With so many different types of credit card processing equipment on the market these days, choosing the correct type for your business can be a daunting task. Before you get started there are a few questions you should ask yourself.

1. Will I be 'swiping' the cards through a terminal or will I be 'keying' them in because the card is not present?
   Most retail businesses have the ability to swipe the card because their customers are present at the time of the sale. These merchants should consider a traditional terminal and printer. However, some merchants will not have this luxury and may want a system that is more suited to their specific needs. Software packages are available if there is a PC at the business location. Otherwise a standard terminal and printer will work fine.
   
   
2. How many transactions a month will I be doing?
   Merchants who are doing more than a few transactions a day may want to consider a terminal with a thermal printer. Thermal printers are not only faster, but because they have less moving parts than a traditional dot matrix printer they are also less likely to fail. Thermal paper has come a long way in the last few years and is now much more resistant to fading and yellowing compared to old fashioned thermal fax paper. Some older model terminal and printer units now come in thermal versions for only a few dollars more.
   
   
3. Is there a phone line available at the business location?
   Most businesses have at least one phone line at their business location, and since credit card terminals can share the same line you use for your phone this is usually not a problem. However, some merchants such as tradeshow merchants may find it cost prohibitive to have a phone line installed at each location they travel to. For these merchants they should consider a wireless terminal that works similar to a cell phone.
   
   
4. Do I need a printer?
   Technically, merchants are not required to have a printer. However, considering there is usually only a small price difference between a stand-alone terminal and an integrated terminal and printer unit, it is a good idea to purchase a unit that has a printer built in. Adding a printer after the fact is usually more costly. You should check out our full price list and compare the prices of terminals to integrated units before buying.
   
   
5. Will I be accepting debit cards?
   For those merchants that think they will be accepting debit cards they should consider adding a PIN Pad to give their customers additional payment options.
   
   
6. How many merchant accounts will I have for my business?
   For almost all businesses the answer is one. However in some cases a business may have more than one. Some examples are businesses that do a large volume of phone order transactions and also do a large volume of swiped transactions. For these merchants there is a cost benefit to having a second merchant account. Also, some doctors and other professionals may share an office and run separate businesses out of the same space. These merchants may need an additional account for each business.