---
title: 3 Credit Card Myths That Can Cost You
description: Top three myths about credit card processing and merchant accounts – and why buying into these “legends” is risky business.
image: https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/money-256314_640.jpg
---

 2 min read

# 3 Credit Card Myths That Can Cost You

[![Picture of EVO Payments](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/image001.png) EVO Payments ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/evo-payments) :  Updated on June 26, 2017

[Finance](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/finance)

![3 Credit Card Myths That Can Cost You](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/money-256314_640.jpg)

![money-256314_640.jpg](https://learn.pike13.com/hs-fs/hubfs/money-256314_640.jpg?width=425&name=money-256314_640.jpg)Critical financial decisions must be made before entering the world of commerce – decisions that ultimately affect sales and your bottom line.

Whether to accept credit cards often divides small business owners into two camps: those who view taking plastic as a no-brainer and those who feel they can afford to stay a cash-only business. One reason to accept credit cards is convenience – not just for your clients but also for you because the card company deposits the funds directly into your checking account. You don’t have to worry about bounced checks, securing the money, or bill collection. Second, the sign on your store window indicating you accept credit cards gives you instant credibility with your customers. And third, a credit card account offers recurring billing – a feature that allows your customers to set up a schedule to automate their payments so they pay on time, every time. As a small business owner, recurring billing helps streamline the payment process, increase cash flow, saving time and money.

Do you really have to accept credit cards and, more importantly, what’s the cost if you do – or don’t? Here are the top three myths about credit card processing and merchant accounts – and why buying into these is risky business.

##### 1. Customers always have cash.

 When was the last time you paid your grocery bill, ate out, or filled your gas tank using cash?  Using credit and debit cards is convenient. The bottom line? You’re losing sales if your business isn’t taking credit cards – and likely alienating customers who will never come back.

##### 2. Accepting credit cards costs too much.

 There is a cost associated with accepting credit cards and you should evaluate whether the benefits outweigh the cost. But know that the fees and costs associated with processing credit cards are far less than you might expect. Why? Fierce competition among merchant providers for your business drives down prices and keeps fees low. If this is news to you, a free pricing analysis from a processor like EVO Payments International may be just the thing.

##### 3. I can’t qualify for a merchant account.

 Don’t assume your business type, credit history, location, or start-up status prevents you from being approved for a merchant account. Many merchant providers – EVO included – will work with businesses that carry a higher degree of risk.

The bottom line: Carefully consider the pros and cons of opening a merchant account. If you decide it’s the right choice for your type of business, shop around for a reputable processor like EVO Payments International that offers affordable rates, enables you to accept credit and debit cards, and keeps your money safe and accessible.

Questions? Go [here](https://secure.powerpay.biz/pipeline/referrals/referral.aspx?agentid=7028). We’re happy to answer any questions you may have about credit card processing – and why a customized payment solution from EVO Payments International may be just the right fit for your company.

- [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share)

### Explore More

**Running a Business is Hard—We Make It Easier.**

Find expert tips, advice, inspiration, and success stories below. One click and you might binge-read our best insights!

### Posts by Tag

- [Business Advisor (160)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/business-advisor)
- [Marketing Tips (125)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/marketing-tips)
- [Pike13 Pro Tips (82)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/pike13-pro-tips)
- [Growth (71)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/growth)
- [Product Updates (58)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/product-updates)
- [Pike13 News (50)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/pike13-news)
- [Client Retention (43)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/client-retention)
- [Competitive Advantage (36)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/competitive-advantage)
- [Inside Pike13 (36)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/inside-pike13)
- [Productivity (31)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/productivity)
- [Finance (27)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/finance)
- [Staffing (23)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/staffing)
- [Customer Stories (22)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/customer-stories)
- [Fitness (6)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/fitness)
- [Press Release (6)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/press-release)
- [Client Story (2)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/client-story)
- [Music and Dance (2)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/music-and-dance)
- [Events (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/events)
- [Financial Stability (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/financial-stability)
- [Kids' Activities (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/kids-activities)
- [Podcast (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/front-desk-podast)
- [Skill Tracking (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/skill-tracking)
- [Webinars and Hangouts (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/webinars-and-hangouts)
- [sports club management (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/sports-club-management)
- [sports club mobile apps (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/sports-club-mobile-apps)
- [sports club reporting (1)](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/sports-club-reporting)

[See All](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/3-credit-card-myths-that-can-cost-you#)

[![The Hidden Revenue Stream: How Gift Cards and Add-Ons Boost Your Bottom Line](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/giftcardblog%20banner.png) ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/the-hidden-revenue-stream-how-gift-cards-and-add-ons-boost-your-bottom-line)

#### [The Hidden Revenue Stream: How Gift Cards and Add-Ons Boost Your Bottom Line](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/the-hidden-revenue-stream-how-gift-cards-and-add-ons-boost-your-bottom-line)

[The Pike13 Team](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/the-pike13-team): Apr 06, 2026

The Overlooked Opportunity Most studio owners spend their energy filling classes and booking appointments. That’s the core revenue, so it makes...

[Competitive Advantage](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/competitive-advantage) [Growth](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/growth) [Finance](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/finance) [Financial Stability](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/financial-stability) 

[Read More](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/the-hidden-revenue-stream-how-gift-cards-and-add-ons-boost-your-bottom-line)

[![Why Multi-Factor Authentication is Essential for Account Security](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/Assets%20-%20Unorganized/Unorganized%20-%20images/Blog%20-%20Other/data-security.jpg) ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/why-multi-factor-authentication-is-essential-for-account-security)

#### [Why Multi-Factor Authentication is Essential for Account Security](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/why-multi-factor-authentication-is-essential-for-account-security)

[Kaina](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/kaina): Apr 06, 2026

Protect your business and client data from unauthorized access with multi-factor authentication—a critical security layer that goes beyond passwords...

[Read More](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/why-multi-factor-authentication-is-essential-for-account-security)

[![Pike13 and Stripe: A Winning Combination](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/Blog%20post%20header.png) ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/pike13-and-stripe-a-winning-combination)

#### [Pike13 and Stripe: A Winning Combination](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/pike13-and-stripe-a-winning-combination)

![Picture of Monica B.](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e) [Monica B.](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/monica-b): Jul 20, 2023

Whether you run a fitness studio, yoga center, or any other membership-based business, managing registrations, payments, and customer data can be...

[Competitive Advantage](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/competitive-advantage) [Growth](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/growth) [Finance](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/finance) 

[Read More](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/pike13-and-stripe-a-winning-combination)

[![5 CRM Reports That Every Business Owner Needs to Know](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/Pike13%20Website/hero%20images/Depositphotos_103747630_xl-2015-783278-edited.jpg) ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/5-crm-reports-that-every-business-owner-needs-to-know)

#### [5 CRM Reports That Every Business Owner Needs to Know](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/5-crm-reports-that-every-business-owner-needs-to-know)

![Picture of Katie Zacharkiw](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/b801dd245b9f42f681cce05b96c47e3d) [Katie Zacharkiw](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/katie-zacharkiw) : Dec 18, 2018

If you own a client-facing business, you absolutely need a CRM system in place. Replacing traditional pen and paper files, CRM, or Customer R...

[Business Advisor](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/business-advisor) [Finance](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/finance) [Client Retention](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/client-retention) 

[Read More](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/5-crm-reports-that-every-business-owner-needs-to-know)

[![The Hidden Revenue Stream: How Gift Cards and Add-Ons Boost Your Bottom Line](https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/giftcardblog%20banner.png) ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/the-hidden-revenue-stream-how-gift-cards-and-add-ons-boost-your-bottom-line)

#### [The Hidden Revenue Stream: How Gift Cards and Add-Ons Boost Your Bottom Line](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/the-hidden-revenue-stream-how-gift-cards-and-add-ons-boost-your-bottom-line)

[The Pike13 Team](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/the-pike13-team) : Apr 06, 2026

The Overlooked Opportunity Most studio owners spend their energy filling classes and booking appointments. That’s the core revenue, so it makes...

[Competitive Advantage](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/competitive-advantage) [Growth](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/growth) [Finance](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/finance) [Financial Stability](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/financial-stability) 

[Read More](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/the-hidden-revenue-stream-how-gift-cards-and-add-ons-boost-your-bottom-line)

[![Service businesses—are you making this pricing mistake?](https://learn.pike13.com/hs-fs/file-3717048844-png/blog-files/tuition-matrix.png) ](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/service-business-pricing-mistake/)

#### [Service businesses—are you making this pricing mistake?](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/service-business-pricing-mistake/)

![Picture of Nicki](https://learn.pike13.com/hs-fs/hubfs/pike13_logo-144-1aed399311d06d9456a07f2601db554b.png?width=30&name=pike13_logo-144-1aed399311d06d9456a07f2601db554b.png) [Nicki](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/nicki) : Nov 12, 2014

I was Googling on my phone, looking for dance classes for my daughter when I came across the image below. “What is this showing me?,” I wondered. I...

[Finance](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/topic/finance) 

[Read More](https://learn.pike13.com/blog/service-business-pricing-mistake/) 

![](https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=7046634&fmt=gif)

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "EVO Payments",
    "url" : "https://learn.pike13.com/blog/author/evo-payments"
  },
  "datePublished" : "2016-07-29T19:55:31.000Z",
  "headline" : "3 Credit Card Myths That Can Cost You",
  "image" : [ "https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/money-256314_640.jpg" ],
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://learn.pike13.com/blog/3-credit-card-myths-that-can-cost-you",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://learn.pike13.com/hubfs/p13-logo-600px.png"
    },
    "name" : "Pike, Inc."
  }
}
```

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@id" : "https://www.pike13.com/#organization",
  "@type" : "Organization",
  "address" : {
    "@type" : "PostalAddress",
    "addressCountry" : "US",
    "addressLocality" : "Seattle",
    "addressRegion" : "WA",
    "postalCode" : "98122",
    "streetAddress" : "1221 East Pike Suite 200"
  },
  "email" : "sales@pike13.com",
  "foundingDate" : "2011",
  "logo" : "https://www.pike13.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Assets%20-%20Unorganized/Organizing%20-%20In%20Use/Pike13%20Logo%20PNG.png?width=3000&height=790&name=Pike13%20Logo%20PNG.png",
  "name" : "Pike13",
  "parentOrganization" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "name" : "Jonas Software"
  },
  "sameAs" : [ "https://www.facebook.com/gopike13", "https://twitter.com/gopike13", "https://www.linkedin.com/company/gopike13", "https://www.instagram.com/gopike13/" ],
  "telephone" : "(855) 417-7120",
  "url" : "https://www.pike13.com/"
}
```

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@id" : "https://www.pike13.com/#software",
  "@type" : "SoftwareApplication",
  "applicationCategory" : "BusinessApplication",
  "applicationSubCategory" : "Scheduling Software, Franchise Management Software, Skill Tracking Software",
  "areaServed" : [ {
    "@type" : "Country",
    "name" : "United States"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Country",
    "name" : "Canada"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Country",
    "name" : "United Kingdom"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Country",
    "name" : "Australia"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Country",
    "name" : "Germany"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Country",
    "name" : "Spain"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Country",
    "name" : "Portugal"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Country",
    "name" : "Brazil"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Country",
    "name" : "Mexico"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Place",
    "name" : "European Economic Area"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Place",
    "name" : "South America"
  }, {
    "@type" : "Country",
    "name" : "South Africa"
  } ],
  "audience" : {
    "@type" : "Audience",
    "audienceType" : "Fitness studios, music schools, swim schools, martial arts academies, youth coding programs, strength training gyms, franchise networks, multi-location activity-based businesses"
  },
  "description" : "Pike13 is scheduling, enrollment, payment, and skill tracking software for activity-based businesses — from single-location studios to multi-location franchise networks. Serving fitness studios, music schools, swim schools, martial arts academies, youth coding programs, and strength training gyms.",
  "featureList" : [ "Scheduling and enrollment for classes, courses, and appointments", "Pre-paid and recurring plans", "Passes and punch cards", "Attendance tracking", "Automated reminder notifications", "Automated waitlist management", "Coupons", "Merchant processing", "Gift cards", "Automated billing and collections", "Child and dependent account linking", "Client communication", "Client app (iOS and Android)", "Staff app (iOS and Android)", "Client kiosk app", "Branded client website", "Basic reporting on clients, staff, and financials", "Insights Dashboard", "Payroll management and staff time tracking (Advanced+)", "Retail (Advanced+)", "Email marketing (Advanced+)", "SMS reminders and messaging (Advanced+)", "Facebook Pixel (Advanced+)", "Zapier integration (Advanced+)", "Digital waivers and custom terms and conditions (Advanced+)", "Embeddable website widgets (Advanced+)", "Room bookings (Advanced+)", "Google Analytics integration (Advanced+)", "Custom reporting powered by Looker (Advanced+)", "Multi-location oversight with reporting (Advanced+)", "Contactless check-in: kiosk, app, and QR codes (Advanced+)", "API access and custom integrations (Premium only)", "Member progress tracking and skill assessments (Premium only)", "Branded client app for iOS and Android (Premium option)", "Custom reports (Premium only)" ],
  "name" : "Pike13",
  "offers" : [ {
    "@type" : "Offer",
    "description" : "For solo operators and small studios. Includes scheduling and enrollment for classes, courses, and appointments; pre-paid and recurring plans; passes and punch cards; attendance tracking; automated reminders and waitlist management; coupons; merchant processing; gift cards; automated billing; family and dependent accounts; client communication; client app, staff app, kiosk app; branded client website; basic reporting; Insights Dashboard. Unlimited staff seats and client profiles. 12-month contract.",
    "name" : "Essential",
    "price" : "139.00",
    "priceCurrency" : "USD",
    "priceSpecification" : {
      "@type" : "PriceSpecification",
      "billingDuration" : "P1M"
    }
  }, {
    "@type" : "Offer",
    "description" : "For growing and multi-location businesses. Everything in Essential plus: multi-location oversight with reporting; payroll management and staff time tracking; digital waivers; custom reporting powered by Looker; email marketing; Facebook Pixel and Google Analytics; room bookings; contactless check-in (kiosk, app, QR codes); SMS reminders and messaging; Zapier integration; embeddable website widgets; retail. 12-month contract.",
    "name" : "Advanced",
    "price" : "195.00",
    "priceCurrency" : "USD",
    "priceSpecification" : {
      "@type" : "PriceSpecification",
      "billingDuration" : "P1M"
    }
  }, {
    "@type" : "Offer",
    "description" : "For franchises and enterprise-level customization. Everything in Advanced plus: API access and custom integrations for enterprise workflows; member progress tracking and skill assessments; branded client app for iOS and Android (available option); custom reports. 12-month contract.",
    "name" : "Premium",
    "price" : "249.00",
    "priceCurrency" : "USD",
    "priceSpecification" : {
      "@type" : "PriceSpecification",
      "billingDuration" : "P1M"
    }
  } ],
  "operatingSystem" : "Web, iOS, Android",
  "publisher" : {
    "@id" : "https://www.pike13.com/#organization"
  },
  "url" : "https://www.pike13.com/"
}
```