Merchant Account MOTO Explained:
What is MOTO? MOTO, or Mail Order/Telephone Order, is a type of card-not-present transaction in which services are paid for and delivered via telephone, mail, fax, or internet communication. Because MOTO transactions take place without the merchant or the card physically in the store, they are at a higher risk for credit card fraud than card-present transactions. MOTO merchants therefore will likely pay higher transaction rates to help offset the potential for disputed payments and chargebacks.
Although MOTO stands for “Mail Order/Telephone Order,” the diminishing popularity of those two technologies has resulted in MOTO being repurposed as a general term for all card-not-present transactions, including internet purchases.