MERCHANT BEWARE: Pricing Tactics You Need to Know About

Listed below are some of the tactics that you should be informed of prior to deciding on a merchant service provider:

Reprogramming Fees – Although each merchant service provider does pay a nominal fee to build, board, and create download files, any solid provider should not charge a Reprogram Fee and if they do, it should not exceed $20.00.

Item Fees/Authorization Fees – Some merchant service providers will attempt to double their income by charging Item Fees in addition to Authorization Fees. You should be charged one or the other not both.

Introductory Pricing – Many merchant service providers will offer unbelievable pricing that is way below cost. In most cases they will charge you this introductory pricing for the first few months and then hike up the pricing to create additional revenue, since you are locked into a contract.

Termination Fees – Almost all merchant service providers will charge a termination fee if you decide to cancel your merchant account before your 3-5 year term is expired. Make sure that your termination fees are reasonable, ranging from $0-$400.00.

Leases – Many merchant service providers will offer leases on equipment that you think you cannot afford, sometimes signing you up for up to 72 months of payments. Make sure that you do the research on the equipment you are buying. You can search the internet for reasonable pricing. Ask your sales rep about refurbished equipment, in most cases used equipment is just as good as new.

Free Terminals – Some merchant service providers will offer free equipment. Most of them will recover this cost through inflated annual fees and additional per transaction fees. Remember, most things that sound too good to be true, are.

Interchange Plus Pricing – Make sure when you are offered interchange plus pricing that you request a copy of their interchange schedule. This interchange schedule to match the ones published by Visa and MasterCard and available on both their websites.

At BankCard Central we pride ourselves on straight forward pricing and meeting our merchants needs. There are no Reprogramming Fees, Item Fees, Introductory Pricing, Leases, or inflated terminal prices. We back our services with a 90 day money back guarantee.

For more information please contact the sales department at 800-745-7220.