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Accept credit and debit card payments from any browser — no card reader, no POS hardware. A PayKings virtual terminal merchant account bundles underwriting, a secure payment gateway, and a web-based terminal in a single application.
At a glance
What it is
Card-not-present flow
Your team enters card details straight into the browser-based virtual terminal. AVS and CVV checks verify the card before it routes to the processor for authorization.
Agent keys card
Manual entry
Virtual terminal
Browser-based
AVS & CVV
Card verified
Processor
Auths the sale
Approved
Payment captured
How it works
Every keyed transaction moves through your virtual terminal, payment gateway, and merchant account in four steps.
What's included
No hardware
A virtual credit card terminal turns any internet-connected device into a point of sale. Key in credit and debit card payments for card-not-present orders — no swipe, no dip, no extra hardware.
Because keyed transactions carry more risk than swiped ones, PayKings layers in protection that keeps your approval ratio high and your processing costs in check:
Phone payments
Yes. A virtual terminal runs in your phone's browser, so any smartphone — Android or iOS — works as a card-not-present point of sale with nothing to install and no hardware to buy. The same login works on tablets, Macs, and PCs, so your team can take payments from whatever device is in front of them.
You have two ways to take a payment from your phone: key the card in yourself while the customer is on the line, or send a secure pay-by-link so the customer enters their own details — useful when you would rather not handle card numbers at all.
These three terms get used interchangeably, but they are different pieces of one system. You need all three to take a keyed payment.
| Comparison | Virtual terminal | Payment gateway | Merchant account |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A browser-based interface for entering card details | The secure connection between you and the card networks | The underwritten account that holds and settles your card revenue |
| What it does | Lets you or your staff key in phone, mail, and invoice payments | Encrypts, tokenizes, authorizes, and routes each transaction | Authorizes your business to accept cards and receives settled funds |
| Can it take payment alone? | No — it needs a gateway and merchant account behind it | No — it needs a merchant account to settle into | No — it needs an interface, such as a virtual terminal, to enter payments |
A “merchant terminal,” in the general sense, is any device or interface a business uses to accept card payments; a virtual terminal is the software version, with no hardware involved. A “virtual merchant account” usually describes this same bundle: a merchant account paired with a browser-based terminal instead of physical hardware. We deliver all three pieces through one application, so there is no separate gateway contract and no second underwriting process.
Use cases
High-risk
Square, Stripe, and Clover all offer virtual terminals — until your industry, chargeback ratio, or ticket size trips their risk rules and the account is frozen.
PayKings virtual terminal merchant services are built for both low-risk and high-risk merchants: we underwrite your business up front and place it with an acquiring bank that accepts your vertical.
Every account is backed by chargeback management and fraud tooling, so you can process credit card, debit card, and card-not-present transactions with confidence. Whether you sell supplements, run a collection agency, or operate a telehealth practice, our team matches you with banking partners that understand your business model.
Getting set up
Complete our straightforward online application designed for virtual terminal merchants.
Provide the standard supporting documents our underwriting team needs to review your business.
Our experienced team guides both low-risk and high-risk merchants through the approval process.
Begin accepting credit card payments through your virtual terminal in as little as 24 hours.
Security
Every PayKings virtual terminal meets Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). Because keyed, card-not-present transactions face more scrutiny than swiped ones, every transaction is protected by:
The difference
Built for the businesses other processors turn away.
FAQ
Everything you need to know about high-risk payment processing
See how PayKings supports adjacent verticals and the payment solutions that pair with them.
