Buyers’ Guide to Online Payment Acceptance

Welcome! Below is an outline of the journey we will take to learning about payment acceptance. Some sections you may already be familiar with, if so, just skip ahead. You can also click any of the headings or sub-headings below to go to that particular section.

Otherwise, just click the “Next” button at the bottom of the page.

1. Introduction
2. Commonly Used Words & Phrases
3. Credit Cards
   • The Merchant Account
   • International Merchant Accounts
   • Real-Time versus Deferred Processing
     
     • a) Real-Time Processing
     • b) Secure Payment Gateways
     • c) Deferred Processing
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   • How Online Transactions Are Processed
   • Rates & Fees Involved
   • Purchase or Lease?
   • General Questions To Ask
   • Questions For Internet Real-Time Processing
   • Third Party Credit Card Processors
   • Chargebacks and Fraud
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4. Secure SSL Certificates
5. Shopping Cart Software
6. Alternative Payment Acceptance Services – Introduction
   • Debit/ATM Card Processing & eChecks
   • Micropayments & Digital Cash
   • Escrow Services