If you’re a business owner who wants to accept credit cards, debit cards, or mobile payments, then you’re called a merchant. Credit card processors, also called merchant service providers or acquiring service providers, administer a service so you can accept credit card payments at your business.  Merchant providers offer software so you can view your transactions, fees, chargebacks, and more on a single dashboard. Typically, business owners can purchase or lease hardware, including devices like card terminals or mobile readers. Any business that accepts credit cards, whether it’s a restaurant or retail shop, uses a service and devices for credit card processing. Merchant services may also integrate with point of sale (POS) systems, customer relationship management (CMS) software, or accounting programs.  Although it only takes seconds to accept a credit card payment, there’s an intricate (and fast) process that involves authorization and authentication behind the scenes. Various security protocols are followed, and information is transferred to both the credit card network and the credit card’s issuing bank.