Once you’ve decided to increase your sales and customer base with a credit card merchant account, you must then choose the credit card processing equipment that best matches your business’ needs. Credit card terminals work to process and send the cardholder’s information, including the card number, available credit and expiration date to the issuer for authorization. There are a few basic types of credit card terminals from which you can choose, and your final decision should depend on how your business operates on a day-to-day basis.