A free credit card swiper can be tempting for small businesses, but some are better than others. Check out our rundown of the best free card readers.

ACH Payments and wire transfers each have their uses. If you wish to send or receive smaller payments that can be scheduled and paid out automatically, ACH is likely the way to go. However, if you have larger, one-time transfers that are time-sensitive, then wire transfer is pretty much your only choice.

The business of credit card processing is changing quickly. These days, only the old-line established processors have long contracts with ETFs that penalize you for ending a contract early. Newer processors with different business models can offer you better deals, and you can easily shop around and avoid contracts with ETFs.

PCI compliance involves adhering to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) standard established by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) to protect customer credit card information from cyber threats. This is a critical measure for preventing data breaches and ensuring customer trust.

You need to be PCI compliant. This isn’t just a matter of complying with a bureaucratic regulatory requirement or avoiding a PCI non-compliance fee. A data breach that exposes your customers’ cardholder data can have a catastrophic effect on your business, and following proper PCI compliance procedures is your best method of ensuring that this never happens to you.

A merchant account is designed to temporarily hold funds from credit and debit card transactions until they can be settled. When processing is complete, these funds will then be deposited into the merchant’s business bank account.

This article will explain the four PCI merchant risk levels and show you how to figure out which one applies to your business. Don’t worry — it’s really very easy! We’ll also review the various requirements that apply to each of these levels.

Whether you run a service business that mostly interacts with clients over the phone, a retail or restaurant business that regularly takes phone orders, or you just want to offer your customers more ways of settling billing with you, a virtual terminal may be a savvy choice.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of applying to become an authorized EBT retailer and discuss the hardware requirements you’ll have to meet before you can accept EBT payments. We’ll also recommend some top-rated merchant service providers that offer support for EBT payments at a fair and reasonable cost.

In this article, we’ll dive deeper into the world of ACH payments, showing you where to find payment processors, suggesting ways your business can use ACH payments to save time and money, and discussing what’s a fair price to pay for the service.