How to Take Credit Card Payments on your Website

There is no doubt that accepting and processing credit card payments is important to success if you run an e-commerce business. Did you know that according to Worldpay’s Global Payments Report¹, now debit cards account for almost 48% of total online spending in the UK? So, if you are thinking of selling products on the web, you’ll consider some way in which you can accept various credit cards on your website.

How to take credit card payments is now an important question for entrepreneurs all over the world. For example, Canadians use their credit cards in order to pay for 60% of their online purchases.

We will discuss how to take credit card payments on your website and also demonstrate how you can save money by using Wise Business in addition to your payment gateway for sending and receiving transfers in different currencies.

What are the Ways to Take Credit Card Payments?

There are two main ways in which you can take credit cards on your website.

1. Use Your Merchant Account

In order to do this, you will need to have a bank that will let you open a new merchant account. Keep in mind that requirements for the account vary from one country to another, and checking with your local bank is the best course of action.

2. Through a Third Party Merchant

You may know that there are many companies that can accept credit card payments from your customers on your behalf in exchange for different fees and commission. Note that these are also called "payment gateways." Some of them are as follows.

PayPal

This well-known and reliable service allows your business to set up either a Premier or Business account to take credit card payments. You will be subject to specific limits if you receive credit card payments through a Personal account and also a higher fee per transaction.

MyCommerce

MyCommerce is another gateway and has a robust system with plenty of options that you can choose from. They also have a reliable affiliate network so that others can sell your products or services for you.

Authorize.net

This is another very well known, and reliable online payment gateway, and more than 375,000 people use it(see Authorize.net alternatives). Note that their pricing includes a monthly fee/setup and is as affordable as $0.10 for each transaction.

Things to Consider when Choosing a Payment Gateway

Selecting the best payment gateway is critical when you are setting up your e-commerce store. This is because it impacts how much it will cost you to do business, and also how your online customers feel about purchasing products from your online store. If the payment gateway works well and instills trust in your customers, this, in turn, can boost your bottom line, which is great.

Here are some things to consider when choosing a payment gateway.

Gateway’s Security and Fraud Policies

It is important to make yourself fully aware of what kinds of merchants the payment gateway allows. For example, if you are selling especially high-risk items, such as adult materials, or casino games, you should make sure that your payment gateway can make certain allowances for your type of business.

Transaction Frequency and Average Transaction Amounts

Note that several payment providers offer tiered pricing to businesses depending on the transaction amount as well as transaction frequency. This is why you have to choose a package that fits and meets your current and future business needs.

Payment Processing Fees

There is no doubt that you would like to keep all processing fees and expenses as low as possible. This is because the more money you need to pay in fee, the lower your profits will become. So, it is important to shop around for various providers that offer the best rates.

API and API Cost

In simple terms, an API is a data endpoint (or several endpoints) that allow other financial systems that you have authorized to capture your transaction data. Keep in mind that this is particularly useful if you would like to use a third party dashboard system, such as Baremetrics.

Customer Support

Keep in mind that even with the best payment processors in the world, some problems and issues will inevitably crop up. So, it is important to have a provider that’s easily reachable or accessible 24/7. While email is good for most issues, note that being able to reach a person through telephone or chat is usually better.

What do I need to Get Started?

1. Choose a payment processor.
2. The next step involves selecting a Point-of-Sale (POS) Software solution for your business. Keep in mind that many payment processors provide some type of POS functionality, such as a mobile POS app, invoicing tool, or virtual terminal.
3. Connect a payment gateway.
4. Finally, to accept credit card payments on your site, you will need a mobile or purchase credit card reader, like Square. You can also accept payments via your smartphone. A mobile card reader is a convenient and portable device that easily plugs into your phone and then pairs with a smart credit card app in order to accept credit card payments anywhere, provided there is an internet connection.

What Payment Gateway can I use?

You can choose from the following gateways for your business.

1. Worldpay

You may have heard of Worldpay. It is the UK’s most popular and reliable payment processing company. Did you know that it currently processes around 50% of all payments in the UK? The company also has some of the most convenient and flexible plans, especially for small businesses.

2. Stripe Payment Gateway

Keep in mind that Stripe is very different compared to other payment gateways in the UK. This is because the provider offers the payment gateways in many APIs, which can make it convenient for your business.

3. PayPal

Did you know that PayPal is just as user-friendly and convenient for businesses as it is for its customers? Today, PayPal’s payment gateway is widely trusted and has more than 220 million users around the world. PayPal’s service develops on the current financial infrastructure of bank accounts as well as credit cards, using advanced and effective proprietary fraud-prevention systems in order to create a global, safe, and real-time payment solution for your business.

Note that its online payment system is also budget-friendly for many businesses with ambitious goals and revenue targets.

4. Amazon Payment Gateway

While Amazon is relatively new to the online payments industry than PayPal and Stripe, it has all the brand reputation that it needs in order to take on the big leaders of any industry. Amazon is definitely a true tech giant, trusted by individuals all over the globe, and its convenient payment services can give the likes of Stripe and PayPal something to worry about.

5. Shopify Payments

In addition to providing a convenient payment gateway for businesses, Shopify is also the UK’s favorite and complete e-commerce system. This is because it offers everything else that you need in order to get started selling online.

How to save money on sales using Wise?

If you sell your products internationally, collecting payments in your client’s local currency is a must. This is because customers tend to avoid price tags in a different currency as it suggests extra charges on conversion fee.

Merchant Accounts and Payment Gateways can help you collect payments in different currencies however, converting them to your local currency can be quite expensive due to an added mark-up on exchange rates and extra fees. PayPal for example charges 2.5% to 4% of the amount you’re converting depending on the currency.²

With Wise, you can take advantage of the following additional benefits:

1. Enjoy instant or next-day delivery for a majority of currencies
2. Cheap international payments to vendors and suppliers
3. Integration withXero andQuickbooks to ease tax reconciliation
4. Multi-currency debit card for faster and convenient payments
5. Modern app
6. Bank level security

Start saving today with Wise