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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Today’s inquiry is where can I get a merchant account with no monthly fees? The question is for a new non-profit 501c3 with less than $25,000 annual projected in credit card processing. The group needs a both a virtual terminal and online donation capability.

Answer: I don’t know any suppliers with zero monthly fees that would meet the requirements for the specifications above. My recommendation is to get a paypal Website Payments Pro account for $30 per month. The non-profit rates for the volume are as good as it gets. You’re going to pay fees whether it’s higher monthly and low rate or low monthly and high rates. I think Paypal offers some benefits for newbies with their instant online donor form, and the contract is month to month.

Step by step on paypal:

>Payment Solutions

>Accept Credit cards non-profit

>Sign up for a PayPal Business account If you don’t need a virtual terminal, you’ll select business/standard account/type of business, non-profit.

Discounted fees for nonprofits with 501 (c)(3) status

More than $100,000 in monthly volume: 1.9% + $.30 per transaction

Less than $100,000 in monthly volume: 2.2% + $.30 per transaction

There is no monthly fee. All other nonprofits are charged regular transaction rates. Discounted rates do not apply to transactions made using Website Payments Pro or Virtual Terminal.

If you need a virtual terminal, you’ll select Business>website payments pro.

• $30 monthly fee
• 2.2% - 2.9% + $0.30 USD per transaction

Note- fees are likely to go up again in April 2010, as a result of the bi-annual interchange update.

For a new non-profit you need to estimate how many transactions you’ll have a month, and a dollar volume. Assume 50% of your transactions will be a the lowest quoted CARD NOT PRESENT rate. Assume 50% will be at the highest quoted ECOMMERCE rate. This is a general guideline to help you compare different options you may be considering.

The above information does not apply to larger volume non-profits. Click this link for related article:

industry insider reviews merchants fees for non-profits

The recession continued to take a deep toll on New Jersey non-profits in 2009, and the outlook for 2010 remains uncertain, according to a new report released by the Center for Non-Profits. New Jersey Non-Profits 2010: Trends and Outlook is the latest in a series of surveys by the Center to gauge trends, experiences and projections of New Jersey non-profit organizations. The survey provides further evidence of how the recession has been stretching the state’s charitable community. Full report available at New Jersey non-profits 2010 report.