What is the Best Irish Credit Card Processing Company?

If you have a small business, you probably want to be able to take credit cards. They allow your customers to be more flexible about what's on their shopping lists, and you don't have the worries you might about bounced cheques. If you are a small or home based business, you may have to pay fees at a higher rate than a large or established business.

In general, the length of time you've been in business, and the percentage of sales you make over the internet or phone, and the type of business you're in will affect the rates and fees you will have to pay card processing services. For home and small businesses, rates of 2.25 to 3% are typical. There are processing companies that will ask 5%, but you shouldn't accept it unless all other possibilities for a lower rate have been exhausted.

Three options for credit card processing in Ireland are PayPal, Realex, and USBSwiper.com

If you already have a PayPal account, you can set up with their Pro Solutions service and take credit cards online. It is really easy to do, but you may balk at the fees you pay. However, if you don't need to process very many online credit card orders, it could be worthwhile.

Realex Payments has offices in Dublin, London, and Paris, and does payment processing for over 3,000 clients. Realex specializes in payment processing for online businesses, and works with Aer Lingus, Virgin Atlantic, and Vodafone. You can apply online and Realex will get in touch with you about what they can offer you and the pricing schedule.

USBSwiper.com bills itself as an affordable wireless credit card processing solution. USBSwiper uses equipment you already have with a USBSwiper card reader. USBSwiper charges a flat transaction rate for all the major credit cards of between 2.2% and 2.9% depending on the monthly volume of credit card charges.

Accepting credit cards at your small business is really a necessity these days. People pay with plastic more than ever, and they want to shop at places where they have the flexibility of paying with a credit or debit card. Yes, as a small business, especially if you're new, you will most likely pay higher fees and rates than merchant accounts of businesses that are long established. Whatever credit card processor you choose, if they offer a low introductory rate schedule, make sure you understand all the terms and conditions. You could be locking yourself into a long term commitment with rates that will go way up once the introductory period is over.