Accounting and Tax Preparation Merchant Account

Running a private airline can be an extremely lucrative and profitable business, giving you a chance to cater to some of society’s wealthiest while ensuring that you are also turning a healthy profit. Of course, the key to any successful business is having access to appropriate financial services and merchant accounts, and this is where running a private airline can create problems. Private airlines can be considered a high-risk industry by merchant account services. As a result, high-risk merchant account providers may charge you more money. This can make it more financially challenging for your charter jet merchant account to even get off the ground and be affordable. If you cannot afford to use the appropriate financial services, or if those financial services charge you high amounts in fees and credit card processing charges, you are going to lose more money than you should. The end result is that you need to ensure that you find a merchant account service that can meet your needs at affordable prices. Thankfully, there are many credit card processing companies that can help you meet your needs, protect your credit score, and allow you access to critical financial institutions. 

What is a High-Risk Account?

A High-Risk Account is an account that has been identified by industry professionals as one that is more likely than others to have serious financial concerns, such as a need for refunds, or if the business in and of itself is particularly risky. Many financial service companies are still more than happy to work with businesses in the high-risk field, but in order to do so, they will charge your private airline merchant account extra money in order to access these services. This is done to mitigate the risk of doing business with a high-risk firm, but as a result, you lose money. 

Why is a Private Airline Account High-Risk?

All of this begs the question: Why are private airlines considered high-risk, and what does this mean for your ability to access credit card processors and e-commerce? 

• The charges here are very expensive and of a high value. As a result, if something goes wrong, there is more money at stake and more of a potential downside for financial services companies and the businesses they serve.
• Charter flights, of course, are not guaranteed. Jet charter services can be disrupted by mechanical trouble, financial trouble by passengers, weather changes, and staffing issues can all result in a loss or shut down of a flight, and this can mean that a private airline may need to return the money expended for a purchase.
• Private jets do not have regular routes, schedules, or more. Advanced scheduling in the air charter and air travel industry can often be difficult. This means that there is a higher risk of flight cancellations, as there is no routine. As a result, there may be chargebacks, and these chargeback rates can get expensive.
• In many cases, expensive flights are scheduled in advance and over an online reservation system. This lack of in-person purchases, and the high value behind those purchases, increases the chances of a purchase of a private flight is fraudulent, resulting in a potentially significant loss for all parties involved.

At their core, all of these issues tie to the same basic issue: Chargebacks, the need to reduce chargebacks, and the need to control the fees that are incurred.

How Can A Merchant Account Provider Work with the Charter Airlines Industry?

If you are in the charter airlines industry, that means that you are in what has been classified as a high-risk business. As a result, you will need a variety of services that are explicitly geared towards fulfilling your specific needs.

So, what does this mean, and what does this look like? First and foremost, you need a high-risk payment gateway. This is obvious: You have to have some way of taking payments, regardless of if those payments are made from a credit card, check, eCheck, or more. More to the point, you have to have the flexibility to accept payment regardless of how those payments are made, including if they are made over the phone, in person, or via the internet. Depending on your specific client base, you may even need to investigate non-traditional payments, such as accepting payment via cryptocurrency.

The charter airlines business usually knows no borders, and that means that you have to have a merchant account provider that is capable of doing business out of the United States. You may also need a merchant account provider who is capable of processing payments in different currencies, even if you are primarily based in the United States.

If you have a vendor that is making payments of a high enough value, credit card payments may not do the trick. You may need to look into low-cost ACH payments, meaning that a customer’s bank will make a direct transfer to you. This can get expensive if you have the wrong merchant account provider. As such, it is critical that you find the right provider who can handle these kinds of payments while also keeping your costs down.

Finally, you also have to consider your eCommerce options. This means that you need to examine exactly how your payments can be made digital and how a customer can easily book a flight and pay for it via your website. Again, costs and hidden fees can eat well into your profit margin, so you have to do everything you can to keep these fees low.

How Can A Merchant Account Provider Help Me?

There are many ways in which finding the right merchant account provider can be absolutely critical when it comes to helping you reduce your overall risk. 

First and foremost, a good merchant provider will work with you directly to understand your company and your needs. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and any merchant provider who is worth the amount of money you will be paying for them understands this. As such, they will work with you and your team to develop customized solutions that integrate your accounting systems, payment methods, and more. Anyone who tries to sell you a package that goes beyond your needs is obviously trying to waste your money. 

A merchant account provider will also have developed ways to reduce fraud and confirm a customer’s identity. Indeed, any merchant account provider will have worked with an array of payment providers and online payment systems, like Stripe and PayPal. Your merchant account provider should have years of experience in the high-risk field and have developed the right tools to protect your customers and your financial operations. Developing robust security protocols and data protection will have to protect your business model and credibility with your customers. 

Merchant providers that have worked with high-risk accounts will also be able to provide you with chargeback protection. These are added services that are geared to work exclusively with company’s that deal extensively with chargebacks. Thankfully, if a company has developed a chargeback protection plan, it will be able to ensure that your business is minimally charged for chargebacks that it incurs. Furthermore, a merchant account provider should be able to work with existing plans that have been created by certain payment processors. For example, Stripe recently unveiled their own chargeback protection plan, and a merchant account provider should be able to help your business take advantage of these services. 

Finally, a good service provider should also be able to review your business operations and help you develop customized and scalable solutions. Your business, like every other one, can’t afford to waste a dime. This means that you will need to review the potential options at your disposal and develop a plan that is customized to fit your needs. You shouldn’t waste a dime buying services that will not actually benefit you financially. All services that you pay for should be customized to fit your needs.

What Else Should I Look For?

Merchant account companies can make all the difference in the world when it comes to providing you with high-quality financial services. That being said, the job of a merchant account company cannot be to simply process payments – it has to do more. 

First, a full-service merchant account company has to be able to help you manage all of your payment options. For a private airline merchant account, this is absolutely critical. Charter jet merchant accounts take money in a variety of ways, including checks, in person, online, or over the phone. As such, if a merchant account company isn’t capable of providing your business with the flexibility it needs, it’s not doing its job. Before making any final agreements, make sure that your merchant account company can handle these issues. 

Second, a merchant account company has to be able to provide you with the physical and digital products you need to process payments? This includes the following:

• All necessary point of sale equipment, including the physical machines that will process payments. Furthermore, they should be able to provide you with customer support, training, and assistance in learning how to integrate your new equipment with your existing account and point of sale equipment.
• Surcharge support and reduction. As you know, your business is charged a small fee whenever credit card payments are made. How is your merchant account company able to work with you to keep these charges low and reduce unnecessary fees? What programs do they have available to do just that? Furthermore, though rare, charter jet merchant accounts do sometimes deal with cash payments. Is your merchant account company able to provide you with a discount when this occurs? 
• ACH and check processing. A merchant account company has to be capable of processing all forms of payments, including credit cards, checks, and eChecks. Make sure that your company can do just that before making any final purchase. 
• Gift cards or loyalty programs. Some jet charter merchant accounts do offer gift cards or loyalty programs. Is yours one of them? If so, make sure that your merchant account provider can support these operations.

Last, a merchant account provider must provide you with additional services on an as-needed basis. Private airlines often have extensive capital needs as they expand their flights and look to purchase new plans and equipment. Can your merchant account provider assist you in acquiring financing for these needs? Can they help you automate the payment process for when you are repaying loans? When you need cash, how quickly can they get it into your account? Do they give you discounts or reduce fees on ATM use? What other merchant services can they provide? 

At the end of the day, you need a financial services provider who can handle a variety of important tasks, has experience in dealing with high-risk merchant accounts, and understands the specific hurdles that your industry faces. If you have questions on what this means or are looking for more information, contact BankCard today, and learn how we can help your business grow.