Simply put, a payment gateway is the connection between an online payment device (i.e. website, phone etc...) and the bank that processes any given credit card transaction. Whether being used for an eCommerce store, or a mobile payment application, the payment gateway is a piece of software that works behind the scenes to securely transfer sensitive credit card information from an online payment form to the payment processor.

To get a visual idea of how it works, take a look at the picture below:

Payment Gateway Vs Merchant Account

Sometimes people get the payment gateway confused with the merchant account, but they are two different things. If you look again at the picture above, you can see that the payment gateway is part of a larger process. The phrase "merchant account" is the umbrella term that defines that larger process. In other words, having a merchant account gives you the privilege of being a part of that process by allowing you to accept credit cards. The payment gateway is just the software application that plugs your website or mobile phone into that process.

When necessary, your merchant account provider will bundle a payment gateway with your merchant account so you can accept online payments. Most of the time that gateway will be Authorize.Net because it's so popular. However, some providers have in-house gateways like the Quantum Gateway by CDGcommerce which competes with Authorize.Net.

Payment Gateway Features

Here are some of the major features you can expect to get from a payment gateway:

Payment Gateway Integration

Payment gateway integration refers to the process by which one would connect the gateway software to some sort of payment device. That device is usually an eCommerce shopping cart. The integration process can be easy or difficult depending on how you're integrating. If you're using a shopping cart like Shopify or MagentoGo, there are pre-built payment gateway modules that make integration a breeze. It's when the shopping cart doesn't have a pre-built module that integration becomes tough. In that case, you'll have to do a custom integration which requires the talents of a knowledgeable web developer.

Conclusion

So there you have it! If you're an eCommerce merchant, you better believe that you're going to be using a payment gateway to process online payments. So make sure that the gateway offers the features you're looking for, and that it integrates easily with the shopping cart software that you're using.

Merchant Maverick's Rating: (3 out of 5)

Last Updated: February 3rd, 2012.

Logo:

Overview:
Eliot Management Group (EMG) has been in business since 1999. They have offices all over the country, but are headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. EMG is a subsidiary of First American Payment Systems (FAPS), so chances are you've seen the FAPS name somewhere on your EMG contract.

The best info can be found throughout the rest of this review, but I'll give you a quick overview here...

• EMG has a large number of complaints filed against it. Although they are a big company, it seems that they have racked up quite a few more complaints than other companies of their size or larger.
• I'm not a fan of the EMG cancellation fee (see Cancellation Fee below).
• I'm not a fan of the terminal lease contracts that EMG pushes through it's sister company Merimac Capital (see Common Complaints below). Rarely does a terminal lease make sense for a small merchant.

Eliot Management Group gets a 3 out of 5 rating.

Click Here If You Need Help Choosing a Provider

Date Established:
1999.

Location:
Multiple locations. Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas.

Domain Name(s):
www.e-mg.com

Parent/Partner Company:
Eliot Management Group is owned by First American Payment Systems.

Type:
ISO/MSP.

Acquiring Bank(s) (Acquirer):
Fifth Third Bank.

Payment Processor(s):
First American Payment Systems.

Payment Gateway(s):
Authorize.Net or FirstPay.Net 2.0.

Do you need help setting up your payment gateway with your website? Click here.

Trust Symbols:
You can find the Eliot Management Group BBB profile here. They have a "C+" rating and 124 complaints as of this update.

Negative Reviews/Complaints:
There are quite a few negative reviews and complaints against EMG. You can find some here and here.

They also have a few Yelp profiles for their different office locations here, here and here.

Common Complaints:
Here are some common problems that you may want to look out for...

• Expensive terminal lease contracts through Merimac Capital: Looks like EMG likes to push terminal leases. A terminal lease usually carries a 4-year contract, which can be extremely expensive to get out of. These days you can buy a terminal outright for far cheaper. Leases only make sense for very large organizations that need multiple terminals and don't have the upfront capital to purchase them.
• PCI compliance fee: A few of EMG's merchants are having an issue with the annual PCI compliance fee of $124.74. Although PCI compliance is necessary for anyone that plans on accepting credit cards for their business, EMG is not required to charge their merchants any type of fee for that compliance. So, contrary to what you may have heard, processor's are not required to pass that charge on to you.
• Unauthorized debits after account closure: This is unfortunate because it causes the merchant to have to close down their bank account in order to stop any unauthorized debits. A huge hassle!
• High number of complaints from former sales reps: Whenever I see a high number of complaints from sales reps, it tells me that the company is running a "churn and burn" type operation. The goal being to get as many commission-only independent or in-house sales agents under the EMG banner, then letting them loose. The focus becomes quantity over quality. That's always a bad recipe for the merchant because usually these reps aren't educated enough and end up signing you into bum deals due to the lure of a fat paycheck.
• High cancellation fee: Here's what the Eliot Management Group says about their cancellation fee; "MERCHANT agrees to pay bank/processor early termination fees established by Bank, but in no event less than four hundred ninety five dollars ($495.00) for each MERCHANT location, plus any and all losses (including consequential damages and loss of profits, costs, expenses, and liabilities) incurred by Bank in connection with termination." So, bottom line is that you'll pay a MINIMUM of $495 to break your contract...most likely more than that.

Verifiable Testimonials/References:
No verifiable testimonials on the EMG website.

Security/Privacy:
No on-site security features (i.e. McAfee, Security Metrics etc...). The security issue really depends on what kind of information the merchant account provider is collecting from you. If they require you to fill out a full digital application with sensitive info like SSN numbers, then they should definitely have some third-party security in place. Sometimes, and in the case of Eliot Management Group, the initial contact form only requires some basic info, then the real application is taken care of by fax or later on through a secure online app.

Customer Service:
I haven't dealt with EMG's customer service, so it's difficult for me to make an assessment here. They do offer 24/7 support though. That's always a plus.

If you've been a customer of Eliot Management Group, please let us know.

Contract Duration:
3-years (auto-renewing).

Cancellation Fee:

No less than $495.00 for each location including consequential damages and loss of profits, costs, expenses, and liabilities. In other words, the cancellation fee can be whatever they say it is, but DEFINITELY not less than $495.00. Also known as a liquidated damages contract.

Interchange-Plus Pricing:
Interchange-plus is offered by Eliot Management Group.

Seasonal Downtime:
Seasonal downtime is also offered by EMG.

Product/Service Offering:
Retail (Credit/Debit), Online/e-Commerce Payments, Mail Order/Telephone Order (MOTO), Wireless, Secur-Chex Check Processing, Gift & Loyalty, EBT.

Product/Service Specialty:
None.

Don't forget to leave your review and rating in the comment section.

Merchant Maverick's Rating: (2 out of 5)

Last Updated: February 1st, 2012.

Logo:

Overview:
Apex Merchant Group is based in Plano, Texas and has been in business since 2008 (according to the BBB). They use First American Payment Systems as their payment processor, so chances are you've seen the First American name somewhere on your contract, if you've done business with Apex.

For a company that hasn't been around for very long, they've managed to rack up quite a few complaints. I found some commonalities amongst those complaints, so be sure to read the Common Complaints section.

Read through the rest of this review for more info on Apex Merchant Group.

Apex gets a 2 out of 5 rating.

Click Here If You Need Help Choosing a Provider

Date Established:
2008.

Location:
Plano, Texas.

Domain Name(s):
www.apexmg.net

Parent/Partner Company:
Doesn't look like Apex has a parent company.

Type:
ISO/MSP.

Acquiring Bank(s) (Acquirer):
Fifth Third Bank.

Payment Processor(s):
First American Payment Systems.

Payment Gateway(s):
Authorize.Net or FirstPay.Net 2.0.

Do you need help setting up your payment gateway with your website? Click here.

Trust Symbols:
You can find the Apex Merchant Group BBB profile here. They have a "D" rating and 106 complaints as of this update.

Negative Reviews/Complaints:
There are quite a few negative reviews and complaints against Apex. You can find some here and here. For a company that has only been around since 2008, that's not a good sign.

Common Complaints:
Here are some common problems that you may want to look out for...

• Expensive terminal lease contracts through Merimac Capital: Looks like Apex likes to push terminal leases. Leases are a big money maker for processors that push them, but because they're so unfair to the merchant, most of the honest processors have walked away from them. A terminal lease usually carries a 4-year contract, which can be extremely expensive to get out of. Nowadays you can buy a terminal outright for far cheaper. Leases only make sense for very large organizations that need multiple terminals and don't have the upfront capital to purchase them.
• High cancellation fee: Here's what the Apex agreement (see section #23) says about their cancellation fee; "MERCHANT agrees to pay bank/processor early termination fees established by Bank, but in no event less than four hundred ninety five dollars ($495.00) for each MERCHANT location, plus any and all losses (including consequential damages and loss of profits, costs, expenses, and liabilities) incurred by Bank in connection with termination." So, bottom line is that you'll pay a MINIMUM of $495 to break your contract...most likely more than that.
• PCI compliance fee: A few of Apex's merchants are having an issue with the annual PCI compliance fee of $124.74 (see section #21 of the Apex agreement). Although PCI compliance is necessary for anyone that plans on accepting credit cards for their business, Apex is not required to charge their merchants any type of fee for that compliance. So, contrary to what you may have heard, processor's are not required to pass that charge on to you.
• High number of complaints from former sales reps: Whenever I see a high number of complaints from sales reps, it tells me that the company is running a "churn and burn" type operation. The goal being to get as many commission-only independent or in-house sales agents under the Apex banner, then letting them loose. The focus becomes quantity over quality. That's always a bad recipe for the merchant because usually these reps aren't educated enough and end up signing you into bum deals due to the lure of a fat paycheck.

Verifiable Testimonials/References:
No verifiable testimonials on the Apex website.

Security/Privacy:
No on-site security features (i.e. McAfee, Security Metrics etc...). The security issue really depends on what kind of information the merchant account provider is collecting from you. If they require you to fill out a full digital application with sensitive info like SSN numbers, then they should definitely have some third-party security in place. Sometimes, and in the case of Apex Merchant Group, the initial contact form only requires some basic info, then the real application is taken care of by fax or later on through a secure online app.

Customer Service:
I haven't dealt with Apex's customer service, so it's difficult for me to make an assessment here. It doesn't look like they offer 24/7 support though. If you've been a customer of Apex Merchant Group, please let us know.

Contract Duration:
3-years (auto-renewing).

Cancellation Fee:
No less than $495.00 for each location including consequential damages and loss of profits, costs, expenses, and liabilities (see section #23 of the Apex Agreement). In other words, the cancellation fee can be whatever the hell they want it to be, but DEFINITELY not less than $495.00

Interchange-Plus Pricing:
Interchange-plus is offered by Apex.

Seasonal Downtime:
Seasonal downtime is also offered by Apex.

Product/Service Offering:
Retail (Credit/Debit), Online/e-Commerce Payments, Mail Order/Telephone Order (MOTO), Wireless, Check Processing, Gift & Loyalty, EBT.

Product/Service Specialty:
None.

Don't forget to leave your review and rating in the comment section.

How good would it feel to not have to pay any interchange fees? You know, that 2-7% that you pay your credit card processor every time you run a transaction. Well, Iowa based Dwolla can help with that.

Founded in 2009 by Ben Milne and growing at an enormous rate, Dwolla is looking to become THE alternative to a traditional merchant account.

I stumbled upon Dwolla last year, but wrote them off as another payments start-up which would eventually fizzle out. It appears that I was wrong, which is good news for all of us.

What is Dwolla and How Does it Work?

Dwolla is a cash-based payment network that works directly with your financial institution. It allows everyday people and/or business owners to transfer money into and out of each other's bank accounts either online or through a mobile device. No credit or debit card required. Instead of VISA or MasterCard, think Dwolla.

Here's a great video that explains things further...

And for all you business owners, check this one out...

There's a ton of other helpful info in their Support Center and on their Youtube channel, so get acquainted. These guys are gonna be around for a while.

How Much Does Dwolla Cost?

$0 for any transaction under $10, and $0.25 for any transaction over $10. That's it.

Example:
For a $9 transaction the Dwolla cost is $0.
For a $100 transaction the Dwolla cost is $0.25.
For a $1000 transaction the Dwolla cost is $0.25.

Got it?

Who's Using Dwolla?

This is the million dollar question. Why? Because both parties (customer and merchant) have to be registered with Dwolla in order for them to exchange money. Similar to Paypal, the process doesn't work if one of you isn't part of the Dwolla network.

As of Dec, 29th 2011, Dwolla had 70,000 users. They still have a long way to go before they become the go-to payment network, but they're growing at a rate that makes them a viable option for your business.

Btw, here's a list of all the businesses that currently accept Dwolla as a payment option. When will you be on that list?

Is Dwolla Safe?

Since there's no physical card involved with a Dwolla transaction, there isn't any card info to be stolen. That solves one part of the safety issue. Secondly, Dwolla never transfers, releases, captures or transcribes your financial information during a transaction. Visit the Security & Privacy page to learn more.

Note: There's always some security risk when you're dealing with payments. Money is an easy target. But the simple fact that a Dwolla transaction does not involve a credit/debit card at all, reduces that risk tremendously.

Conclusion

I'm always on the lookout for alternative payment methods that can either save you money or help you process more efficiently. At the very least, you should add Dwolla as an additional payment option...similar to Paypal. There might not be that many people using Dwolla now, but the user base is growing daily, and the savings you can see from even a few transactions will be well worth it. Especially if you sell big ticket items.

Let me know if you'd like me to put you in touch with someone at Dwolla.

Merchant Maverick's Rating: (3.5 out of 5)

Last Updated: January 27th, 2012.

Logo:

Overview:
In addition to its regular banking wing, Wells Fargo (WF) has a credit card processing division as well. If you're reading this review, then you probably already knew that. What you might not have known is that when you sign up for a merchant account through Wells Fargo, you're also signing up for an account with First Data. First Data acts as the payment processor for Wells Fargo, and Wells Fargo acts as the acquiring bank. It all sounds pretty confusing, but if you read this article, you'll understand it a bit better.

Putting that aside, the most important thing for you to remember is that Wells Fargo and First Data go hand in hand. So chances are, you'll at some point have to deal with both companies during your lifespan as a merchant.

Moving on...

I suggest you read the Common Complaints section below. That's where you'll find the most important info about Wells Fargo. Like the fact that they charge a $500 early termination fee, or that they have a tendency to push terminal leases and enhanced billback pricing. All of which add up to a not-so-great experience for you. If you plan on getting an account through WF, then I highly recommend you consult me first. At least I can walk you through the process and hopefully get you out of that $500 early termination fee.

One positive aspect to the Wells Fargo merchant account is that if you bank with them, then you can get your money deposited into your account the next day. Rather than the usual 48hrs+ that it takes for most other providers.

Wells Fargo Merchant Services gets a 3.5 out of 5.

Click Here If You Need Help Choosing a Provider

Date Established:
1999.

Location:
Several branches throughout the U.S.. Headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Domain Name(s):

• https://www.wellsfargo.com/biz/merchant/

Parent/Partner Company:
Wells Fargo is the Parent company.

Type:
Acquirer.

Acquiring Bank(s) (Acquirer):
Wells Fargo Bank.

Payment Processor(s):
First Data.

Payment Gateway(s):
Authorize.Net or First Data Global Gateway (formerly known as LinkPoint).

Do you need help setting up your payment gateway with your website? Click here.

Trust Symbols:
Since the credit card processing and regular banking divisions of Wells Fargo are under the same roof, the BBB profile doesn't really help us much. Here it is nonetheless. Just keep in mind that the complaints you see on that profile will be a mix of both regular banking customers, and those that have used Wells Fargo's merchant services.

Negative Reviews/Complaints:
You're going to have a tough time separating the complaints for Wells Fargo's regular business from their merchant services division, but you can do what I did. Search for "Wells Fargo Merchant Services complaints" or "Wells Fargo Merchant Services reviews." At least that way you can filter them a bit.

With that said, you can find some complaints here and here.

Common Complaints:
Here are some common problems that you may want to look out for...

• Expensive terminal lease contracts through First Data Global Leasing: Some merchants have complained about not being aware that they were signing into a 4-year terminal lease. The whole "not being aware" part can be chalked up to the merchant not fully understanding how leasing works. I personally think terminal leasing is unnecessary to begin with. If you're a small merchant, and you only need a few terminals, then why not just buy them? They don't cost much these days. Leases make sense for bigger organizations that need many terminals, and don't have the upfront capital to invest in buying them.
• Witholding of funds/termination of accounts: This can happen for a number of reasons. Chargebacks and/or suspicious charges can easily raise a red flag that will either get you suspended or shut down. Both First Data and Wells Fargo have been known to be a bit trigger happy when it comes to holding funds or terminating accounts. You're going to want to learn how to avoid holds and minimize chargebacks, if you plan on signing up with WF.
• Enhanced Billback: Wells Fargo and First Data are also known for using a billing technique called enhanced billback, which isn't the most transparent billing method. I plan on writing about it in the future, but in the meantime, you can learn about it here.
• High Cancellation Fee: If you want to cancel before your contract is up (3-years), then Wells Fargo will charge you a $500 cancellation fee. That's pretty steep considering there are plenty of other providers that don't charge a fee at all.
• Poor Customer Service: I really wouldn't expect much from such a large bureaucratic organization like Wells Fargo. You're usually a number, and not a name. Maybe they can prove me wrong.
• Increasing of Fees After Sign-Up: Although Wells Fargo has a right to increase fees, it's still a hard thing to swallow for any merchant. And judging by the number of complaints I've read about this matter, it seems WF likes to raise its rates frequently.

Verifiable Testimonials/References:
There aren't any testimonials on the Wells Fargo website that I could find, but when you're dealing with a company like WF, the name speaks for itself. Try to ask your sales rep for references. Specifically for businesses that operate in your same industry.

Security/Privacy:
The Wells Fargo online application is secured by Verisign.

Customer Service:
Existing customers get 24/7 service and support. The quality of that support on the other hand is questionable (see Common Complaints). Have you worked with Wells Fargo? Feel free to leave us your review. Don't forget to read the the user review and comment policy.

Contract Duration:
3-years.

Cancellation Fee:
$500.

Interchange-Plus Pricing:
Interchange-plus is offered by Wells Fargo, but good luck getting it on the first try. Most providers don't offer interchange-plus, unless they're asked for it. Even then, they may tell you that they won't be able to give it to you, or that it's "reserved for accounts that do a million or more a month, blah, blah, blah." If that happens to you, then just get an interchange-plus quote from another provider, and Wells Fargo will most likely match it...or they'll lose your business.

Seasonal Downtime:
Seasonal downtime is also offered by Wells Fargo.

Product/Service Offering:
Retail (Credit/Debit), Online/e-Commerce Payments, Mail Order/Telephone Order (MOTO), Wireless, Fraud and Risk Management, Recurring Payments, eCheck Processing, Gift & Loyalty, Point-Of-Sale (POS), Check Processing.

Product/Service Specialty:
None.

Don't forget to leave your review and rating in the comment section.

A virtual terminal is basically the web version of a physical credit card terminal or Point-of-Sale (POS) machine. It is a software application that is hosted online, usually on the service provider's servers, and can be accessed from any internet connected web-browser.

A virtual terminal will allow you to input your customer's credit card information directly into a web-based payment form, which you can then use to process an electronic transaction.

To get a visual idea of what a virtual terminal looks like, see the picture below:

(Click to Enlarge)

As you can see, the virtual terminal web-form looks pretty much like any payment form that you'd find on an eCommerce website.

You just fill out the required information, and hit the "Submit" button.

Historically, Mail Order or Telephone Order (MOTO) merchants were ideal candidates for a virtual terminal, since they don't have access to a physical credit card, but that has changed in recent months.

A few merchant account providers (like CDGcommerce) have begun offering a USB credit card reader that connects to your virtual terminal, so you can process card-present transactions right through your computer.

Here's an example of what one of those card reader's looks like:

So what you do is hook up this reader to your PC, which interacts with your virtual terminal. Then, when you want to process a payment where you have the actual physical credit card, you can just swipe it through the reader. Pretty cool!

The obvious advantage of using something like this is that you won't have to buy/rent/lease a traditional credit card terminal if you're only processing retail credit transactions without a signature. The downside of course, is that you can't collect signature's or accept debit transactions. At least, not yet.

As I mentioned above, I like the CDGcommerce USB reader option, but there are more and more providers that are starting to offer this service, so ask around.

Merchant Maverick's Rating: (3.5 out of 5)

Last Updated: October 30th, 2011.

Logo:

Overview:
Similar to Costco's credit card processing, Sam's Club also offers merchant account services to its members. And much like Costco, Sam's Club resells the services of another credit card processor, which in this case is First Data.

I'm not going to write a traditional review for Sam's Club's credit card processing, because I've already written one for First Data. And since a merchant account with Sam's Club means that you'll be signing up with First Data, then everything that applies to the First Data review, pretty much applies to Sam's Club.

Now that we've established that Sam's Club is just a reseller of First Data's services, what would be the benefit of going through Sam's Club? Well, on the surface it seems that Sam's Club members get "discounted rates" on their merchant accounts. But the truth is, that a merchant account through Sam's Club isn't as cost-effective as you might think.

There have been quite a few articles that have been written (here, here and here) which show that buying credit card processing services through membership warehouses like Costco and Sam's Club aren't exactly the "discounted" solutions that they claim to be. If you read those articles, you'll learn that although Sam's Club does a wonderful job of offering low prices on everyday goods, they aren't doing the same when it comes to merchant accounts.

With that said, I think you'll have a much better shot at saving money if you use a reputable comparison shopping engine like FeeFighters or CardFellow instead of Sam's Club.

In conclusion, I gave Sam's Club a lower score than First Data because I don't think that Sam's Club should be in the business of reselling credit card processing services. By doing so, they're just adding a layer between the merchant (You) and the processor (First Data), and that layer isn't really offering anything special, except for a little confusion.

Although offering merchant services is a great way for Sam's Club to make some extra money, there's isn't much of a benefit in it for you. If you already know what rate structure to ask for (interchange-plus), and what rates are fair, then you might as well go directly to First Data, OR go with another provider who's main business is credit card processing. Anybody that understands merchant account pricing, and is willing to negotiate will have a better chance of getting a superior deal than what Sam's Club is offering through First Data.

Stick with the wholesale goods Sam's Club. That's what we love you for.

Merchant Maverick's Rating: (3.5 out of 5)

Last Updated: October 29th, 2011.

Logo:

Overview:
Instead of using my traditional rating format for this review, I'm just going to give you a quick overview of Costco's merchant services. Mainly because of the fact that if you're getting a merchant account through Costco, then you're essentially getting a merchant account through Elavon (NOVA), and I've already written a full review for Elavon.

Costco is just a reseller of Elavon's services, so the only benefit that you'll get by going through Costco are the so-called "discounted prices" that Costco offers its premium members. But the truth is, that a merchant account through Costco isn't as cost-effective as it seems.

I won't get into the details of why Costco's "discounted prices" aren't really discounted at all, because that's already been covered here, here and here. The bottom line is that although Costco does a wonderful job of offering low prices on poultry and Playstations, they aren't doing the same with merchant accounts.

You'll have a better shot at saving money if you use a reputable comparison shopping engine like FeeFighters or CardFellow instead of Costco.

In conclusion, I gave Costco a lower score than Elavon because I don't think that Costco should be in the business of reselling credit card processing services. By doing so, they're just adding a layer between the merchant and the processor (Elavon), and that layer isn't really offering anything special, except for a little confusion. I've dealt with plenty of people that don't even realize that Costco isn't actually in the business of offering credit card processing services. Most of the time, those merchants have no idea that it's Elavon who's handling their account. Again...confusion.

If you know what rate structure to ask for (interchange-plus), and what rates are fair, then you might as well go directly to Elavon, OR go with another provider who's main business is credit card processing. Anybody that understands merchant account pricing will have a much better chance of getting a superior deal than what Costco is offering through Elavon.

Stick with the wholesale goods Costco. That's what we love you for.

A large majority of companies in the U.S. are considered small and medium sized businesses (SMBs). Most SMBs don't process any more than 20,000-1,000,000 (some much less) transactions per year, categorizing them as Level 4 merchants in the PCI world.

For those of you that have read my article on merchant risk levels, you'll know that Level 4 is the lowest tier, thus requiring the least amount of work for compliance. It's also the most vulnerable tier for hackers....go figure.

In this guide, I'm going to walk you through what you need to do to become compliant. I tried to keep it as short as possible, but not sure if I succeeded.

For Retail (Card-Present) Merchants

Scan Your System
Most credit card processors require proof that you've scanned your system for security threats, otherwise they'll charge you a monthly PCI non-compliance fee. So, make sure you comply with all the other steps below, then get scanned when you're ready for it. I've partnered with ControlScan, so I'm obviously going to recommend that you get your system scanned by them, but it's your call. There are plenty of other companies out there that offer scanning services. From what I've seen, ControlScan is pretty legit though.

Take the Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ)
I touch on the SAQ in my other PCI article, but as a brief overview, the self-assessment questionnaire will give you a basic idea of what requirements you need to follow in order to become PCI compliant. The SAQ will probably reiterate everything that I'm telling you now, but that doesn't mean that you can skip it. Much like the system scan, most processors require that you take the questionnaire, or else they'll assess a non-compliance fee.

Now, follow these steps:

For eCommerce (Card-Not-Present) Merchants

Follow every step in the list above (expect for #1. You obviously won't have a PIN pad or credit card terminal if you're strictly eCommerce.), and the following:

Get an SSL Certificate
An SSL certificate ensures that any sensitive data transmitted through your website is encrypted so as to protect that data. An obvious place that you would use an SSL would be on a payment page during checkout. There are a ton of SSL vendors out there, but if you're going to get your system scan at ControlScan, then you might as well pick up your SSL with them as well.

One thing that I'd like to point out is that a there are a few payment gateways out there that can alleviate your PCI requirements almost completely. The way it works is that they have a feature that allows you to conduct the entire transaction on the service providers own servers, not yours. That way, your own network isn't even involved in the transaction, thus absolving you from the need to maintain a secure network. Take a look at the CDGcommerce instant PCI page to see what I mean. They do a better job of explaining it than me.

In Closing

You can also visit the Small Merchants page on the PCI Security Standards Council website for more info.

Have poor credit? These days it's hard to find someone who doesn't.

I can't count how many emails I've received from merchants desperate to get a merchant account, but unable to do so because of their low credit score. The truth is that they can get a merchant account...they're just not looking in the right place.

Most processors have a low risk tolerance and aren't willing to accept merchants with bad credit...unless they can minimize the risk somehow. Below you'll find some ways that you can help alleviate that risk for them.

How to Obtain a Merchant Account Even w/ Bad Credit

There you have it! All is not lost when you have bad credit.