Merchant Account Information Guide

About the Merchant Account Information Guide

The Merchant Account Information Guide will lay the framework that will serve as the basis for any subsequent guides you go on to read at the Merchant Council. We've tried to make the reading as enjoyable as possible. Please don't mistake our humor as unprofessional; it is intended to make an otherwise dry subject bearable. We have come to realize that most people do not share our passion for electronic commerce and bank card acceptance.

This guide is available to you for free, and it will provide you with valuable knowledge about merchant accounts and credit card processing. The knowledge that you gain will save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in saved processing charges.

If you are like most business owners, the very thought of credit card processing and merchant accounts makes your head spin, and maybe even makes your blood boil. Everything about credit card processing is confusing. The rates, fees, contracts, agreements, and everything else involved with processing seems to require a degree before someone could say that they truly understand it. A merchant service provider can also change your rates, fees, and the overall provisions of your account with little notice, making the thought of understanding merchant accounts seem like that much more of an impossible task.

Impossible or not, in today's marketplace it is absolutely vital for most businesses to accept credit cards in order to be competitive. What is not necessary is the confusion and frustration that always seems to accompany credit card processing. This guide is the first, and most comprehensive, of a series of guides published by the Merchant Council at merchantcouncil.org. This initial guide will provide you with a basic understanding about merchant accounts and credit card processing. After reading this guide, you will be ready to move on to other guides that are more specific to your business type or needs.

All of the merchant account guides located at the Merchant Council are updated regularly. If you would like to be notified of updates as valuable new information becomes available, please take a moment to join the Merchant Council newsletter.

Symbols and What They Mean

This guide contains icons and formatted text that will make it easier for you to navigate through the pages of the guide and obtain supporting information where necessary. The symbols and formatted text used in the guide are listed below along with a description.

Glossary Term Icon - Clicking this icon anywhere in the merchant account guide will cause a new browser window to open that contains the definition of the highlighted word located just before the icon in the text of the guide.

Red Text - Points that we feel are very important will be highlighted in red text. We understand that not everyone will have the time or desire to read this guide in its entirety. Although this is recommended, those who cannot should at least try to read all of the pointers in red text throughout the guide(s).

Do not copy or redistribute this content in any way without express written permission from the Merchant Council