We feature the best credit card processing services, to make it simple and easy to take payments online, either directly through a website or via email requests for payments.
The best credit card processing services make it simple and easy to take payments online, either directly through a website or via email requests for payments. Credit card processing services are an essential part of business transactions, both online and offline, and the ability to take credit card payments could make or break your business. If you’re running a small business or launching online, you’ve got a key decision to make: Which system should you choose? There are two main options for credit card processing services: a simple credit card processor with all fees paid per-transaction, or a merchant-account solution that comes with a monthly fee but offers far cheaper processing on a per-item basis. But your decision doesn’t end there. Some services offer deep discounts, letting you save on each transaction. But with so many different business applications now provided by the cloud, it could be an advantage to use a credit card processor that doesn’t offer the cheapest rates but will offer savings in other ways, such as by integrating with accounting software. Or you could think bigger: Credit card processing is simply one element to a point of sale (POS) system, which can do much more for your business. The best POS systems can manage inventory, ensure you’re on top of compliance-related payment regulations, and help you avoid fines and other administrative costs (such as chargeback fraud), all while offering advanced security features that protect from data theft and cyber breaches. Just looking for a simple credit card processor? We’ve got you covered. Here are the best credit card processing services for online transactions. PayPal has become the ubiquitous payment portal for many online businesses for one simple reason: It’s so easy to use. PayPal has made integration into payment gateways simple for major e-commerce platforms, requiring little more than a couple of clicks and an email address; often the most complex part of setting up PayPal processing is copying and pasting a supplied API key to get started. Add to that no setup fees and the value it can add to your business is obvious. You can choose from different packages within PayPal to suit the scale of your turnover, so PayPal Checkout, PayPal Web Payments Standard, and PayPal Payments Pro should all be investigated if you’re aiming to process credit card payments. There are no monthly fees for the small business product, Web Payments Standard, with transaction fees depend on sales volume. Although many shopping carts are built to accommodate PayPal from scratch, it can even be used as a standalone service for taking individual payments from clients, just by pasting a payment button code into an email. Subscription payments are also available by default. PayPal also offers additional features to grow into, such as taking in-store payments through a card reader. With no hidden costs or monthly charges, PayPal is one of the most accessible options for startups and small businesses. Sage payment processing is a credit card payment gateway that has the added benefit of being able to integrate into Sage’s accounting software. Like most big payment processors, generally speaking it can be easily integrated into existing e-commerce platforms. It also comes with a beefy collection of features, such as powerful fraud screening tools, lots of security options, customizable payment pages and one-click check-out amongst other things. We’re also impressed with the My Sage Pay analytics portal that delivers lots of useful data back to you on how your business is running. Sage Pay offers telephone processing and direct card processing for in-store usage, as well as providing merchant account integration. Sage Pay effectively has a whole suite of services that can work for startups, as well as small corporations and larger enterprises. The ability to integrate directly with Sage Accounts is probably the biggest selling point, as this can significantly simplify bookkeeping and financial recording, helping to save on accounting costs. The ability to work directly with a merchant account also means a big reduction on transaction fees. There is a monthly fee to pay according to sales volume. However, considering the potential for efficiency savings through simplified accounting, this can seem more like an investment than a cost. Compared to the other credit card processors present here, Stripe is very much the new kid on the block. Some may see that as an advantage: It hasn’t had to evolve legacy technologies, but has instead jumped straight in to work with the latest. The benefit here is a flexible, cloud-based payment system that offers not just payment processing and fraud prevention but also business intelligence through an analytics package Stripe calls Sigma.
