Accepting credit cards in business for the first time may appear a very complicated process. However, it is not as difficult as most people believe. This article offers a complete guide towards the whole credit card processing transaction. First, it is important to know that there are five different parties involved in the exchange of information, making the entire process appear simple.

A Guide to credit card processing for business

The five parties involved

The Cardholder – The person who holds the credit card account, also known as your customer.
The Merchant – The business (you) who accepts the cardholder’s credit card as payment.
The Issuer – The financial institution or organization issuing the credit to the cardholder.
The Acquirer – The financial institution or organization providing the merchant processing services.
The Card Association – The network (VISA, MasterCard, Discover, etc.) providing funding and authorization between the acquirer and issuer.

The process involved

When processing credit cards, card associations manage the flow of information and money between the five parties. Known as interchanging, it includes several steps that turn a simple sales transaction into cash in your bank account.

Authorization – The first step is authorization. When the cardholder presents a credit card to a merchant for payment, the acquirer checks with the appropriate issuer to verify the transaction amount and card number before processing the initial transaction. Those who have ever used your credit card to make an in-person purchase, you know this happens almost instantly.

Batching – After …