1) whats the purpose of a merchant account
A merchant account provides more control over your money
It gives the merchant their own descriptors
It gives the merchant more control over their scrub intensity and chargeback ratios
2) who uses it?
Any merchant that wants more control over his money, scrubs, chargebacks and/or wants his own descriptor
Any merchant that wants to pay less than 1/2 of what 3rd party billing charges
3) What are the costs around a merchant account
The merchant bank sets the merchants discount rate overall plus they have their own fees that include monthly minimum, annual, and per transaction .. *some charge a monthly statement fee application fee, others don't*
The gateway processor charges a per transaction fee also *some charge for things like customer service, fraud protection .. others don't*
If you have any more questions .. just ask
