Credit cards are becoming more and more widely used in the United States, making credit card advances an increasingly relevant method of business financing for small businesses in particular. In 2006, there were over 984 million bank-issued Visa and MasterCard credit card and debit card accounts in the United States, and over 450 million Visa cards in the U.S. Therefore, accepting credit cards not only makes you one step closer to being eligible to receive a business cash advance, but it could also possibly boost your business's sales.

A merchant must accept credit cards in order to receive a credit card advance because the advance is repaid through customers' credit card purchases. A merchant who does not accept credit cards is then ineligible to receive credit card advances, and has one less accessible source for business financing. Having access to readily available funds is extremely important for a business owner, and is becoming increasingly important today as acquiring bank business loans is becoming more and more difficult.

There are various reasons why some merchants choose not to accept credit cards. Some feel that the costs of accepting credit cards would cause them to raise their prices, and they don't want to make their customers pay for their decision to accept credit cards. For many places, "...credit cards represent processing fees, equipment costs and additional time to complete transactions that they just don't want to take on," states Credit Cards' website. But looking at the bigger picture, the benefits that come along with accepting credit cards may be greater than the disadvantages. Some people simply don't like carrying cash; others want to gain points to earn rewards on their credit cards, and more and more people are using credit cards to survive. A recent study showed that people are more likely to pay their credit card bills before their mortgages.

As of 2005, credit cards accounted for 19 percent of all purchases and debit cards accounted for 33 percent of all purchases. Combined, they accounted for over half of all purchases in the United States. And according to Credit Cards' website, businesses forfeit up to 80 percent of consumer impulse buys if they don't accept credit cards.

How many times have you gone into a store and as you attempt to hand your debit or credit card over to the cashier he/she says, "We accept cash only"? Then anger consumes you for a brief second as you realize you're going to have to pay an extra $2.50 to use the in-store ATM machine to get cash, or leave empty-handed. If you don't accept credit cards, your customer's may often feel the same way, and this can result in an abundance of missed sales.

Credit card advances are not only for retail stores. Many service-oriented stores can also receive credit card advances. Hair and nail salons and other services that previously only accepted cash are also beginning to accept credit cards, making the advantages of a credit card advance available to them as well.

If your business accepts credit cards, and you need additional funds, apply for a credit card advance. Once your advance is approved a small percentage from your businesses credit card sales will go towards your credit card advance repayment. The payments adjust to the flow of your businesses sales. It's that simple! You'll never have to make a fixed monthly payment.

With the credit card advance, you can get the most out of your customers' purchases, and you'll come to appreciate them in a whole new light.