To accept credit cards through your store, you will have to set up an Internet Merchant Account (IMA) and a Payment Gateway.
The IMA is usually done through your bank but there are other solutions. There are also many choices for the payment gateway as well. Because the IMA and the Gateway has to integrate with your bank account and their are costs and fees associated with each of them, we think it is better for the client to obtain them.
The following illustration depicts how the transactions are handled.
Your Online Store |
Payment Gateway |
Internet Merchant Account
|

1. Your customer enters their credit card information in your online store.
2. The Payment Gateway encrypts data and securely sends it to your IMA.
3. The transaction is reviewed for authorization by the customer’s issuing bank.
4. The result is encrypted and sent back through the gateway.
5. You get the results and decide whether or not to fulfill the order.