Credit Card Overview
Accepting credit cards online
is not too difficult, but it will help you immensely to
understand the mechanics which facilitate these transactions.
There are 3 basic components
which you will need and should know about:
- A
Merchant Account
- An
Internet Gateway
- An
Ecommerce Enabled Website
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Here is a diagram which show
you how they all interact:

In the diagram, above, a buyer
enters his credit card information on an ecommerce enabled
website. The website then transmits his credit card
information and transaction information to a gateway provider.
The gateway provider attempts to charge the credit card for
the amount of purchase, and sends the results back to the the
website. If it's a successful charge, the gateway deposits the
funds into a merchant account, where the money is made
available to you.
We will examine merchant
accounts and gateways more in depth in future lessons.
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