Credit Card Processing Options For Home-based Business Owners

Well, now you can thanks to e-commerce and the internet. Are you the owner of a home based business that wants to be able to accept credit cards payments from clients or customers, without all the high fees that typically go along with it?

Special Options for Home-Based Businesses

With proper research you will be able to find that many merchant account providers also now have special packages for the specialized industry of home-based businesses. No one knows your business like you do. Therefore, you should carefully research any and all possibilities before making a decision on what way is the best to accept credit card payments for services rendered. Though there are pros and cons to be weighed and considered, the option of being able to accept credit cards from clients and customers is a huge convenience for you both.

For home based business owners, it has been a difficult and lengthy process in the past to receive payments from clients or customers; but by having a merchant account, you can now accept payments through a banking institute, independent sales organization, or by a third party such as PayPal. Home-based businesses must be approved in order to establish a true merchant account through a banking institute or independent sales organization. An underwriting process is necessary, and it will also involve using your personal credit rating, and this will be reviewed and evaluated. Many merchant account providers offer high approval rates, and special account options for home-based businesses.

Receiving Funds From Credit Card Payments

When the process is completed the home-based business owners can automatically deposit funds received from credit card payments directly into their account. There are fees that are charged by an Independent sales organization or banking institute, and while they are not as low as the third party provider they are often worth the ability of accepting credit cards. With higher sales volumes, the fees charged by Independent Sales organizations or banking institutes will be less compared to the third party providers-so you have yet another incentive for increasing your business!

Third Party Providers

When using a third party provider, the funds will get deposited into the merchant account, and then you can transfer it to your account. The entire process may take up to several days. Additionally, using a third party provider means you run the risk of never receiving the funds from your transactions, as they are often fraudulent businesses.

Merchant Accounts Through Banks

There are both positives and negatives associated with a merchant account through a banking institute, as well. Some advantages include the fact that banks are considered to be secured and dependable, and fees associated with setting up your merchant account are considerably lower for the long-standing business owner and owners with good credit. Many banking institutions do not like to open merchant accounts for a business seeking to accept credit cards over the internet. You will have to go and speaking informatively about your business and your goals and why it would be profitable for you to be able to accept payments on line. Banking institutions are more likely to close a merchant account if there are any charge backs.

Independent Sales Organizations

These types of organizations will charge higher fees and you do need to watch them carefully to make sure that you do not pay for the same fees over and over again, but they can be a good option for people and businesses that are otherwise unable to accept credit cards. Independent Sales Organizations accept businesses that wish to collect online payments and they do accept high risk businesses. Independent Sales Organizations go through a bank for the merchant account. Business owners wishing to open a merchant account with less than perfect credit typically use Independent Sales Organizations.

Be sure to ask questions up front about any fees that may be associated with obtaining a merchant account. Most of the merchant accounts have done away with all the application, set up, monthly and annual fees. Many merchant accounts that are now available for the home-based business owners have a high approval rate, and most are approved within twenty-four hours.

Cheap Home Insurance Companies Online In Alabama

Here 's how: Do you know why it is so much cheaper to buy your home insurance each and every month?

If your insurance company doesn't have the expense of sending you a bill every month then they can pass that savings on to you. Start by paying your premium automatically every month, directly from your bank account.

Making your home more burglar-proof will also save you money. Did you know that you can save money every month if you trim bushes back away from your windows, add motion-sensitive floodlighting around your property and make sure that every exterior door has a working deadbolt lock?

Making your home safer from possible injury-related claims can also save you money. Let your agent know that you have repaired all lose floorboards on porches and decks, that you have replaced all broken or buckled concrete walkways, and that you have filled in all potholes around your property.

If anyone who is retired is living in your home full-time that can also save you money every month since having someone in the house most of the time makes your home safer from fires and other potential problems.

Buying a home security system that monitors your home around the clock and reports directly to police and fire departments can save you 20% or more every single month. Just be sure to discuss your plans with your agent first because some systems won't qualify for the full 20% discount.

If you have a home-based business you may be able to save even more if your home security system qualifies for a tax deduction; speak with your tax advisor about this possibility. Doubling your deductible from $500 to $1,000 can save you up to 30% on the cost of your home insurance month after month. Of course, make sure you can afford to pay the increase in your deductible should you ever have a claim before you make the increase.

And, of course, buying your insurance online will save you a ton of money every month. In order to get the very best price online you can't rely on the prices you find at just one of the price comparison websites - you'll need to make your price comparisons on at least 3 different websites in order to guarantee that you are seeing every price possible.

But once you've done that your job is basically done - simply choose the lowest price you've found, knowing that you will now be saving money month after month for many years to come. Homeowners in Alabama overwhelmingly want to protect their homes with homeowner 's insurance, but few, if any, of them want to pay more than they have to for their insurance. I'm sure everyone is already aware that if you want to get your home insurance at the best price possible the only way to do so is to buy it online - but did you know that there are several rather simple things almost any homeowner can do that will save them even MORE?

For example, if you can pay your premiums yearly, rather than monthly, you can save money. If you can't afford to pay all of your premiums in one chunk then set it up so your premiums are paid automatically every month from your checking or savings account. If your insurance company doesn't have to send you an expensive bill every month they reward you with a nice savings.

If there is anyone who is retired living in your home let your agent know. Having someone home most of the time will also save you money.

If you add a few motion-sensitive floodlights around your property, install deadbolt locks on all exterior doors and make sure that every window has a working lock you could save even more on your insurance every month.

Buying a simple kitchen-rated fire extinguisher and mounting it in your kitchen can save you money, too.

Many people choose to purchase a home protection system that monitors their home 'round-the-clock for the peace of mind it can provide them. But did you know that many home protection systems can also save you 20% or even more on your homeowner 's insurance each and every month?

And did you also know that you might qualify to save even more on your home security system if you have a home-based business and you are able to write a portion of the system off on your taxes?

Doubling your deductible from $500 to $1000 can save you as much as 25% or sometimes even 30% on your monthly premium.

If you are absolutely confident that your home is not in any flood danger you can save money by foregoing the purchase of flood insurance.

This option should be weighed carefully. Most policies in Alabama limit wind damage coverage unless you are willing to pay extra. A somewhat more risky way to save money is to forego the purchase of any additional wind damage protection.

If you want to insure that you are seeing as many different prices as possible then you'll want to make your price comparisons on more than one site, but once you've done that your only "job" will be to pick the lowest price you have found. There are many websites that allow you to compare prices on home insurance from different insurance companies. And, of course, the main way to save money on your home insurance is to buy it online.

Man, That Stinks!

I mean it really sucks! It stinks. It seemed like everything was going so good too, now this happens.

I could easily make my car payments on my new Lexus, my wife didn't have to work, my two kids just started first grade (yes, they are twins), and things were just going well, and now this. I had a good job that paid me plenty of money. But I wasn't worried. You know all you see on the news negative reports about the economy and the housing gas prices going up and all these problems, right?

I won't mention names but it won't be too hard to figure out. There are several large corporations that are laying off people by the tens of thousands and shutting down production plants. I actually didn't work for one of these companies but I did supply them with parts and now they don't have any need for those parts.

To top it off, my boss got in a car accident and since things were looking bleak anyway they decided to offer us the option of leaving the company, or accepting a 33% pay cut! I opted for the latter and now I am hurting. I turned in my Lexus for a six-year-old used car with lesser payments but I still have to make some payments on the Lexus for a couple of months to cover the deficit.

I started one of these home-based business things to try to get things going but they are just not what they seem to be. They make all kinds of promises of instant cash but all I've seen is instantly going out of my wallet. I tried another one, and then another one and I'm actually making a couple of bucks, but it 's nothing like they promised.

But here 's the kicker-after all that, my car got towed because it was illegally parked. In order to save money I had canceled every possible aspect on my insurance, including towing. Because they ended up towing it over 25 miles, I needed to come up with 275 bucks to get my car back!

How am I going to get a loan for $275? It was a stupid thing to go to the bank and ask them, they just laughed at me. I didn't want to call my father-in-law because it would look really stupid. My credit cards are already maxed out and I don't get paid for two more weeks. Try living without a car for two weeks!

I did the only thing I could figure out to do-get a payday loan. I was nervous about doing this because I've heard all kinds of bad things about interest rates and everything. But my experience wasn't that bad. I went to this company: www.QuickPaydayLending.com and they found someone in my area to loan me the money. They were very up front with the rules and regulations and wanted to make sure I was using this for emergency purposes only. There were no high-pressure tactics and it was all very professional.

I had the money I needed in my bank account in less than eight hours. Normally they go from as little as one hour to as much 24 hours but I was glad to get it in eight. I got my car back and got back to work. As soon as my paycheck came two weeks later my loan was paid off and only cost me about 35 bucks (your rate might be different). I did not have to tell my family and I did not have to put it on a credit card. Phooey on the banks anyway, I'll never go there again as it was a waste of time.

My experience turned out to be quite good. In fact I think things are looking up because if I hadn't done that, I would?ve probably lost my job altogether. Now I don't recommend someone using a payday loan for anything other than emergencies, but in some cases they can be the best thing there is. In fact in some cases are the only thing you can do.

Best of all my confidence back. I didn't have to fax in any documentation and did it all online, in total privacy. They don't do credit checks on you, but they also don't help you with your credit either so don't be fooled.

I'm going to do it! You know what? Maybe I should approach the owners about becoming a manager of this branch.