Choosing an acquirer

Before you sign a processing contract with an acquirer, consider the following: 

  • Compare the rates and fees offered by competing acquirers to find the best fit. 
  • Be sure your acquirer understands your business. 
  • Make sure the contract has the name of the acquirer clearly identified. 

Have your info ready

Basic business information: Name, type of business, address, phone number and establishment date.

Processing information: Estimate how much you expect to process, and how you’ll be processing (face-to-face, online, etc.).

Identification numbers: Federal Tax ID (if you have one) and your social security number.

Bank information: Business bank account and routing number. 

Understanding fees and rates

Merchants typically pay a "merchant discount" to their acquirer, which is negotiated between the two parties. The cost of processing services provided by the merchant’s acquirer may be included in the merchant discount rate, which is typically a percentage rate per transaction.  

Accepting Visa for bill payment

Accepting Visa for bill payment can potentially lower outstanding receivables, improve cash flow, and reduce collection costs and bad debt. You collect the full amount for the transaction, often sooner than with a mailed payment with no risk of bad cheques or delays. 

Get access to Visa marketing materials 

Visa has developed turnkey creative assets to help communicate the benefits of mobile point-of-sale, including video endorsements, web pages, how to guides and more.  

Use Visa for your business needs

Merchants can take advantage of the Visa payment products created specifically for business owners, including credit and debit cards.  

You may also apply for an unsecured line of credit with a financial institution to be able to use Visa branded products. With the Visa Business line of credit-considered a revolving, or ’evergreen’ line-you don’t need to re-apply every year as you would with a traditional bank line of credit.