The ftc.gov website has some great tips for small businesses regarding credit card processing. Here's one below  I've posted because it indicates how truly unscrupulous agents can be. That's why we are out there helping merchants!



6.     Point of Sale (POS) equipment: To buy or to lease?  Sales agents may try to lease you POS equipment to swipe cards or may offer you “free” equipment. Checks the contract terms carefully. Leases can be very pricey and you often end up paying thousands of dollars for equipment you can buy for much less. Many leasing contracts can’t be canceled – meaning you have to keep paying even if you switch payment processors or decide to close your business. Another tactic favored by fraudsters: offering “free” equipment but burying fine-print terms in the contract requiring you to cough up for monthly “insurance.” Others bill businesses for the full purchase price if they switch processors and don’t send the equipment back immediately. If sales agents say you have to buy POS equipment from them to use their services or get their rates – or demand an “unlocking” fee for using your own POS equipment – look elsewhere. Many payment processors will let you use the equipment you already have if you switch to their services.