Having the ability to accept credit cards as payment is basic to almost any online business. If you don’t have a merchant account or a credit card processor, how can you still accept online payments? Here are a few options you can choose from.
PayPal
PayPal is the most basic and most prevalent option for people without a merchant account. All you need to do is sign up for a PayPal account and you’re able to receive money from anyone else, even if they don’t have a PayPal account.
To do so, all you need is a personal bank account. You don’t need a business bank account or a business PayPal account.
PayPal Credit Card
You can also use PayPal as a credit card processor. You don’t need a premier, a business or a merchant PayPal account in order to use it as a payment processor.
To use PayPal to process credit cards, go to “Merchant Services” at the top of your PayPal’s main page. Select “Create a Buy Button” from the options presented.
Follow the on-screen instructions. You’ll then create a purchase button. You can either post the PayPal buy button on your page, or you can click on “Email Link” to get the link that goes directly to the purchase page. This allows you to use your own custom button, post your purchase in a link, or email your purchase link.
When someone clicks on that link, they will be taken to a purchase page and be given the option of using PayPal to pay, but they can also pay with a credit card on that page as well. In other words, you can take credit card payments using PayPal even if the other person doesn’t have a PayPal account.
2 Check Out
Another option to use is 2 Check Out. They are basically a payment processing service that takes money from customers and sends them to you for a fee. They take out both an up-front set-up fee and a per-transaction fee.
Using 2 Check Out has its benefits and drawbacks. If you can’t use any other payment processing option, they can be a godsend as they enable you to accept take credit cards. On the other hand, their fees are higher than both PayPal and typical merchant accounts.
ClickBank
For digital and downloadable only products, one great option is ClickBank. ClickBank allows you to take payments through their system, then get your payments via check or direct deposit.
ClickBank has a $49 set-up fee and a per-transaction fee. The difference between ClickBank and other options is that they’re also an affiliate management platform and can often draw a large number of affiliates to a great product. In other words, they can help you make money in addition to processing your money.
These are a few of the main options for taking credit card payments online if you don’t have a merchant account.