You’re probably paying more than you should for credit card processing. Most businesses in Chevy Chase are—especially if you’ve been with the same processor for years without renegotiating rates.
Here’s what changes when your payment processing actually works for you: transactions clear faster, your effective rate drops, and you stop losing money to outdated equipment or unnecessary fees. You get next-day funding instead of waiting three to five days for your money. Your staff stops calling support because the system freezes or declines cards that should go through.
The difference isn’t just operational. When 56% of small business owners say cash flow is an ongoing problem, getting paid faster and keeping more of what you earn matters. You’re not looking for fancy features you’ll never use. You want reliability, transparent pricing, and someone who answers the phone when something goes wrong.
We’ve been doing this since 1992, working with businesses across Maryland and throughout the country. Our headquarters is in Annapolis, which means we understand the local market—what businesses in Chevy Chase deal with, what your customers expect, and how to set up processing that matches your volume and transaction types.
We’re a registered ISO of PNC Bank and BBB accredited. That’s not marketing language—it means we’re held to banking-level security standards and we’ve committed to resolving complaints fairly. When you’re handling transactions for clients in one of the most affluent zip codes in the country, that level of accountability matters.
You’ll work with people who’ve seen thousands of merchant accounts. We know what works and what doesn’t, and we’ll tell you straight.
First, we review your current processing statements. Most businesses don’t realize what they’re actually paying once you factor in all the fees. We break it down so you can see exactly where your money goes.
Then we look at how you accept payments—in person, online, mobile, or all three. If you run a professional services firm in Chevy Chase, your needs are different than a retail shop or a restaurant. We design the setup around your transaction patterns, not a one-size-fits-all package.
We handle the equipment installation and integration with your existing systems. If you use specific accounting software or need fleet card processing for company vehicles, we make sure everything connects properly. You get training on the system, access to 24/7 support, and a direct line if something needs attention.
After you’re up and running, we stay involved. Rates change, technology improves, and your business grows. We review your account regularly to make sure you’re still getting the best setup for what you’re doing now—not what you were doing two years ago.
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You get full credit and debit card processing, including contactless payments—which 85% of consumers now prefer. That covers in-person transactions at your location.
For online payment acceptance, we set up secure processing through your website. If you send invoices, your clients can pay directly from the invoice link. Mobile and wireless payment acceptance works for businesses that process transactions off-site or need flexibility to accept cards anywhere.
Fleet card processing handles fuel and vehicle expenses if you manage company vehicles. Gift card programs and loyalty card programs give you tools to bring customers back without running separate systems. We also handle check acceptance with verification, which still matters for certain industries and client preferences in this area.
The goal is one integrated system. You’re not juggling multiple platforms to manage how you get paid, how you track transactions, and how you handle customer incentives. Everything runs through one processor, which means one statement, one point of contact, and one place to troubleshoot if needed.
There’s no universal rate because your cost depends on your transaction volume, average ticket size, and whether you’re card-present or card-not-present. But you should know your effective rate—that’s your total monthly fees divided by your total monthly volume.
Most businesses pay between 2.5% and 3.5% as an effective rate. If you’re over 4%, you’re likely paying too much. If someone quotes you under 2%, read the fine print—there are usually hidden fees or conditions that push your real cost higher.
In Chevy Chase, where average transactions tend to run higher than typical retail, you should be on interchange-plus pricing, not tiered pricing. That means you pay the actual card network fee plus a small fixed markup. It’s transparent and almost always cheaper once your average ticket is above $50. We’ve moved clients from 6.95% down to 3.46% just by switching to interchange-plus and removing junk fees.
The actual switch takes about one to two weeks from the day you sign up to the day you’re processing on the new system. Most of that time is backend setup—underwriting approval, equipment ordering, and integration testing.
Your involvement is minimal. You’ll need to provide some business documentation for underwriting, decide on equipment, and schedule a time for installation or setup. If you’re doing online payment acceptance, there’s a bit more coordination to integrate with your website, but it’s still straightforward.
The bigger question is usually about your current contract. Many processors lock you into multi-year agreements with early termination fees. We review your existing contract before you commit to anything. If there’s a penalty, we’ll tell you exactly what it is so you can decide whether the savings justify switching now or waiting until your term ends. In many cases, the monthly savings cover the termination fee within a few months.
No, any modern terminal we install handles all three—swipe, chip, and contactless. You don’t need separate devices for different payment types.
The equipment matters more than most businesses realize. Older terminals cause problems—cards get declined unnecessarily, chip readers fail, and contactless doesn’t work at all. When only 43% of card transactions complete without assistance, outdated equipment is often the culprit.
We recommend terminals that are fast, reliable, and support future payment technologies. That means when new payment methods become standard, your equipment still works. You’re not replacing terminals every two years because the technology moved on. And if you need wireless payment acceptance for off-site work or mobile transactions, we set you up with portable devices that connect through cellular or WiFi.
Absolutely, and you should. Running separate processors for online and in-person payments costs you more money and creates reporting headaches.
When everything runs through one merchant services provider, you get one monthly statement, one set of fees, and one dashboard to see all your transactions. Your accountant will thank you. You’ll also avoid the confusion of reconciling payments across multiple platforms.
For businesses in Chevy Chase doing professional services, this is especially useful. You can send invoices with payment links, accept cards at your office, and process payments over the phone—all through the same system. The rates are usually better too, because your total volume is higher when it’s combined, which gives you more negotiating power on pricing.
You call our 24/7 support line and talk to someone immediately. Not a voicemail, not a ticket system—an actual person who can troubleshoot the problem.
Most issues get resolved in minutes. If it’s an equipment failure, we either walk you through a fix or get replacement equipment to you fast. If it’s a processing issue on the backend, we contact the network directly and keep you updated until it’s resolved.
Here’s what we also do: we set you up with backup processing options from day one. If your internet goes down, you can still run cards through a mobile device on cellular. If your terminal fails, you can process through the online portal. You’re never completely stuck, which matters when you’re in the middle of a busy day and can’t afford to turn customers away or delay transactions.
Gift cards generate immediate cash flow and bring customers back later. When someone buys a $100 gift card, you get $100 now. When the recipient uses it, they typically spend more than the card value—usually 20% to 40% more.
Loyalty programs work differently but accomplish the same goal: repeat business. You reward customers for coming back, which increases their lifetime value. In a market like Chevy Chase where customer acquisition costs are high, keeping existing customers is more profitable than constantly chasing new ones.
The key is making these programs easy to manage. If you’re running gift cards through a separate system, tracking balances manually, or using punch cards, you’re creating work for yourself. We integrate gift card programs and loyalty card programs directly into your payment processing. Cards get tracked automatically, balances update in real time, and you can see program performance right in your reporting dashboard. It’s one less thing to manage separately.
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