Smart business owners know that by accepting credit cards, they place themselves and their customers in a win-win situation. As an increasing volume of the buying public prefer credit cards as their favorite method of payment whether buying online or in a retail store, businesses of all sizes have the opportunity to increase their sales at the same time they accommodate their customers' payment preferences. There are a number of benefits that businesses and their customers enjoy when business operators are amenable to accepting credit cards.

Simply put, credit card use encourages buying, which allows the customer to make a purchase as quickly and as easily as possible at the same time the business owner increases his sales and profits. Research has shown that businesses that accept credit card payments enjoy two to three times the sales volume of businesses that only accept cash or checks. By Accepting Credit Cards , businesses encourage impulse purchases because whether or not the customer has enough cash on hand to finalize the purchase, he can proceed with the transaction because he only has to produce a valid credit card rather than the exact amount of cash to complete the sale.

Credit cards allow customers to feel they have flexible payment options when dealing with a business and this generates good will. Companies accepting credit cards from the widest range of card issuers are those businesses that enjoy the highest sales volume because there is no reason why the customer can't complete the sales transaction and take home the desired item or have it shipped to the desired destination. If customers see something today, they want it today and they either want to possess it today or have it shipped to them today, and businesses accepting credit cards are able to appeal to that need for immediate gratification.

Another benefit to accepting credit cards is that it gives the consumer more purchasing power at the same time it raises the average per capita sale for the business owner. Studies have shown that customers using credit cards tend to spend more for an item or have a higher sales total than customers paying by cash or check. Accepting credit cards makes any sales transaction simpler and easier for both the business and the customer, with fewer occasions of bad debt incurred due to overdrawn checks. Businesses accepting credit cards are also viewed as more trustworthy by consumers, who also feel that returning merchandise is made easier when the sale was conducted using a credit card. Accepting credit cards is often the feature that causes a customer to choose one merchant over another.