Beacon gives small businesses a clear, transparent way to accept credit cards, with straightforward pricing and no surprise fees.

Transparent Pricing

Beacon prices on an interchange-plus model, so you always see the true cost of each transaction.

Interchange-plus means you pay the card network's published interchange rate plus a fixed Beacon markup. That markup is the same on every transaction, so your processing cost is easy to predict and easy to verify against your statement. There are no bundled tiers and no hidden surcharges layered on top.

How Does Credit Card Processing Work?

Every card payment moves through the same four steps, from the moment your customer pays to the moment funds reach your account.

1. The customer pays. They tap, insert, or swipe a card in person, enter their card details at online checkout, or you key the details in manually.
2. The transaction is sent for authorization. Beacon routes the payment through the card network to the customer's bank, which checks the account and approves or declines the charge.
3. The payment is approved. Once the bank authorizes the charge, the sale is complete and the customer is on their way.
4. Funds settle to your account. Approved transactions are batched and deposited into your business bank account.

Compare Payment Methods and Rates

Your rate depends on how the card is accepted.

In-person payments cost the least to process, because the card is checked right at your terminal. Online and manually keyed payments cost a little more, since the card isn't physically there. The table below shows how each method is used.

Accept Payments Everywhere

A Beacon merchant account lets you take payments everywhere your customers are.

• In store: Accept tap, chip, and swipe at the counter on Beacon terminals and card readers.
• Online: Take card and digital wallet payments at checkout through Beacon's payment gateway.
• On the go: Process payments from a phone or mobile reader wherever you do business.
• By invoice: Send customers a secure payment link to pay an invoice online.

Running every payment through one processor keeps your reporting, deposits, and support in a single place, so you do not need to stitch together multiple providers or systems.

Built-In Security and Compliance

Every Beacon transaction is protected by encryption, tokenization, and PCI-compliant systems.

End-to-end encryption scrambles card data the moment it is captured, so it cannot be read as it travels through the payment network. Tokenization replaces the card number with a one-time token, which means sensitive card data is never stored in your systems and cannot be reused if intercepted. Because Beacon's processing is PCI compliant, you are meeting the card networks' security standards on every sale without having to build that compliance yourself. Together these protect your customers' card data and reduce your exposure to fraud and chargebacks.

How Beacon Compares to Traditional Providers

Beacon is built to fix the parts of traditional processing that cost merchants the most.

• Transparent pricing: Interchange-plus with no hidden surcharges, instead of bundled or tiered pricing that hides your true cost.
• Omnichannel acceptance: In-store, online, mobile, and invoice payments run through one merchant account.
• US-based support: Real help is available 24/7.
• Ready-to-use hardware: NFC-ready terminals and card readers accept tap, chip, and swipe out of the box.

Get Started with Beacon

Transparent pricing and support wherever your business sells. That is what you get when you process with Beacon.

Ready to start accepting credit cards? Contact Beacon today.