Credit card merchant account Comparison
There are two main types of pricing schemes related to the discount rate. The greater common has been the 3-tiered approach high is really a "qualified" discount rate, a "mid-qualified" rate, along with a "non-qualified" rate. With each level, the more "qualified" a transaction is, the low the speed. Stuff that affect the rate include whether the charge card is physically present at the time of the transaction (card present account) versus a merchant account in which the credit card is not present as with the case of an internet merchant or catalog shopping / phone order.
The type of card may also influence the discount rate. When customers use a charge card that's associated with a banking account (a Mastercard or visa branded check-card), this will typically are less expensive than a charge card which has a rewards system attached to it or a corporate credit card.
Another type of pricing structure is called the "interchange plus" pricing structure. Interchange is better regarded as the wholesale rate that certain bank charges another bank for processing these transactions. The merchant pays this rate like a "retail" rate which is the wholesale rate plus usually about .2-.3%. This is often a extremely effective method to compare one credit card merchant account costs against another merchant account costs. The main benefit to this kind of prices are that you could be sure your cards are being processed at the lowest possible rate above interchange versus the "bucket" or tiered approach where if it won't qualify at one level, its automatically priced at the higher level.
Having your merchant account setup is not too difficult, but making sure you're getting competitive pricing could be a challenge if you do not understand what you are looking at. Most local banks will give you a standard rate which will cost the typical merchant an additional $500 to $1000 each year in surplus discount fees. Running through a solid merchant account comparison can be achieved effectively and help give you the most effective pricing.