Understanding Payment Processing Statements

Owning an online business is not so easy and requires a great deal of knowledge and information. An online shopkeeper should be able to keep up to date with latest technologies and news, but should also be aware of several economical and technical details regarding the business. Most of the shop owners are not familiar with the payment processing statements and services and have a hard time in understanding several terms related to the issue.

Doing business online is synonymous with money transactions. The client that reaches the website and e-shop is ready to use a credit card, an online account, a service like PayPal or MoneyBookers and wire transfer. The vendor or the other hand is supposed to accept the payment and provide the desired products within a short period of time. The payment process is vital; there are several steps that are associated with the e-commerce regulations and facts. A conscientious shopkeeper should be aware of these facts and terms, in order to be able to deal with any potential issues.

Third party transactions: In some cases, e-shops accept Diners, American Express and electronic checks, which demand the existence of a third party transaction feature. Visa and Mastercard are the main payment methods used in e-commerce, but in the case of these cards different fees and different terms apply, thus they are not supposed to be stated in the total amount.

Total Amount Submitted: Almost all payment transaction statements have the total amount submitted section stated first. This refers to the basic income, the part of the total payment that stays with you and includes all the transactions that were submitted during the processing. In order to check if the amounts stated at the ‘total amount submitted’ are correct, you need to check if they match the income calculated from the sales total.

Interchanged Fees : The interchange fees are the fees that are mostly known as ‘credit card costs’ and are calculated based on the credit card used and the initial agreement with the card vendor. The Visa or Mastercard associations are the ones that maintain and process the card payments and the ones that set the limits of fees. Your payment processor has to pass these fees on to you and you usually pass that on to the client. The fees can be very low or nonexistent, depending on the association, but in most cases you will need to pay a fee.

A typical payment processing statement includes many more elements and features. The payment charges, the overall fees and the deposit or refund charges are some of the features you are most likely to come across with. Although it can be tough in the beginning, paying attention to the statements can give you a full idea of what is mentioned and stated.