If you are selling products online,online buyers expect that you will accept credit card payments at the time someone they purchase something from you on your website. If you are selling a service, accepting credit card payments on your website can be a great added convenience for your clients.

How do I add a credit card to my website?

There are 2 different ways you can accept credit card payments:

1. Get your own merchant account – to get your own merchant account, you can contact your bank or your can apply at any number of online merchant card services.

2. Use a 3rd party merchant account – use an online company to accept credit card payments on your behalf. A popular example of a 3rd party merchant accoutn is Paypal.

Which one should I use?

Your initial costs associated with opening up your own merchant account are usually higher than if you use a 3rd party merchant. And you will have ongoing recurring monthly fees with your own merchant account even if you do not accept any payments during the month. A 3rd party typically does not charge you a fee unless you use the service, but their per-transaction and percentages can be higher than if you had your own merchant card.

If you expect to accept a large number of online credit card purchases or if it is important to your online professional image to have your own card, then it may be more cost effective for you to get your own merchant account. But if you plan to only occasionally accept payments online, or if you dont’ know how much volume you may have at first, it might be more convenient for you to use a 3rd party merchant like Paypal until you can see how many monthly transactions you have coming in.

Whichever way you choose, if you are selling products or servcies on the web, it’s important to make it as easy as possible for your customers and clients to buy from you on your website. Offering online credit card payments is an added convenience that your new customers will appreciate, and your business will benefit from.