Popular Credit Card Processors

Many small businesses rely on third party processors or merchant account providers to accept credit cards on the Web. But how do you know who is the best processor for your business?

Clickbank

For a long time Clickbank was one of the most popular third party processors on the Web. In order to sign up with Clickbank you have to set up your Website to accept payments following their guidelines. You will for example have to state that Clickbank is responsible for processing payments. It usually takes up to three business days to verify that a site is ready to accept payments via Clickbank. Once this is achieved you can start accepting credit card payments. Fortunately Clickbank offers low fees and an affordable service for most people. Some people have complained however that they have lost business because the company has refused valid credit cards.

2Checkout

Another choice is 2Checkout. This company usually requires less than 24 hours to set up payment processing. 2Checkout also processes credit card payment for a low fee. The company doesn't provide you however with built in affiliate software. This means if you have affiliates you can't sign them up for service on the spot, they will have to sign up and pay an activation fee.

Paypal

You can also try Paypal. Many online merchants prefer Paypal because it accepts US and non-US businesses. Paypal is easy to sign up for. It allows customers to pay using multiple credit cards. Paypal does charge a slightly higher fee than other merchants. Paypal also provides you a shopping cart you can place directly on your website.