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Ambitious Accept aims to double client base - 27 May 2010

A COMPANY which aims to help businesses cut down the costs of accepting credit and debit card payments yesterday revealed plans to more than double its customer base by the end of 2010.

Accept cards, based in Halifax, is a broker for businesses to get them the lowest rates for processing the credit and debit card payments they receive.

Set up three years ago by directors Richard Bradley and Mark Pearson, it acts as an independent price comparison service for customers ranging from sole traders to large companies across the country.

It plans to increase the number of applications a month and recruit more staff to cope with the demand.

Mr Bradley said that most businesses automatically process debit and credit cards through their own banks without realising they could shop around.

Banks typical charge between 2.25 per cent and 2.5 per cent for processing credit card transactions and around 30p for debit card transactions.

But he added that for firms with a turnover of £1m or more, even a two per cent change is too high.

Accept cards does not charge for its service, claims to typically save firms between 30 per cent and 40 per cent by finding the best deal, rather than going through their bank, with charges as low as 1.17 per cent in some cases.

Mr Bradley said: “The quality of enquiries we have received has really improved in the last 12 months.

“People have got quote from their own banks to arrange card processing but they are finding that we can save them 30 or 40 per cent in set up and processing costs.”

He added “Cheques will be disappearing soon and more and more people are thinking about alternative ways of taking payments from customers.

“There is a lot more interest and knowledge as far as our customers are concerned with looking for a better deal.”

The company, which employs nine people, has customers all over the UK but it has a strong base in Halifax.

Mr Bradley said: “Customers range from people starting up cafes and restaurants, who are new to card processing, to those who have been taking cards for many years – people who are paying too much and want to review their costs.”

One of the big growth areas for the firm, which currently has a turnover of £135,000, is expected to centre around mobile card processing technology for businesses such as plumbers and mobile hair dressers, who are currently only able to accept cash and cheques from their customers.

Mr Bradley said: “We have been talking to one or two technology and IT companies to research the growth of mobile technologies to accept payments.

“We’re seeing that as a large growth area over the next two years. We want to make these systems more accessible for these types of businesses.”

Mr Bradley and Mr Pearson said they set up Accept Cards after spotting a niche in the market and stepping in to the offer independent advise using over 20 years’ experience of working in the card acceptance industry.

“We always knew there was the potential in this sector because there wasn’t anyone really offering true independent advice t

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