Electronic Commerce International
Merchants Headquarters
Tips, Tricks, and Support for Our Merchants
ECI Merchant Products
- Credit Card Terminals
- POS Systems
- Internet Payment Gateway
- Mobile Payments
ECI Merchant Services
- Credit Card Processing
- Business Loans
- Level 2 & Level 3 Processing (B2B)
- ECI Cash Discount Program
- Physician Payment Protection
- Encryption & Tokenization
- ECI Consumer Financing Solution
- Gift & Loyalty Program
How To Choose A Merchant Account
Swiped vs. Keyed
There are many things to consider when choosing the right merchant account for your business. The first is whether you should be set up as a swiped account or a keyed account.
A swiped account is generally for a business that has more than 70% card-present and swiped transactions.
If you’re processing credit cards by manually entering the card numbers into a terminal or gateway, then you need to be set up as a card-not-present, or keyed account. An account that was set up as a swiped account and is instead used mostly as a keyed account will incur costly fees, can result in funds being held, and runs the risk of being canceled altogether.
The underwriting process is different for each type of account. Keyed accounts are considered to be a higher risk, and thus undergo much heavier scrutiny. If your provider isn’t knowledgeable, you may find yourself unable to process credit cards.
Mobile Wireless
If you own a business that is mobile, you have several options that will allow you to swipe credit cards, qualify for a lower discount rate, and in some cases accept pin-based debit – saving you even more money.
You can choose to purchase or lease a mobile terminal, and this will allow you to accept not only credit cards, but pin debit as well. These terminals use the latest in technology and will work in any area that has a cellular phone reception.
If you have a smart phone, you can turn it into a mobile credit card terminal as well. By downloading a payment application to your iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, or Windows-based phone, and adding a card reader and receipt printer, you can offer the convenience of accepting credit cards to your customers without paying too much on your end. However, you should consider how busy your phone is with regular phone calls. If you make and receive many calls or do many credit card transactions, you should consider a separate machine for your credit card processing.
Online Payments
If you run an e-commerce business, you will need to be set up for a card-not- present account that is specific to Internet transactions. You will also require a payment gateway and shopping cart. This will allow your customers to pay for their transactions in a secure environment.
Once you have the gateway and cart in place, it’s as simple as adding the HTML code to your page. This will generate the payment buttons that allow your customers to click and pay. You also have the option of adding ACH payment processing, giving your customers even more options to pay your business.
There are many Internet payment gateways to choose from. A good merchant service provider should be able to offer you the right gateway based on several factors; including which one is compatible with the shopping cart that you use and whether or not you require recurring billing or the ability to upload to QuickBooks.
Level 2 or Level 3 Processing
If your company does mostly business to business transactions, you could qualify for Level 2 or Level 3 processing. By submitting the proper data and having the proper equipment, you can qualify for a lower processing rate.
You must be using a payment application that is certified to collect the data and the right processor will train you properly on what information needs to be collected.
Still not sure what merchant account you need?
Choosing the Right Terminal
Fraud Protection
Chargeback Protection Tips
24/7 Support for ECI Merchants
Our highly trained staff of customer service professionals are available to assist you with any of your questions and concerns.
Please have your 15-digit Merchant ID number ready when you call.
POS Help Desk
Available 24/7, including holidays
For credit card terminal and/or printer assistance: (800) 228-0210
For all other inquiries, account changes, or supply orders: (866) 597-5721
Authorization Center Voice Authorization Response Unit (VRU) and Referrals for Code 10: (800) 228-1122
Security Questions
Monday-Friday 8:30AM – 5:30PM EST
Merchant Services Security Department: (800) 588-7545
Articles
3 Tips to Lowering Your Credit Card Processing Rates
Welcome to ECI’s Helpful Tips for Merchant’s series. Today Jim Anderson is reviewing the 3 top tips to lower your credit card processing rates. You can view the video below as well as view a recap of the 3 items below. The first tip is to set up your merchant account...
Physician Payment Protection
We recently released Physician Payment Protection, which helps medical practices protect patient’s credit card data from cyber criminals by adding encryption and tokenization to every credit card transaction and at the same time helping them with their HIPPA...
Tips for Merchants to Avoid Credit Card Chargebacks
Chargebacks are a costly and unfortunate fact of life for many small businesses that accept credit cards. However, there are ways you can protect yourself against unfair chargebacks. Credit card chargebacks happen when customers contact their credit card issuers to...