You’re losing sales when customers can’t pay the way they want. Cash-only doesn’t cut it anymore, and neither does a system that nickel-and-dimes you with hidden fees or holds your money hostage for days.
When your payment processing works right, you get paid the next business day. Your customers can use credit cards, debit cards, digital wallets, fleet cards—whatever they’re carrying. You’re not stuck on hold when something goes wrong, and you’re not squinting at statements trying to figure out what you’re actually being charged.
The difference shows up in your cash flow. Funds hit your account faster. You’re not turning away business because you can’t take Apple Pay or because your card reader quit working. You’ve got someone who picks up the phone when you call, explains what’s happening in plain language, and fixes problems before they cost you money.
We started helping businesses accept payments back in 2007. We’re a registered ISO of PNC Bank, and we work with small businesses across Northern Virginia who need payment systems that don’t overcomplicate things.
Burke’s business community includes everything from retail shops to service companies to fleet operations. That variety matters because cookie-cutter processing doesn’t work when a landscaping company has different needs than a restaurant or a contractor. We evaluate what you’re actually doing, what you’re actually processing, and build something that fits.
You’re not getting shuffled to a call center overseas or waiting three days for an email response. When you’ve got a question about a transaction or your equipment stops working, you’re talking to someone who knows your account and can actually help.
First, we look at what you’re processing now—transaction volume, average ticket size, what types of payments you’re taking. That tells us what equipment makes sense and what pricing structure actually saves you money instead of just sounding good on paper.
Then we handle the application. Merchant processing applications are tedious and written in processor language that doesn’t make sense to normal humans. We fill out what needs filling out, explain what you’re signing, and get you approved without the runaround.
Once you’re approved, we get your equipment installed and your system tested. You’ll process a few test transactions to make sure everything connects properly. We walk you through the daily stuff—how to run a transaction, how to handle refunds, how to close out your batch at the end of the day.
After that, you’re live. Funds from transactions typically hit your account the next business day. If something breaks or you’ve got questions about a chargeback or you need to add another terminal, you call us. We’re available around the clock, including weekends, because payment problems don’t wait for business hours.
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You get credit card processing for all major cards—Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover. Debit cards, obviously. Digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and the newer ones like Cash App Pay and Venmo that more customers are using.
Fleet card processing is a big one for Burke businesses, especially with the number of contractors, landscapers, and service companies operating in Fairfax County. Fleet cards like WEX, Fuelman, and Voyager work differently than regular credit cards, and if your processor doesn’t handle them right, you’re leaving money on the table or turning away commercial customers.
Wireless payment acceptance matters when you’re mobile—if you’re running a food truck, doing on-site service calls, or working events. You’re not tethered to a landline or dependent on sketchy WiFi. Online payment acceptance covers you for web orders, invoicing, and phone payments when customers aren’t standing in front of you.
Gift card programs and loyalty card programs help you keep customers coming back and give them a reason to choose you over the next guy. You control the program, you keep the customer data, and you’re not paying some third-party platform to own your customer relationships.
You’ll see a percentage rate on each transaction—that’s your discount rate, usually between 1.5% and 3.5% depending on the card type and how you process it. Debit cards are cheaper than credit cards. Cards you swipe or tap are cheaper than cards you key in manually.
Then there’s a per-transaction fee, typically 10 to 30 cents per transaction. Some processors charge a monthly service fee, a statement fee, or a PCI compliance fee. Those should be clearly listed, not buried in fine print.
The real problem is hidden fees that show up later—things like batch fees, gateway fees, early termination fees, or “non-qualified” surcharges that jack up your rate when certain cards get processed. Before you sign anything, ask for a complete fee schedule in writing. If they won’t give you one or they say it depends, that’s a red flag. You should know exactly what you’re paying before you process your first transaction.
Next business day is standard for most processors, including us. You close your batch at the end of the day—usually when you lock up or finish your last transaction—and funds deposit the following business day.
Weekends and bank holidays push things back. If you close your batch Friday night, you’ll typically see funds Monday or Tuesday depending on your bank. Some processors hold funds for two or three days, especially when you’re new or if you’re in a high-risk industry. That’s worth asking about upfront.
There are also reserve requirements some processors impose—they hold back a percentage of your sales for 90 or 180 days as a safety net against chargebacks. That kills your cash flow. If you’re a normal retail or service business with steady sales and low chargeback rates, you shouldn’t be dealing with reserves. If a processor wants to hold your money, find out why and get it in writing.
Yes, and you should if you work with commercial customers or contractors. Fleet cards like WEX, Fuelman, Voyager, and Shell Fleet Plus are used by businesses to manage fuel and vehicle expenses. The fleet card market is growing fast—it’s expected to more than double by 2032—so more of your customers are carrying them.
Fleet cards require different processing because they capture additional data like odometer readings, driver IDs, or vehicle numbers. Your terminal needs to be set up to prompt for that information, and your processor needs to support fleet card acceptance. Not all of them do, and if yours doesn’t, you’re either turning away commercial customers or processing fleet cards as regular credit cards, which costs you more in fees.
The benefit for you is access to commercial customers who spend more per transaction and come back regularly. The benefit for them is simplified expense tracking. If you’re in automotive, fuel, transportation, or any service business that works with fleets, fleet card processing should be part of your setup from day one.
You call us and we get you back up and running. If it’s a simple fix—connection issue, settings problem, user error—we walk you through it over the phone. Most problems get solved in under 10 minutes.
If the equipment is actually broken, we send a replacement. Depending on your service agreement, that’s either a swap at no charge or a replacement at cost. We keep common equipment in stock so you’re not waiting a week for something to ship from a warehouse in another state.
The bigger issue is downtime. Every hour your card reader isn’t working is lost sales. That’s why we offer 24/7 support including weekends. You’re not stuck waiting until Monday morning because your terminal died on a Saturday afternoon. We also support wireless payment acceptance as a backup—if your main terminal goes down, you can still process transactions on a mobile device until the replacement arrives.
Not necessarily. Most modern merchant services include online payment acceptance as part of the package, either built into your point-of-sale system or through a payment gateway that connects to your website or invoicing software.
If you’re taking orders online, sending invoices via email, or doing phone orders where you key in card numbers, you need a way to process those card-not-present transactions securely. That’s what a payment gateway does—it encrypts the card data, sends it for authorization, and returns an approval or decline.
Some gateways lock you into using a specific processor, which eliminates your ability to shop around for better rates later. That’s called a gateway lock, and it’s something to watch for. You want a setup where you control the gateway or where switching processors doesn’t mean rebuilding your entire online payment system. We set you up with systems that give you flexibility, not handcuffs.
The main one is access. When something goes wrong or you need equipment or you’ve got questions about a chargeback, you’re dealing with someone who knows your business and can actually help. You’re not navigating a phone tree or getting transferred to three different departments.
We understand the Burke and Northern Virginia business landscape. We know the industries operating here, the seasonal patterns, the types of transactions local businesses are processing. That context matters when we’re recommending equipment or setting up your pricing structure.
There’s also accountability. We’re not a faceless national company that can jerk you around with impunity. Our reputation in this community matters. If we provide bad service or hit you with hidden fees, word gets around fast. That keeps us honest and responsive in ways a 1-800 number never will.
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