A payment service provider is a merchant cash advanced service that processing debit and credit card payments through the internet. Also known as an e-business payment service provider, a payment service provider is a virtual gateway through which monetary transfers can be made from one merchant to another. Payment service providers may take the form of banks or online third-party payment processors.
Online payment service providers differ from offline payment service providers in a number of ways. The most important consideration is scalability. Offline payment service providers may provide extensive options for end users. However, online payment service providers have relatively inflexible options for end users.
An example of a flexible payment service provider is the bank. As a bank account service, a bank offers its customers various payment options like checks, drafts, cash, and ATM withdrawals among others. Through this option, customers can choose their payment method. In other words, they can specify what amount should be paid for each transaction. The bank may also set the terms and conditions under which a customer can make a payment through the bank.
On the other hand, online payment service providers do not have flexible payment methods. An online payment service provider can only process credit and debit cards as their main form of payment. This limits the amount of goods that a business trader can sell. For instance, suppose a trader wants to sell products ranging from clothes to gadgets. He can open an account with a local bank and use this credit or debit card to pay for the purchased goods. Once an order is placed, he would have to give the details of his debit account number and the credit account number of the buyer so that the goods could be transferred to his account.
However, this payment method is rather inconvenient. After all, the client has to keep all the bills relating to the purchase in his purse or wallet. This means that he has to bring the bills at the time of payment and pay the bill at the end of the month. Alternatively, if the client does not have access to his wallet, he would have to give the seller his credit card number, walk up to the seller’s store and present it as payment for the product. This would be rather time-consuming and cumbersome. So the question is how can a payment service provider avoid this inconvenience.
In fact, payment service providers have no compulsions other than the convenience for the clients. They will process payment for the goods sold either on the basis of the date received or the date due for delivery. Similarly, they will take the payment when the product is ready or upon receipt of the goods. If you want to pay for the services rendered by your vendor, you simply give the payment at the time of purchase and your work is done.
The payment service provider’s aim is to process the payments without delay. They will ensure that the payments are sent right away so that you do not need to worry about any extra costs to send the payments. The payment service provider will process the payments faster because it has a lot of software in place that makes the processing of payments faster. The payment service provider will charge you an upfront fee for their services. It is better to look for a service provider who does not charge an upfront fee because they will provide you with a discount based on the volume of work you need done.
A payment service provider will not charge a set monthly fee. They will charge an hourly fee for the hours they spend processing payments and will charge extra if extra work is required from them. For example, if you need to send three hundred and fifty emails to your vendors, your payment service provider should charge you only hundred dollars for three months. You can find out more about a payment service provider by visiting online forums and asking other businesses in your niche.