How to Collect Upfront Payment Over the Phone
The more methods a merchant has to collect payments from customers the better. With the introduction of debit cards, our society is increasingly going cashless. To accept a payment by phone, a merchant will need a credit card acceptance terminal, or an Automated Clearing House (ACH) account. This allows a merchant to accept a check much in the same manner as a credit card. The customer no longer has to write a check and the merchant is assured of receiving payment for his goods or services.
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Instructions
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Draft a check from the customer's account by using an ACH provider such as Achworks.com. An ACH provider will provide a software or hardware interface that allows a merchant to take a call from the customer and gather the customer's bank routing number and check account number. The payment is processed like a paper check and the customer's bank receives an automated draft request.
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Take a payment over the phone using a credit or debit card. Most retail commercial bank accounts offer merchants an online or phone payment collection option. The customer provides the credit or debit card number, expiration date and the Card Verification Value number from the back of the card. The payment is processed and the merchant is charged the normal credit card transaction fee.
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Establish a merchant account with a major financial institution or use a regional provider of merchant account services. Companies such as PNC Bank or Wells Fargo offer credit card terminals. These terminals can either sit at the register or in some case, be portable. A customer calls and the merchant enters the information for either a check or credit/debit card and the payment is processed.
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