F.A.Q. Merchant Accounts

To find an answer to any questions you might have, click on the one of the frequently asked questions below.

If your questions are not answered in this section, please feel free to Contact Us  

General 
1 What is a merchant account? 
2 How much does a merchant account cost? (Pricing) 
3 Why should I consider a merchant account with your company? 
4 How many merchant accounts can someone have? 
5 Is having a merchant account the best way to accept online transactions? 
6 How long does the approval process take?  
7 Do you accept non-U.S. merchants?  
8 Do you have any hidden fees?
9 Can I process for more than one business with my merchant account? 
10 Do I have to be a U.S. citizen to open a merchant account? 
11 What if I am a Canadian merchant? 
12 Are there application fees involved? 
13 Is a long term contract required? 
14 Is the name of my business on the monthly statement? 
15 Do you offer merchant accounts for a church, synagogue, or other faith-based or nonprofit organizations? 

1 Question:  What is a merchant account? 

Answer:      

A merchant account is the central bank account that consolidates your payments from credit cards, debit cards, electronic checks and other payment processing services. Opening a merchant account lets you accept virtually any type of payments from your customers, and offers you the widest possible means of handling these payments.

For complete information on merchant accounts, Contact Us.

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2 Question:  How much does a merchant account cost? (Pricing) 

Answer:      

Our merchant accounts are extremely reasonable. Please contact us for specific transaction processing fees for credit card, debit card or check processing.  Some specific information you should know about our merchant accounts are as follows:

Set-up fee. There is no set-up fee for merchants except in a small few cases where a merchant requires specialized software programming, testing, certification and implementation.  Most all merchants, simply complete the application requirements.  

Monthly fees.  For check processing and standard credit / debit credit processing, if you don't process, you don't pay. Some merchants are seasonal, so processing stop for a few months. During those months, merchants pay nothing.  For merchants processing credit / debit cards with our preferred pricing plans, monthly customer support and monthly minimum processing fees will be charged each month.

Merchant America.  One monthly fee does it all.  If you have a Merchant America account, that same account can include processing for credit cards, debit cards, check services, check collection, virtual terminal, online eCommerce transaction processing and all the other features of MerchantAmerica . . . all for one $19.95 monthly fee plus transaction processing fees.

For complete information on pricing, with no hidden fees, Contact Us.

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3 Question:  Why should I consider a merchant account with your company? 

Answer:      

Thousands of merchants across the U.S. trust the proven technology and experience of our processors for their merchant accounts.  Our prices are extremely competitive.  We offer integrated solutions, so merchants can process all electronic payments with ease and convenience. 

We offer innovative proven solutions for integrated merchant account services and a direct Internet payment gateway.  Merchants are provided live phone support 24/7, on-line or off-line transaction reporting services and a diverse selection of merchant services.  Merchants do not need to go somewhere else to get the service they need and deserve.

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4 Question:  How many merchant accounts can someone have? 

Answer:      

There is no limit to the number of merchant accounts a merchant can have with us.  If you need to accept credit cards for a store location and on your Web site, plus you wish to accept checks for check conversion, batch electronic checks or with check guarantee, one merchant account will serve all merchant's needs.  Of course, each type of processing has its own transaction processing fees and/or discount rates. 

Merchants with multiple store locations or multiple eCommerce websites will need a merchant account for each location.  Funds from multiple location merchant accounts can be consolidated and transferred into one central merchant account as often as the merchant may require.

For complete information on merchant accounts, Contact Us.

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5 Question:  Is having a merchant account the best way to accept online transactions? 

Answer:      

For most merchants, having a merchant account is the most cost effective means of accepting credit card and online check payments.  We do not recommend the so-called third-party providers because the higher processing fee costs and payment gateway access fees.  Our processor direct payment gateway access without charging access fees.  On-line merchants can also perform so-called "offline" payment processing by phone or point-of-sale using the "virtual terminal" with any standard PC computer with Internet connection.

For complete information on merchant accounts, Contact Us.

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6 Question:  How long does the approval process take?  

Answer:      

Our approval process is generally 48 hours, which assumes that all required documentation is received and that all signatures needed are provided. You may complete and submit the application online and forward all other required documentation by mail or express carrier.  

Upon receiving the completed application and required documentation, we will overnight the application / agreement along with other completed forms requiring signature back to you requesting signature where required.

Once you provide signatures on the application / agreement and other required documents, you may contact us for a overnight package pick up (at our expense) to return the documents to us. It's that easy, and that fast! (Note: If you do not request the overnight package, we will send you your package through regular first class US Mail)

To get started, you can Contact Us or simply complete the Merchant Application Form  and they will call you back at a convenient time to obtain the information needed to send you your application.

For complete information or help on completing the application, Contact Us.

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7 Question:  Do you accept non-U.S. merchants?  

Answer:      

At this time, you must be a business based in the United States. In general, businesses that are corporations, sole proprietorships, partnerships or limited partnerships all qualify. Sorry, no Canadian or other non-U.S. businesses.

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8 Question:  Do you have any hidden fees? 

Answer:      

No, we do not hide fees as many competitors do.  Some processors charge; an exit fee when you close your account plus minimum fees, statement fees, batch fees, payment gateway access fees and application fees.  We don't.  Everything we charge is fully disclosed right up front on your contract.  

For complete information on merchant fees, Contact Us.

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9 Question:  Can I process for more than one business with my merchant account? 

Answer:      

No, only one business per merchant account is allowed. This is a requirement imposed by the credit card company associations. However, this does not cost you a lot of money. Please note that if you have more than one account, you will only be charged one monthly support / online reporting fee, for each account.

For complete information on merchant accounts, Contact Us.

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10 Question:  Do I have to be a U.S. citizen to open a merchant account? 

Answer:      

You do not need to be a citizen to open a merchant account.  However, you must operate a legal business in the United States.  We provide credit card and other payment processing services for merchants throughout the United States.  Unfortunately, we can not accept businesses not based in the U.S.A. 

For complete information on merchant requirements, Contact Us.

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11 Question:  What if I am a Canadian merchant? 

Answer:      

You must be a business based in the United States. In general, businesses that are corporations, sole proprietorships, partnerships or limited partnerships all qualify. Sorry, no Canadian or other non-U.S. based businesses.  In addition, please note that some types of businesses are not eligible for processing, such as businesses offering adult content, graphic sexual content, illegal drug paraphernalia, etc.

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12 Question:  Are there application fees involved? 

Answer:      

Actually, no application fees are charged, which is a fee charged to process the application. 

For complete information on merchant application requirements, Contact Us.

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13 Question:  Is a long term contract required? 

Answer:      

Each merchant must complete and sign an application form, which is a contract describing the duties and obligations of the processor, the merchant, and our sponsoring bank.  However we do not require a commitment to a given period of time for processing.  Also, we do not have so-called "exit fees" that are charged by some of our competitors when merchants stop their processing.  

Hardware and software leases used to lease terminals, software and other services are also contracts.  Once you enter into a lease, you are obligated to pay off the lease as you would under any other lease agreement. 

For complete information on merchant account or equipment lease agreements, Contact Us.

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14 Question:  Is the name of my business on the monthly statement? 

Answer:      

Yes, your statements will show charges from your business using your business name.

For complete information on merchant statements, Contact Us.

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15 Question:  Do you offer merchant accounts for a church, synagogue, or other faith-based or nonprofit organizations? 

Answer:      

Yes, we do offer merchant accounts for nonprofits and faith-based organizations.  In fact, we offer a low credit card discount rate of just 2.25% for on-line transactions, plus $0.30 transaction fee per item. The organization can also set-up a Web site using MerchantAmerica where they can accept donations or sell goods or services.

See our Web pages on nonprofit organizations for more information.

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