About MerchantCouncil.org

My name is Ben Dwyer, and I'm the founder of and chief contributor for MerchantCouncil.org. I created this site back in 2004 with the goal of educating business people about the vital topics of merchant accounts and credit card processing.

In an effort to remain completely unbiased in the information that this site provides, I don't offer credit processing services and I make it a point not to endorse any specific providers. However, if you're looking for a recommendation, I can still help. Click here to read about CardFellow, a web site that I founded to help businesses get the best merchant account.

I had my first experience with credit card processing as a merchant. A retail store that I owned was paying an effective rate of about 4.5% to process credit cards. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to accurately decipher my processing statements and recognize the problem before considerable money had already been lost.

Ironically, after closing the retail store I began working in merchant account sales where I experienced first-hand the distrust and sometimes outright anger of business people toward the bankcard industry. It didn't take me long to realize that these feelings were grounded in an almost complete absence of unbiased information and support for merchants on this vital topic.

Hence, I founded MerchantCouncil.org in 2004 and in 2005 I took things one step further with the launch of CardFellow.com. Both sites are designed to fill the void of support for merchants that currently exists in the bankcard industry.

The ability for businesses to accept credit cards is a necessary and beneficial, and the bankcard industry is not the evil giant that many business people perceive it to be. This perception has been cultivated by industry professionals with unacceptable ethical standards and business practices that have been allowed to operate unchecked, and they've tainted the industry as a whole.

I stay current on the bankcard industry and its trends by reading countless industry publications, newsletters, blogs and more. I'm a regular visitor to Visa and MasterCard's web sites, and I make it a point to study all of the Card Associations literature in detail as new versions are released. I also work with industry professionals through CardFellow. This allows me to benefit from first-hand feedback about how I can improve the information and services that I offer to help business find the best merchant account for their needs.

I try to make the information available here at MerchantCouncil.org a mix of practical, technical and news related. I've learned that most merchants don't want to become experts on credit card processing, they just want to know what's needed to get the lowest rates and the best pricing structure.

If you'd like to contact me, please send me an email at bdwyer [at] merchantcouncil [dot] org.

Best Regards,

- Ben