A Real time credit card processing system enables merchants to verify and process credit card orders online in real-time. Merchants also have access to many useful interfaces, such as online manual order entry and online credits to customer accounts.

A Real time advanced technology enables you to easily accept both checks and credit cards using your existing web site, credit card merchant account, and online order forms. Your web site can be hosted on any server without compromising the security of your customers' data.

A Real time credit card processing requires no software to work with. When a customer places an order on your site, you and your customer receive immediate verification of the order. The information you receive includes the customer's name, address, phone number, e-mail address, items ordered, and the order total. Real time credit card processing enables any online merchant to allow real-time purchases on their site. There is no need for expensive credit card terminals or point-of-sale software.

Real-Time providers will provide you with an online database containing all of your credit card transactions which makes month-end accounting and balancing simple. Real-Time processing is a good solution for those who plan on having a lot of transactions daily. Real-Time processing helps to automate your payment acceptance process, unlike in Retail establishments where entering in credit card information must be done manually. Most Real-Time solutions are coupled with a "Virtual Terminal" that allows you to process MOTO orders manually via your web browser from any location that has access to the Internet.

The real time credit card processing is better than the non- real time credit card processing. Real-Time Processing means that when a web site's customer conducts an online purchase, that the check or credit card information is conveyed to the Processor at that exact time so that an authorization can be requested and received at that moment. Real-Time Processing always implies that a Secure Payment Gateway is being utilized, whether proprietary or third party.

Non-Real-Time Processing means that while the credit or check information is passed from the customer to the web site's server in encrypted form, it is not passed to the Merchant Processor at that time. The information is collected and stored throughout the day, and later on, the merchant must submit the transactions for authorization and capture using a point of sale terminal or PC. The merchant must then inform any declined customers via email, phone or mail. In this type of transaction, the merchant is acting as their own "Secure Payment Gateway", by acting as the "link" between the internet and their Merchant Processing company.

Few Features of real time credit card processing should be SSL Encryption, Secured Gateway, user friendliness of the software, proper authorization and merchant account.