If you have ever looked into accepting credit cards for your business, you might have heard of “batch processing” or the process of submitting your credit card transactions in “batches.” If you don’t have a lot of experience in the world of accepting credit cards, however, you might not understand what this term means. This is just a simple explanation of what batch credit card processing is and why it is so important to understand what it is.
What is Batch Credit Card Processing?
When you accept someone’s credit card at your place of business, the individual’s card information is temporarily saved in your credit card machine. Although the transaction will be “pending” on the customer’s end, the money will not be transferred into your account just yet.
Batch processing includes sending through multiple credit card transactions at one time, rather than each time that you accept a card. You can do this at any time of day that you want to, and you can even send through a “batch” each time that you accept a card. Most business owners find that it’s smart to send through a batch at the end of each shift or at the end of the business day.
Why Should You Submit Your Credit Card Transactions in Batches
You could be wondering why you would wait to send your transactions until the end of the day. However, sending them through in batches can save you a lot of money. Usually, companies that handle merchant accounts charge a separate fee for each batch. This means that the fewer batches that you send through, the more money that you can save on processing fees. This can add up to major savings throughout the course of the average business day or month, and you’ll still be receiving your credit card payments in a timely manner.
How to Process Your Credit Card Transactions in Batches
The process of processing your credit card transactions in batches is easy, but it will vary based on the company that handles your merchant accounts. Check the owner’s manual for your credit card machine, or ask a representative from your credit card company. This will help you save as much money as possible on fees.
If you haven’t yet looking into it, you should make sure that you aren’t sending bathes through too frequently. As you can see, processing your transactions in individual batches is a wonderful way to save money.