I recently saw this ad posted June 23, 2009 on the Orange County Craigslist touting "Wholesale rates for your Merchant Account!"

The ad reads: "Wholesale rates for your Merchant Account!We meet or Beat any offer: Are you currently processing credit cards with another processor? SAVE thousands of dollars with us by cutting out the middleman. Chase Paymentech Solutions is the Number One Bank Card Acquirer in the World with lowest rates guaranteed at over $500 Billion Visa MasterCard Sales Volume. Call me Now at 949..xxx...xxxx to take advantage of this limited time offer. a JPMorgan Chase ISO/MSP"

How familiar does this pitch sound to you?  I would like to hear your thoughts on this style of advertisement and its effectiveness.   

• Are "wholesale rates" really available?
• Can merchants really save by "cutting out the middle man"?
• Do they really have the "lowest rates guaranteed"?
• Why is this a "limited time offer"?
• Does the "me" in the ad work for "Chase Paymentech" or "a JPMorgan Chase ISO/MSP"? 
• And isn't an "ISO/MSP" the same as a middle man?

Please conduct further research before entertaining offers like this.  Read The Middle Man Myth and study the wealth of additional information available before making a decision.  We strongly recommend broad decision criteria to include rates, service, terms, solutions, incentives and testimonials.   The business model, history, stability and ethics of the processing partner you select should also be considered.