Merchant services: a guide for pros
What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.
Offering merchant services
Merchants want simple, honest pricing and reliable equipment. Full disclosure of fees and terms sets you apart in a field full of confusing statements.
What customers ask
- What are all the fees?
- Is there a contract length?
- How fast do I get my money?
- What if a customer disputes a charge?
- Who owns the equipment?
How to win the job
- Ask how the business takes payments and the average sale before explaining options
- Put every fee type in a written summary the customer can keep
- Offer to review the customer's current statement and explain it
- State contract length and cancellation terms in plain words
- Explain chargebacks and what the merchant should keep as evidence
- Describe your support hours for equipment problems
What to put on your profile
- Payment types you support: in person, online, mobile
- Industries you serve
- Support hours and contact method
- Your plain language fee summary
Follow-up that helps the customer
- Offer a yearly review of statements and fees
- Offer upgrade options when business needs change
- Send security reminders on handling card data
Licenses and permits
Follow payment network and bank rules, and check whether your state requires registration for sales agents or independent sales organizations.
Questions
Should I list fees in writing?
Yes. Give a full fee schedule before the customer signs.
What should I tell a customer about equipment?
Whether they own or lease it and what it costs to end the lease.
Pro reviewers
Pros who offer merchant services remotely can improve this guide, like Wikipedia. We check every edit before it goes live. Every approved edit is credited in the edit history and on the pro's profile.
Edit history
- Oct 29, 2026: Drafted by infinibell to our content guidelines.
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