Business owners evaluating different credit card processing solutions should carefully evaluate the sales volume that each solution can handle. In many cases, merchants are limited to a certain amount per month to prevent problems from occurring. Unfortunately, these merchant accounts are often limited to amounts as low as $5,000 per month. During a month of good sales, this could result in not being able to accept payment after a certain point in time.
1. Compare Limits
Businesses that are potentially sensitive to volatile monthly sales should be careful to find a provider that offers sales volume well in excess of monthly averages. Without this, businesses risk a catastrophic loss of revenue due to not being able to accept payment due to arbitrary limits. Therefore, businesses exposed to these risks should proceed carefully when attempting to pick the right merchant accounts.
2. Remember Other Criteria
While volume is certainly important, it still should not be the sole criterion by which a business decides on. Businesses should still carefully consider the terms of the agreement and avoid providers that do not fit their needs. Even if the provider is willing to offer a greater amount of monthly sales volume, the terms and conditions are still the most important factor. Weigh the costs associated with the increase in sales volume carefully before proceeding.
3. Talk to the Company
In most cases, a credit card processing company is willing to make exceptions in order to acquire a new customer. Businesses should take advantage of this by developing a close relationship with their account representative in order to develop a more effective partnership. Once this relationship has been nurtured, businesses can often convince a merchant account provider that they are worthy of higher monthly revenue limits. Without this, businesses are at risk of losing critical revenue unnecessarily.
4. Consider Collateral
Even if the credit card processing company is unwilling to bring up the revenue limit, in many cases they will reconsider if collateral is put forward. Since these companies rely on just a small portion of the revenue in order to break even, they are often quite wary of what they view as high-risk accounts. As with all debts, their risk can be greatly reduced by collateralizing the debt. Businesses can do this either by putting cash forward, offering valuable assets as collateral, or promising to be held liable for certain damages. By doing this, businesses are often able to increase their monthly revenue amounts permitted by their account provider.