How long does it take setup a merchant account?

The time that it takes to get approved depends on the type of business and the intended method of processing that the merchant is planning on doing. The times listed are based from when our company receives an application.

Retail Businesses (Swiped Transaction):
For retail businesses it is common to get an approval within 24 hours or even on the same day. Including programming the terminal and shipping to the business, the total setup time is around 3 - 4 days.

Internet and Keyed Entry Businesses:
Internet businesses usually take 2 - 3 days to get approved and an extra day to get the payment gateway system programmed. This is also assuming that the merchant's website meets all requirements, otherwise a conditional approval may be granted until the website is fully setup. The total setup time is around 3 - 4 days.

Wireless Processing Businesses:
Wireless businesses are considered the same as a retail business except the terminal will take an extra 1 - 2 days to setup the terminal on the wireless network. The total time to be setup is 5 - 6 days.

These times do not include any pending issues or the requesting of additional information, which is uncommon but does happen for some applications.