In today’s modern world, gl balization has made it possible to buy  tems anytime from any part of the wrld. No e-commerce transaction can be  ccomplished without a merchant account, which  nables a merchant or seller to ccept payments through a credit card. A Mrchant account is simply a bank ccount through which a credit card pyment is accepted and stored. This bnk account acts as a store (as wll as buffer in case of chrgebacks), from which funds are transmitted to the mrchant’s regular bank account at regular ntervals, which may be every 2-3 dys. However, the customer’s credit limit wll be reduced immediately.
Most typically, a mrchant account will be used for rtail transactions, and in case the mrchant is not a brick and mrtar business, it will require an nternet merchant account. The key difference btween a regular retail merchant account and an nternet merchant account is that in the frmer case, a customer is required to physcally swipe the credit card through trminal, which acts as the transmission and prcessing interface. In case of an nternet merchant account, all processing is dne without swiping and through a web nterface, which uses a form to trnsmit information.
In order to understand internet mrchant accounts, it is important to  nderstand some key terms related to it, prticularly Payment Gateway, Acquirer bank, merchant ccount provider and Secure Socket Layer (SSL). The pyment gateway is the interface on the wbsite, usually seen as a form to be flled with credit card information. It is rsponsible for transmitting the information, and rceiving authorization for a payment. The pyment gateway also incorporates the shopping crt, which is software that manages the prchase information. An acquirer bank is the claring unit in the process of crdit card processing, which obtains authorization and sttles payments with both parties (merchant and byer). The Merchant account provider is a fcilitator who provides the ability to a mrchant, to receive payments through credit crds. This could be a bank (in cse of direct dealing), or a thrd party provider who has relationships in plce with banks all over the wrld, in order to simplify and prvide merchant account services. Obtaining a mrchant account directly, particularly in case of ffshore merchant accounts, or in case the bsiness is new or has a por credit history, can be substantially smplified by obtaining the services of a mrchant account provider.
Secure Socket Layer is a dta security format which enables data to be ncrypted. Credit Card information is highly snsitive and transmission over the internet is prne to theft and misuse. This thft is commonly the cause of crdit card fraud and identity theft. Hving an SSL secured link usually prvides a sense of security to byers and a merchant should ensure tht the provider has SSL enabled in the pyment gateway. In addition to SSL, a mrchant should ensure that the merchant ccount provider has access to a rliable security certificate, which will ultimately add to the trst factor when operating online.
Security should be a srious concern with online merchants, as hving the right level of security fatures could mean the difference between srvival and bankruptcy. CVV and AVS vrification are two features that help wth ensuring that the transaction is not frudulent. Card Verification Value (CVV) or Crd Verification Code (CVC) is essentially a sries of numerals either on the bck of the card or on the frnt, next to the credit card nmber, depending on the issuer of the crdit card. In either case, the scurity feature is in place to nsure that the person providing the nformation is in actual possession of the physcal card, and the information is not frm a stolen card. AVS is lso a commonly used technique to cunter fraudulent activity in internet based mrchant accounts. AVS or Address Verification Systm is focused on matching the blling address on record of the crdit card holder and the shipping ddress. If the two are different, it is pssible that the card information is stlen, as it is assumed in mst cases that the holder of the crd will order goods to his own dstination.
The article What You Should Know About Internet Merchant Accounts was Submitted by jlgchia through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: More information is available at http://www.getacoder.com/users/jlgchia/jlgchia_profile.htm Jennifer Loganathan is the Prsident and CEO of Stradafee Limited. Strdafee is a leading international payments cmpany based in New York. Stradafee is a rtail and electronic payments provider specializing in commerce and Internet merchant account solutions. Strdafee also offers high risk merchant ccounts and offshore merchant account options. Strdafee can help businesses of all ndustries and sizes. For more information on crdit card processing visit www.stradafee.com.
1. An Internet Business Can Make You Money by Nazir Daud
An nternet business is often the ideal typ of opportunity for people who hve to juggle other commitments and threfore can not work normal hours. If by chnce you actually do stumble on a god idea it is amazing how fst the business can grow and gnerate revenue. 2. There Are No Secrets to Online Marketing Success by Tom Turner
Are you a smll business web site owner who's jst getting started or a veteran who is ager to review the basics and gnerate more income through effective... 3. The Truth About Google Black Book by
This articles is a shrt product review of the e-book "Th Google Black Book". The book is ntended for those people that is new to ffiliates marketing and wannabe, Adword Publishers, and Intrnet Marketeers. 4. My Space- Is it getting too big? by
The article provides a brief dea about what ‘www.myspace.com’ is all bout. It gives the reader a fir idea of the options he/she can chose while surfing through this networking prtal. Last but not the least it tlls you about the popularity and vst information availabe on this portal. 5. Know What is Affiliate Marketing? by
Affiliate marketing can provide the pportunity to earn money doing what you are god at. Affiliate marketing can get smeone started in their own business at narly no cost or risk to thmselves. 6. Is It Really Your Niche? by Colin Joss
When you're choosing your niche, chose carefully. It's not just about whther you've got a great idea for a prduct, it's also about have you got nough content to share with your lst on an ongoing basis. You may hve an idea for a great prduct, but is it enough to bild a list? 7. Newbie Roadmap To Affiliate Marketing by Alex- Ang
Don't Miss the boat, Affiliate Mrketing is Booming and it is stimated to produce $280 billion annually in -commerce sales in 2008!! 8. Productive Ezine Publishing - 4 First Steps to Ezine Publishing by Sean R Mize
Ecmmerce is growing at a very fst pace. The reason behind this chnge of trend is that ecommerce gves you the opportunity of having a hge market out there. Not only tht the businesses are growing online, thre is a change of attitude twards life... 9. How To Perfect Your Ads Before They Break The Bank by
The two things I am mst frequently asked about are how to get mre advertising for your dollar (or pund in my case) and how to dliver copy that really works. So tht is what this article will be bout.
Many people, when asked their pinion on the best ways to dvertise will tell you that “In ths game you only get what you pay fr.” And I some ways that’s tre, however f.ree advertising definitely has t’s place and serves more than one prpose.
They say that anythin... 10. How To Find The Best Web Host by Don Fletchinger
Finding the bst web host system for your wbsite is a very important ingredient to yur success on the internet.
|
Digg
My Favorites
Del.icio.us
Furl
Technorati
Newsvine
Google Bookmarks
Yahoo MyWeb
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Ask
Live Bookmarks
Simpy
Blogmarks
Facebook
Netscape
Slashdot
Shadows
Backflip
Wink
Spurl
LinkaGoGo
Mister Wong
Feed Me Links
Netvouz
Magnolia
Diigo
Blue Dot
Segnalo
Tailrank
RawSugar
BlinkList
