There are many web hosting companies that operate online, and choosing one is not too difficult. However, there are a couple requirements that you need to look for when choosing your company. The hosting account must have a static IP address because a secure SSL certificate is required when transferring confidential information over the internet through the payment gateway.

Merchant Account
A merchant North American Bancard Agent account is required for credit card processing because this is how the payment will be processed; money must be taken out the buyer's account and deposited into the seller's account. The merchant account is the generic name for the process by which all transactions are handled. This is explained in detail:

  1. The website visitor selects the product or service to purchase and initiates the sale.
  2. The website takes the visitor to secure area of website (with gold lock on bottom of browser) and requests payment information (credit card info).
  3. The visitor completes the required information and clicks 'submit'.
  4. The information is sent securely through the payment gateway for the information to be verified as valid or invalid.
  5. After verifying the accuracy of the credit card information, the transaction amount is debited from the buyers account (bank or credit card) and deposited into the seller's bank account.