Can I use a single merchant account if I have more than one ecommerce site? By regulation, you must have a different merchant account for each domain name.  The domain name, not the company name, must appear on consumer credit card statements. This is a field entered on the merchant application.  The main purpose is to reduce consumer confusion and thus reduce chargebacks.

What if you have single page checkouts on the same domain name?

For example, the merchant may sell something with a one page checkout. One page is mydomain.com/product1. Another is mydomain.com/product2. They do not link to a single shopping cart checkout for some internal reason. You could possibly use one merchant account for both web pages, provided it’s the same company and shares the same federal tax ID. In some cases the merchant may want to set up a separate terminal identification (TID) to assist in the reconciliation process. Each TID would have it’s own totals, but all the data appears on one merchant statement, under one merchant account. To set up TID’s, contact your merchant processor.

Non-profit organizations sometimes have this with fundraising on their web sites. The non-profit has multiple events and donor options each with a simple one page checkout specific to that event or donation. Provided the rules are met above, you can probably use one merchant account. Always check with your processor for confirmation of your situation.

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internet merchant account requirements

The requirements to open a merchant account vary by merchant industry, estimated dollar volume of payment processing and how you’ll accept credit cards. Part 2 of this series examines the retail merchant who will process under $1,500,000 annually.

Retail means that the customer will pay in person and you’ll swipe the credit card for payment.

The merchant SIC code is used to assign risk. The higher the risk, the more documents required to open a merchant account. The level of risk varies over time. For example, when the mortgage crisis hit, flooring and furniture stores were relegated to high risk because they are heavily tied to the housing market. Below are some general guidelines for what you can expect.

LOW RISK MERCHANT ACCOUNTS
These merchants provide the fewest documents. A simple example is:
- application
- schedule A pricing page
- voided check or bank letter
- recent processing statement, if existing business

MID-RISK MERCHANT ACCOUNTS- All of the above, plus:
- 2 recent consecutive months merchant statements

HIGH RISK MERCHANT ACCOUNTS- All of the above plus:
- 3 recent consecutive months merchant statements
- personal guarantee

Note: Some processors will require 2 years business financials for mid and high risk merchants. Additionally, the business and personal credit score may be used in in determining your approval. We highly recommend that you are upfront with your sales agent about your personal credit score. If under 700, additional documentation and a personal guarantee may be required at any level.

Common question- Why do I need to provide my social security on the merchant application?

Part 1 of the series answers What are requirements to open an internet merchant account?

I specialize in consulting and merchant account set up for those processing over $1,000,000 annually.

Is a merchant required to display the Visa logo? Yes. This is clearly outlined in the Visa Card Acceptance Guide. Merchants must display the Visa logo at the merchant location or on catalog, sale materials, or websites.

So, if you do not have the logo on your catalog order form, or your web site, you are not in compliance with card association rules. Refer to page 9 of the Card Acceptance Guide aka Card Acceptance and Chargeback Management Guidelines for Visa Merchants.

- link to Visa to download brand logos