safety of
online shopping.

We all know about the convenience of getting on the computer and viewing the sale that retailers are using to entice the shoppers into making a commitment. But are not always as eager to go ahead and complete the purchase online.

The internet today is as safe or safer than making purchase in person, I recently read an article where BJ Wholesalers was fined by the Securities and Exchange Commission for not having sufficient security to protect Credit Card users.

Most of the purchaseing we do today is pay for by either a credit card or a debit card. So If you think that when you purchase gas and pay for it at the pump
with your credit card or debit card that you are making a safe purchase think again.

I recently purchase gas at my favorite gas station and paid for it at the pump with my debit card, only to find out two weeks later when the bank call me to question some of purchases that were charge to my debit card.

It seems that somebody was making purchases that were very uncharacteristic for me. And the institution where I have been banking for many years was able to detect this and all my money was refunded and a new card issued.

I was fortunate in the incident just described, but back to online shopping,
most of the retailers that do business online have very good security to protect the purchaseers. After all they would rather you make your purchases online,

Online shopping is much more profitable for the stores and safer and besides
no shoplifting takes place on the internet, so the store want to protect this revenue source by making it safe as well as convenient.

Another willing partner is the credit card companies themselves they want you and I to continue using the plastic, and are doing all they can to protect the credit card user.

In our website we have a page titled credit card fraud protection, with direct links to the major credit card companies website and anti fraud page, so that shoppers can read what the credit card companies are doing to protect them from fraud and identity theft.

As more and more people become aware of the security measures being undertaken to protect them, they will avail themselves of the convenience
of doing their shopping online and use the time they save for pleasure and
family activities.

People today are always in a hurry and don’t usually have time to wait on long lines for cashier to ring them up, when they can accomplish the same
thing without leaving the house.

This is more attractive to younger active people would rather play a round of
golf or a couple of sets of tennis than fight the maddening crowds.

So I recommend that you get online and start spending! For safe secured shopping visit: shopshopshop.org


About the author:
Linda Quinones has been active in promoting her own site while trying to help others to succeed in the Internet marketing field. Previously she was involved in the financial sector for several years. Her website is: http://www.shopshopshop.org

Save money basics

by: Mansi gupta
‘MONEY’, in this era I think can well be stated as the ‘Most Outstanding Necessity Enveloping You’. Life is impossible without money. Funds are essential in every walk of life. So, such a crucial indispensable aspect of our lives needs extra care and protection. This article, therefore, is a guideline to many effective money saving strategies.


Money Management might not be imperative for everyone. But many of us nowadays need to be vigilant while spending. This is because of the soaring market prices and limited income. But ‘where there is a will, there is a way’. If you desire to save your hard earned cash, you ought be judicious while spending it.


The foremost technique to be economic is to prepare your monthly budget. This will help you in administering your expenditure throughout the month. But mere planning a budget is insufficient. What basically matters is, how much you adhere to it. So, try to stick to your budget. Any deviation from it should be in case of an emergency.

Shopping from coupons is deemed to be a very cost effective nowadays. These coupons are gift vouchers can be grabbed from your daily newspaper, magazines, in shops and on Internet. They provide you with varying lucrative offers such as 40% off on your eating in a restaurant at a particular date and time etc. Coupons thus are a wonderful way to enjoy a variety of things in life while saving many of your dollars.


Be frugal in using your credit card. Though credit card acts as bank in your pocket, it comes with huge rate of interests. This is the most significant drawback of using a credit card that perhaps supersedes all its merits.

Try shopping during the sale season. It is the best time when you can get an item worth $100 in just $80 or even $50. So, don’t miss an opportunity to avail the sale season benefits.


Avoid repeated shopping. It is not prudent to shop time and again because each time you make it to the market, you will be spending money on travel (oil, taxi fare etc.). Moreover, the market rates keep on fluctuating. The thing prized worth $45 today may be for $50 by the end of the month. Therefore, once you are on for shopping, especially some items such as foodstuff etc are concerned shop as much required and make no compromise. Take these a little more than needed. This saves you from landing into troublesome exigency situations.

Don’t be habitual of junk food and eating out. This will not just be emptying your pocket soon but can even be hazardous to your health.


Get a medical insurance. It will facilitate you with requisite amount during unfortunate health perils.

Planning a garage sale at the end of the year is not a bad idea to make some money out of the undesired items in your house.


Another good way to save money for your own self and your successors is to make investments. These can be in the form of property, land, stocks, trusts and the like.


Save on electricity and phone bills. Do not assist your children with separate TV and phone connection in their rooms. Keep just one television set and phone connection in your living room. This will enable you to keep a check on the amount of usage of these things. It is definitely a money spinning way for those fraught with hefty electricity and phone bills.


Apart from these there might many other ways to manage your outlay that may appeal to you. All you need to do is to be a little cautious, far-sighted and love your well-deserved money.

About the author:
Mansi gupta writes about. Save money .Learn more at http://www.howtosavedough.com

Retail Merchant Accounts - Do You Need One?

by: Shane Penrod
Some entrepreneurs are satisfied with making a certain amount of income and have no wish or plan to grow their business with a retail merchant account. Others, however, aggressively pursue professional opportunities for expansion by seeking out technological advances that can help them better serve customer needs while increasing profits. A retail merchant account will elevate you to the next level of business development by providing access to sophisticated methods that can impress clients and outdistance the competition.

Reasons for opening a retail merchant account are many and varied. Here are some of the more prevalent:

1. A retail merchant account can equip you with key equipment that will make your job easier and more efficient. For example, you can have a credit card processor installed, sometimes at no cost, and pay just a few cents for each customer transaction. Or you can arrange a deal whereby you pay a small percentage of all credit card transactions your company accepts. For a minimal fee you may soon be able to multiply profits while reducing costs typically associated with hiring employees to manage cash purchases.

2. A retail merchant account can make doing business with your company easier and more convenient. Customers won’t have to worry about stopping by the bank or writing a check to get cash before visiting your establishment, nor will they have to pay ATM fees to withdraw cash. They can simply pull out a credit card with confidence, knowing that you can quickly process payment without the hassle of making change or opening a check-cashing account.

3. A retail merchant account can put you ahead of others in your area who conduct similar business but who do not yet have a merchant account or its accompanying advantages. If customers have to choose between two companies for shopping or service, they are more likely to choose the one that provides credit card processing as a payment option, along with other professional services that build trust in the company’s vision.

4. A retail merchant account can offer the first step toward leading your business into the future. After implementing a credit card processor, for example, you may later decide to offer wireless processing options, which will provide your customers with even more options for doing business with your company without the need for staff to manage every telephone call, order, or payment. You can cut operating costs and increase profit margins when you expand your business to include customer-friendly automated technology.

Don’t be the last in your industry to jump on board the technological bandwagon. Start checking the various programs that are available to help you improve the services you can offer customers to keep them coming back with repeat business. Compare options to get the best services for your customer’s needs. Negotiate for the lowest costs and most effective terms. You might even want to conduct an informal customer survey to learn about the types of upgrades they want to see happen in your company. Then shop for the best deal in your new retail merchant account.

About the author:
Shane Penrod is the founder of Merchant-Acount-Quotes.com Specializing in allowing merchants the ability to shop and compare multiple quotes from national merchant account providers. For free quotes on merchant account rates and fees, please go to http://www.merchant-account-quotes.com

Restaurant Merchant Accounts

by: Shane Penrod
Some eatery entrepreneurs enjoy the old fashioned style of cooking and serving customers themselves, while others are experimenting with the latest technological enhancements via restaurant merchant accounts. While it is always enjoyable to dine at a restaurant where the owner or manager employs a personal touch, there are times when a customer appreciates modern conveniences like a server’s use of a pager or paying by credit card that are unavailable at many old-fashioned establishments. If you are an owner or manager who appreciates customers’ needs for fast, up-to-date service, you may want to learn more about a restaurant merchant account.

Restaurant merchant accounts help owners to provide the latest technology to their clientele. We all know of restaurants that don’t accept credit cards, and when we’re in a hurry or low on cash, we avoid such places. But other eateries, from fast food to fine dining, are increasingly choosing to implement credit card payment options, electronic check processing, and even wireless payment processing for merchants on the go who deliver food at home or to businesses and public places for special occasions. A server wearing a pager will be greatly appreciated when someone at your table chokes or a little one spills her beverage. Scenarios like these, as well as a host of others, show why it makes sense to consider an upgrade to a restaurant merchant account.

If you are unsure about the benefits of restaurant merchant accounts, you can readily find information on the Internet at a variety of Websites. Merchant accounts come in many forms and offer a range of advantages depending on your company’s specific needs or your long-term business growth plan. For example, you may want to start with a simple credit card processor on-site at your restaurant. You will get a feel for the degree to which your customers appreciate the new technology by their comments at checkout. If they appreciate the option of using credit, you will know that further upgrades may likewise be valued down the road. But if they complain about your establishment losing its old fashioned appeal, you may want to hold off on additional improvements until the clientele has time to get used to the initial changes.

Restaurant merchant accounts will provide the means of setting up a restaurant Website and accepting online credit payments for reservations, business accounts, or bulk purchases, among other things. Your Website can attract visitors from all over the world who may come to visit when in your part of town. The site can also offer local customers helpful information, such as hours and days of operation, driving directions to your location along with a map, regular and banquet menus, and special services. Your merchant account status will let them order online and confirm reservations without the need of a human voice, thus reducing staffing hours and human resource costs. If you want your restaurant to attract fast-paced customers who pay with plastic, check out the limitless possibilities that await you by browsing the available restaurant merchant accounts.

About the author:
Shane Penrod is the founder of Merchant-Acount-Quotes.com Specializing in allowing merchants the ability to shop and compare multiple quotes from national merchant account providers. For free quotes on merchant account rates and fees, please go to http://www.merchant-account-quotes.com

Protecting Your Business From Credit Card Fraud

by: Keith Baxter
Credit cards are used as forms of payments now more than ever. There are also more online businesses and most of these businesses accept credit card payments. Therefore, protecting your online business from credit card fraud is vital. For businesses that are offline, the challenges of accepting credit cards as payment can be the same. Fraud is such an ugly word and we want to avoid it at all costs. Thankfully, there are steps you can take, whether your business is online or offline, that will help to eliminate your risk of being a victim.

Steps For Online Business Owners

Although most consumers think being a victim of credit card fraud, particularly when purchasing a product online, it is actually much more likely that the merchant will be the victim rather than the consumer. Here are some tips to help you avoid this.

First, always verify that the address the consumer has given you is correct. Your merchant account probably offers an Address Verification System that will verify that the address you have been given matches the billing address of the cardholder.

If you're shipping a product to a consumer, make sure the shipping address matches the billing address. If it does not, you probably should investigate the transaction.

Be leery of unusual orders. Since a thief would have no idea of the consumers purchasing history with you, if something gets ordered that is completely out of the ordinary check it out. Phone the customer if you can. Even if it's legitimate, they should be grateful that you called.

Take as much information from the purchaseer as you can when they are filling out the order form. In addition to their name, address, and telephone number, ask for the name of the bank that the card is issued from as well as the 3 or 4 security digits that all cards have now.

State on your web site that you have anti fraud devices in place and operating at all times. This will give the thief pause before entering your web page.

Steps For Offline Business Owners

Since you are actually going to see the person that is trying to use the credit card, your chances of being a victim of fraud are diminished, but problems can still happen. Here are some tips to help protect you and your business from credit card fraud.

Never take a credit card without getting identification. Check the name and signature to see if they match. This will not offend most customers who are on the up and up. Most will even be grateful.

Check the credit card for forgery by knowing what characteristics are found on legitimate cards. Many cards now contain a hologram that changes color in the light. Check the signature panel to make sure the signature cannot be erased. If it can, it's fake. Look for the magnetic strip and make sure it is intact.

You should also use the Address Verification Service. This will help you as well.

About the author:
Keith Baxter made it his mission after college to educate as many people as possible to the advantages and disadvantages of credit through a widespread re-education initiative. You can find out more about Keith and what he's up to at http://www.credit-card-debt-consolidation.net

MasterCard: Then, Now and Why

Way back around 1947, many banks in the US started doing their premium customers a favor. The banks gave them a piece of paper for the customers to flaunt at stores. The paper said, “ We, the bank, will pay you on behalf of the customer. Just send us the bill.”

One can imagine how privileged and special those customers felt. One can also visualize how those customers would stay bonded for life to their respective banks, as would their succeeding generations.

This practice of banks really caught on because it promoted customer loyalty and brought in new accounts. Which is why in 1951, The Franklin National Bank, New York, offered the first credit card as a formal financial instrument.

Throughout the fifties, this idea was franchised; a single bank in each large city would allow chosen merchants to accept cards instead of cash. The Interbank Card Association (ICA), which later became MasterCard International, evolved from this situation in August 1966.

ICA was a member-run organization, and banks formed the majority of members. They elected governing members and committees from amongst themselves to frame rules for ICA’s functioning and to implement those rules. In short, ICA was and is run like a true corporation.

In due course, like a typical corporation, ICA put plans in motion to expand internationally. The first steps took place in 1968, when ICA signed agreements with partners in Mexico, Europe and Japan.

By around 1978, ICA had practically covered all the continents. It changed its name to MasterCard to reflect its international stature. 1987 was a watershed year: MasterCard arrived in the People's Republic of China, where no other credit card had stepped foot in the history of banking. The very next year, the Soviet Union fell to that smart little piece of plastic.


*Now*

The situation now, to quote MasterCard Incorporated, is simple: “No other payment card is accepted in more locations around the world than MasterCard.”

MasterCard presently has a staggering 25,000 shareholders. A list of MasterCard's largest current shareholders with their holdings reads like this:
1. JPMorgan Chase - 11.7%
2. Citigroup - 6.2%
3. Bank of America - 6%
4. Euro Kartensysteme - 5.2%
5. Europay France - 5.0%


* Why *

So why do millions of people carry MasterCard?

Well, to start with, and as mentioned earlier, it is accepted by more merchants the world over than any other credit card. Add to that the fact that wherever you may be on earth, you have an ATM nearby that will disgorge you cash if you have a MasterCard. How many ATMs are we talking about? Just 780,000!

Also, the intermediate and premium cards, Gold and Platinum, carry attractive value-added features. Such as “Road Assist”, which provides access to emergency service to travelers anywhere in the US. Or “PayPass”, which is a smart MasterCard that you just tap on the PayPass reader at participating locations for your card account to be debited (no swiping or giving your card to checkout counter staff).

If you are in the US, you also have MasterCard’s famous zero liability benefit: you are not liable if your card is stolen and misused.


* Conclusion *

MasterCard offers customers one of the greatest advantages in today’s commercial world: cashless transactions. Coupled with all the benefits mentioned above, it is very difficult to prove why you should not acquire one! Count on MasterCard International to evolve beyond plastic into state-of-the-art personal technology, like credit-loaded mobile phones… stay tuned!


About the author:
Lucky Balaraman is a graduate engineer who writes on a variety of subjects. Learn more about MasterCard from his site, http://master-card-information.info