For the uninitiated the merchant account industry can be a bit of a minefield. The first thing that people normally ask when they contact a merchant account provider is what are your rates? Whilst it is vital to understand how much it will cost for a business to process credit cards, there is much more to it than just the rates.
Sometimes some merchant account companies will not be totally upfront about this. Rates can change depending on many different factors including how the transaction is taken and the type of card that is used.
There are also additional charges to take into consideration such as transaction fees and other administration fees. The only way to be able to properly calculate the costs of accepting credit cards for a business is to find a company that is prepared to go through all of these details in full, rather than just offering a sales presentation. There are companies around that are in a position to do this, an example of them would be Charge.com.
They offer full consultations to potential clients and also some of the lowest overall charges in the industry and excellent customer service. The best way to be able to tell whether a particular company is as good as they suggest is to read customer reviews. It makes it much easier to see if there are any hidden charges or bad service. There are many places on the internet where past and present clients share their experiences of certain providers. It's a great way to do things, however do make sure to get more than one point of view to get a good overall picture, rather than a potentially biased slant on one particular company, or aspect. Just take a look around and don't be afraid to ask questions.