Category: Electronic Payments
October 10th, 2013 by Elma Jane
Amazon has launched a service that enables its customers to pay on other e-commerce sites via their Amazon account data. Called ‘Login and Pay with Amazon,’ the service sells payment processing for participating retailers.
Amazon has more than 215 million active customer accounts. The Amazon payment service works on personal computers, smartphones and tablets. Site developers employ Amazon widgets and APIs, or application programming interfaces.
Login and Pay with Amazon enables companies to make millions of customers by inviting online shoppers with Amazon credentials to access their account information safely and securely with a single login. Login and Pay with Amazon helps replace guest checkouts with recognized customers, leading to improved services which could include: managing and tracking orders, purchase history detail, special discounts, instant access to shipping addresses and payment methods.
Amazon previously called its payment service Checkout by Amazon, but rebranded it Amazon Payments. In May, Internet Retailer wrote about Autoplicity.com’s experiences adding the Amazon payment tool.
Amazon says it will not share customers’ credit card information gained via the payment tool, and that it will cover purchases made through the service in the same way purchases are covered from Amazon.com.
“This [newly launched] service is more of a repackaging of Checkout by Amazon than as something new,” says a payments industry analyst. “Amazon has been a challenger to PayPal for some time in the Internet payments arena, but PayPal has the dominant market share. One key reason is that PayPal is not viewed as a direct competitor to the merchants it serves while Amazon often is.”
PayPal, part of eBay, is the clear leader in so-called alternative payments, used by 84% of consumers who pay online with alternatives to payment cards, according to a report earlier this year from Javelin Strategy & Research. The report, based on a 2012 survey, also showed that 42% of consumers pay with credit cards when making online retail and travel purchases, up from 40% in the 2011 survey, and 29% pay with debit cards, down from 30%.
The new Amazon service is a “great deal” more than a warmed-over Checkout.
He points out that the number of Amazon’s active accounts is much more than the active users of all eBay’s payment services. Including consumers with PayPal or Bill Me Later accounts, that base totaled 132.4 million in the second quarter, up nearly 17% from 113.2 million a year earlier, according to eBay. And Amazon’s customers trust the security of making payments through the e-retailer, and have grown accustomed to the convenience of doing so. Amazon is No. 1 in the Internet Retailer.
For e-retailers, it’s yet another payment method they might want to evaluate. “Amazon is a damn big brand. If you bring that many users along with [the payment service], then e-retailers will give it serious consideration. It will give PayPal some competition.
Posted in e-commerce & m-commerce, Electronic Payments, Mobile Payments, Mobile Point of Sale, Smartphone Tagged with: Amazon, amazon.com, api, application programming interface, checkout, credit cards, customers, debit cards, e-commerce, e-retailer, ebay, internet retailer, online, orders, payment methods, payment processing, payment service, PayPal, purchase, shoppers, travel purchases
October 10th, 2013 by Elma Jane
There are various payment processing rates that apply to credit and debit card transactions. Visa and MasterCard do not publish their rules and regulations or the payment processing standards required to get the lowest interchange rate. It’s up to credit card processing companies to understand and implement them to their merchants’ benefit. A high downgrade rate may indicate that your processor does not know the standards, or may be reluctant to implement best practices or new rules changes. The application of these rates is based on a variety of factors related to the particular circumstances of the sale and the way the payment is processed, as well as on the type of the card that was used. Typically payments processed in a card-not-present environment (e.g. online or over the phone) are assessed higher processing fees than payments processed in a face-to-face setting. Payments made with regular consumer types of cards are generally processed at lower rates than payments made with rewards, business-to-business or commercial cards. Debit cards are processed at lower interchange rates than credit cards. In order to simplify the pricing for their merchants, the majority of the processing companies have elected to use various tiered pricing models (two-tiered, three-tiered, six-tiered, etc.). There are three general classifications used in the various tiered pricing models:
Qualified Transaction (also referred to as the Swiped Rate) This is the rate charged per each transaction when the card is physically swiped through a credit card terminal. When a transaction is processed in accordance with the rules and standards established in the Payment Processing Agreement, signed by the merchant and the processing bank, and It involves a regular consumer credit card, It is processed at the most favorable rate. This rate is called a “Qualified Rate” and is set in the merchant’s Payment Processing Agreement. The Qualified Rate is set based on the way a merchant will be accepting a majority of their credit cards. For example, for an internet-based merchant, the internet interchange categories will be defined as Qualified, while for a physical retailer only transactions where cards are swiped through a terminal will be Qualified.
Mid-Qualified Transaction This is the rate charged when a transaction is manually keyed-in using AVS – Address Verification Service (card #, expiration date, address, zip code and CVV code all match). When a consumer credit card is keyed into a credit card terminal instead of being swiped or The cardholder uses a rewards card, business-to-business or another special type of card the transaction is charged a discount rate that is less favorable than the Qualified. This rate is called a “Mid-Qualified Rate.”
Non-Qualified Transaction This is the rate charged when manually keying-in a transaction without using AVS – Address Verification Service. When a special kind of credit card is used (like a rewards card or a business card), or a payment is not processed in accordance with the rules established in the Payment Processing Agreement, or It does not comply with some applicable security requirements.
Qualified Transaction Conditions
One electronic authorization request is made per transaction and the transaction/purchase date is equal to the authorization date. The authorization response data must also be included in the transaction settlement. The authorization transaction amount must match the settled (deposit) transaction amount. The card that is used is not a commercial (business) credit card The credit/debit card is present at the time of the transaction, the card’s full magnetic stripe is read by the terminal, and a signature is obtained from the cardholder at the time of the transaction.
The transaction must be authorized and settled under a standard retail industry code.
The transaction must be electronically deposited (batch transmitted) no later than 1 day from transaction/purchase/authorization date.
Mid-Qualified Transaction Conditions
One or more of the Qualified conditions were not met
Non-Qualified Transaction Conditions
One or more of the Qualified conditions were not met, or The card that was used was a commercial card without submitting the additional data or:
The transaction was electronically deposited (batch transmitted) greater than 1 day from the authorization date, or:
The transaction was not electronically authorized, or the authorization response data was not included in the transaction settlement.
Posted in Best Practices for Merchants, Credit card Processing, Electronic Payments, Financial Services, Merchant Services Account Tagged with: account, authorization, authorized, best, business, card, card-not-present, credit, cvv, debit, downgrade, interchange, keying, lowest, MasterCard, merchant, payment, processed, Processing, qualified, rate, rewards, standards, swiped, transaction, visa
October 3rd, 2013 by Elma Jane
Here’s how typical credit card transaction works:
When a consumer pays with a credit card, the merchant sends the details of the transaction along with the credit card information to the merchant’s bank. The merchant’s bank forwards the information to the cardholder’s bank for approval. If approved, the cardholder’s bank sends the required amount to the merchant’s bank, minus the merchant discount rate. The credit card companies don’t receive any revenue directly from interchange rates. Instead they make their money by charging the banks fees for networks, transactions and other kinds of services.
Up until April 2008, interchange rates were simple and inflexible. At that point, the company decided to move to a more dynamic system.
Interchange rates now vary from card to card, depending on the types of services and incentives offered. Typically, premium cards, which come with rewards for things like travel, cost merchants more to process. The rates also vary by type of transaction, and even by type of retailer. At times, the card companies have, for example, set special rates for grocery and gas retailers in a bid to boost credit-card use in locations where cash and debit traditionally dominated. The card companies have also introduced a growing number of premium and even super-premium cards that cost merchants more to process. The cards appeal to consumers because they contain a number of attractive incentives, such as travel and other rewards. The changes in the rate structure followed a change in the credit card companies’ business model in the mid 2000s.
Visa and MasterCard evolved from private associations owned mainly by the banks they serviced to publicly traded, profit-driven entities beholden to a wide range of shareholders. Merchants say the fees they pay to accept credit cards are rising as a result and have become increasingly unpredictable. Critics of the credit card companies say the merchant is a powerless middleman in a system that entices consumers to use their cards and banks to reap the benefits.
The credit card companies say the system benefits everyone, including merchants, by providing a rapid, secure form of payment.
Every time you use your credit card to make a purchase, the merchant pays what is called the “merchant discount fee.” The merchant discount fee is calculated as a percentage of the good or service purchased. It can range from 1.5 per cent to 3 per cent. On a $100 item, for example, the merchant could pay a fee of between $1.50 and $3.The merchant discount fee covers a number of things, such as terminal rentals, fraud protection and transaction slips. But the biggest component of it is based on the interchange rate, which is set by the credit card companies.
In a complicated twist, the credit card companies don’t make any money from the interchange rate. The banks do. The interchange rate is what makes the credit card system work. This rate ensures the banks have a financial incentive to issue and accept credit cards.
Posted in Credit card Processing, Electronic Payments, Merchant Services Account, Visa MasterCard American Express Tagged with: associations, bank, card, cardholder, charging, credit, credit-card, discount rate, dynamic, fees, financial, fraud, interchange, merchant, Merchant's, networks, payment, process, protection, Rates, rentals, secure, services, terminal, transaction, travel
October 3rd, 2013 by Elma Jane
National Transaction Gift Card Programs
Features & Benefits
Why National Transaction Gift Card? A gift card program offers you a great opportunity to boost sales by increasing customer loyalty and enhancing your business brand. Gift cards are used like credit cards and can be loaded with any dollar amount. NTC offers customized gift card processing merchant services tailored to your gift card processing needs. It’s secured and easy to manage.
Benefits to Consider:
Brand Building and Loyalty Gift cards can be a great source of advertising for your business. Gift cards are re-loadable; customers often reload them and continue to use them.
Cash Flow Enhancement Prepaid gift cards are purchased prior to customers receiving their goods and services from you. You can re-invest these dollars back into your business. Earn money; research shows that customers tend to spend more than the value of the gift card.
Easy to Manage Merchant gift cards are easy for your customers to use and easy for your employees to issue and redeem, as they work similar to credit cards.
Eliminate or Remove Cashback Don’t have to use the full balance of the card – the balance remains on the card. It can be issued for returned merchandise, thereby reducing fraud. Gift cards can only be activated by swiping through a POS terminal.
Get and Bring New Customers Using gift cards as presents (e.g. Showers, Mother’s Day, Birthdays, Graduation and Christmas) is more popular than ever before. Offering a gift card program can help bring new customers to your business, thereby increasing sales.
Increasing Brand Awareness Gift cards customized with your business name or logo are an effective way to advertise your business and leave a lasting impression with customers.
Electronic gift card vs paper certificates? An electronic gift card solution provides a number of benefits over certificates, such as:
Minimize Fraud – card are difficult to duplicate while paper certificates can be photocopies or duplicated. Save Money – cards can be reloaded. Paper certificates can only be used once. Save Time and Maximize Efficiency – gift cards can be loaded and redeemed easily, and provide electronic reporting. Paper certificates require manual work.
NTC Gift Card Operations How does a Gift Card work? Cards are activated through your NTC merchant account with a dollar value requested by your customer and not dependent on things like proprietary equipment. Once the card is activated, it’s ready to use as payment at your location.
Are my Gift Cards reloadable? Yes, and may be reloaded as many times as you wish. You may consider offering an incentive to thank your customers for their loyalty. Incentives can range from providing a free product or service from your store.
What NTC Merchant Services terminals do I need to process NTC Gift Cards?
Your NTC Gift Card will function on any Standalone, Wireless and Bluetooth terminals.
Card Ordering/Design
What is the standard gift card size? Most gift cards are the exact same size as a credit card:
What options do I have to advertise my business name on my cards?
To help promote and advertise your business brand on your cards, you can choose one of these options:
Basic – Include your company’s name, address and phone number on a pre-selected style. Standard – You can choose from an attractive selection of pre-designed card styles. Add a single color logo or customized text in your choice of font style and color.
Custom Cards – Custom cards designed by you or with our help, invest with style.
How long does it take for me to be set-up and receive my gift cards?
Your application and set-up on NTC systems will take approximately 5 – 7 business days. Non-peak times (outside Christmas) – 2 weeks Peak times – 4 to 6 weeks
How many cards I can order? Quantities of 50 for Basic, 100, 1,000 for Standard.
Posted in Best Practices for Merchants, Electronic Payments, Gift & Loyalty Card Processing, Merchant Services Account Tagged with: advertising, bluetooth, certificates, credit cards, earn, electronic, function, gift, gift Card, loyalty, merchant account, ntc, payment, POS, Processing, re-loadable, reload, reporting, secured, standalone, Swiping, terminal, terminals, value, wireless
October 1st, 2013 by Elma Jane
Google announced Wednesday that it is opening its Google Shopping Express service to shoppers in the entire San Francisco Bay Area, marking the official launch and first big expansion of the company’s same-day delivery service. Google began testing the retail delivery service this year among a limited set of invited consumers in a few areas within the Bay Area, but the new announcement extends the service to anyone in an expanded region ranging from San Francisco to San Jose. With the service, online shoppers can place online orders from several chain stores and have those products delivered within the day.
Also on Wednesday Google released an app for iOS and Android that allows users to browse the shopping sites and order products directly from their smartphones. New users who sign up before the end of the year can get six months of free, unlimited delivery service; it costs $4.99 per store order.
Race to Deliver
Google is not the only company to experiment with the same day delivery offerings. Walmart and eBay are both testing similar services…eBay now even offers the delivery within an hour, although consumers can only shop from a single store. Amazon is also following in the footsteps of companies like Fresh Direct and rolling out same-day deliveries on groceries to consumers in Los Angeles and Seattle. Google understands that it will have tough competition in the space and can afford to take a loss on the service at first, which is why it is offering the service for free for new users, said an e-commerce consultant. It is evident from the low price and free sign-up offer that Google is not interested in making money in the short term, that will come once there is a widespread adoption of their service…
A Lot of Challenges Ahead
Although Google is not a retail hub at its core, the company has other strenghts that could help it gain an advantage over its competitiors. Being a default search provider for many millions of users on all platforms, from desktops to tablets right through to mobile phones, can give Google an edge over Amazon and eBay.
Still the key element to a successful e-commerce platform is logistics. Google might have deep pockets and effective algorithms, but it has a a lot of cathing up to do to make sure its delivery service could compete with those of companies like Amazon and eBay, which have years of experience delivering products to consumer worlwide.
“Google certainly has the stamina and budget to give it a good run, but there are a lot of moving parts”. Being a big data company doesn’t automatically mean you’ll be good at the logistics, so they’re going to have a lot of challenges ahead.
Posted in Credit card Processing, e-commerce & m-commerce, Electronic Payments, Merchant Account Services News Articles Tagged with: Amazon, Android, app, delivery, desktops, e-commerce, ebay, google, iOS, mobile phones, online, platforms, shopping, tablets, walmart
October 1st, 2013 by Elma Jane
A payment card transaction involves some or all the following participants:
Acquirers or Payment Processors that market card acceptance services to merchants, obtain transaction authorization, and clear and settle card transactions for the merchant.
Consumers or Cardholders that use payment cards to purchase goods and services. Issuers that market and issue payment cards to consumers and set the terms and conditions for their use; Merchants that accept payment cards for the purchase of goods and services; Network Operator that oversees the system and coordinates the transmission of information and the transfer of funds between issuers and acquirers.
Since the network operators revenue depends on the value of transactions that flow through its network, it tries to ensure the widest possible acceptance among consumers and merchants. In order to increase use and acceptance, the networks use marketing techniques to gain brand recognition, create products that encourage consumer usage and merchant acceptance, and set fees and impose rules on system participants including:
Interchange Fees they are set by the network but are generally paid by acquirers to issuers and are usually reflected in the merchant service fee paid by merchants to acquirers. Interchange fees can be calculated either as a flat fee per transaction, as a percentage of the transaction value, or a combination of both.
Membership Requirements MasterCard and Visa require issuers and acquirers to be regulated financial institutions or be sponsored by a regulated financial institution. Interac also requires issuers to be regulated financial institutions.
Network Switch Fees these fees are charged to acquirers and/or issuers, and are set and collected by the network. They can be calculated either as a flat fee per transaction or as a percentage of the transaction value.
Merchant Acceptance Rule Includes:
No Discrimination Rules which prohibit merchants from encouraging consumers to consider (or steering consumers toward) lower cost payment instruments.
No Surcharge Rules which prevent merchants from charging consumers a fee for the use of a credit card rather than some other credit card or method of payment;
Honour-All-Cards Rules which require merchants that accept any of the networks credit cards to accept all of that networks credit cards (core, high spend and premium high spend in the case of MasterCard), regardless of the applicable interchange fee. The networks have also expanded this rule to include debit cards (i.e. if a merchant accepts one debitcard, they must accept all of that networks debit cards).
With four-party card networks, such as Visa and MasterCard, the card networks seek to maximize the transactions following through them by attacting more card issuers. The networks do this by offering the prospect of interchange income to issuers, thus creating an incentive to increase interchange as much as the market (i.e. the parties paying the interchange fees) will bear.
The ability to use credit cards and debit cards to purchase goods and services rests largely on a behind-the-scenes architecture of procedures, rules and technology that govern how funds and information are transferred between people and institutions in the process of settling accounts, i.e., of ensuring that merchants that sell goods and services get paid by the people who purchase them.
Posted in Best Practices for Merchants, Credit card Processing, Electronic Payments Tagged with: accept, account, acquirer, authorization, cardholder, credit card, debit, fees, interchange, issuer, merchant service, merchants, network, payment, processor, Rates, transaction
October 1st, 2013 by Elma Jane
PayPal announces updated app, device for hands-free, in store payment.
A busy few days at PayPal. Late last week, the global payments giant announced a major update to its app for Android and iOS. The new features have a strong mobile payments bent. And now, the company has announced the planned roll-out of “Beacon,” which uses Bluetooth Low Energy Technology to let customers check into retail stores and pay by verbal consent.
Paypal’s President calls the solution PayPal’s “most significant contribution to date in reinventing the in-store shopping experience.”
Beacon is a new add-on technology that merchants plug into an A/C outlet. When a PayPal customer walks into a participating store and agrees to check-in, Beacon triggers a quick vibration or sound to confirm a check-in; customer’s photo then appears on a point-of-sale screen. To pay, the customer simply gives a verbal confirmation. “No wallet and no card. Nothing to do. Not even touching your phone.
BLE was chosen to resolve some problems posed by traditional geo-location, including power consumption. It will look for any store running a PayPal compatible POS system, and will only transmit information to PayPal or to the merchant if the customer agrees to check in.
The solution aims to improve on the credit-card-swiping experience. PayPal figured the only better way to pay would be to do nothing.
The company will be piloting Beacon in the fourth quarter.
New App
PayPal’s vastly redesigned app for creating a more seamless in-store shopping experience is getting a lot of kudos across the web.
A New tab called “Shop” the first thing that appears when the app is opened, it displays nearby stores or restaurants that accept PayPal payments. Users can check in and open a tab, then select various payment methods from the check-in screen. Upon payment, the app generates a confirmation alert and sends an email receipt.
You’ve really got access to your entire wallet in the app.
The app also lets you order food ahead of your arrival bypassing the line. The feature works through PayPal’s partnership with Eat24 . Dinners can pay at the table, and at some locations, order more drinks.
For the first time, the app includes a Bill Me Later tab that lets users apply to finance PayPal purchases, and it integrates coupons and offers.
The company wanted the new app to help solve problem, and that payment isn’t something they typically complain about. So they focused on other potentially problematic experiences in the retail environment, waiting in line, waiting to pay the bill at their table and keeping track of coupons.
Posted in Credit Card Reader Terminal, Credit Card Security, Digital Wallet Privacy, Electronic Payments, Mobile Payments, Near Field Communication, Point of Sale, Smartphone Tagged with: Android, app, Apple, card, credit-card-swiping, geo-location, iOS, payment, PayPal, POS, retail, system, wallet
September 30th, 2013 by Admin
Credit card processing involves three separate cost components for vendors who choose to accept this type of payment from customers for goods or services. The same cost components apply to debit cards. Only one cost component is negotiable.
The first component is an interchange fee, which is payable to the card holder’s issuing bank. It is a combination of a transaction volume percentage fee and a flat-rate transaction fee. Interchange fees are collectively agreed upon through Visa and MasterCard by a card’s issuing bank and are fixed costs.
Interchange fees take into consideration various information about a card. Types of cards include debit and credit, while categories of cards refer to commercial and reward cards. Processing methods include whether a card is swiped or manually keyed. Swiping a card is usually more economical for vendors.
Secondly, an assessment fee is charged by the card’s brand holder. Brand holders include Visa, MasterCard and Discover. Assessment fees are also fixed costs. Additionally, Visa charges a monthly fee.
The final charge is known as a processing fee. Processing fees vary among processors and is negotiable. Vendors are charged a processing fee, which can cause a difference in cost from one vendor to another. More credit card information: TopTenReviews
Jeremy is a tech blogger at TopTenReviews. He lives outside Salt Lake City, Utah
Posted in Best Practices for Merchants, Credit card Processing, Electronic Payments, Merchant Services Account, Visa MasterCard American Express Tagged with: accept, assessment, cost, credit card processing, debit cards, fees, flat-rate, interchange, keyed, payment, Processing, Rates, swiped, Swiping, transaction, volume
September 30th, 2013 by Elma Jane
Facebook this week began testing a new feature dubbed “Autofill with Facebook” that aims to simplify mobile purchases by filling in customers’ credit card information for them, thus eliminating the need to type it in each time. This “Autofill with Facebook gives people the option to use their payment information already stored on Facebook to populate the payment form when they make a purchase in a mobile app,” Facebook spokesperson told the E-Commerce Times. “The app then processes and completes the payment.” The feature “is designed to make it easier and faster for people to make a purchase in a mobile app by simply pre-populating your payment information.”During the test period, which began Monday evening, the feature will show up only to Facebook users who have already provided credit card information to the social network — in other words, those who have made in-game purchases or bought gifts for friends.
Facebook has partnered with PayPal, Braintree and Stripe as financial partners on the service, which is initially available only on the e-commerce iOS apps JackThreads and Mosaic.
Ironing Out the Wrinkles Autofill with Facebook isn’t a move to compete with PayPal and credit card companies, but to complement payment services by adding a layer for convenience, much the way Facebook, Google and Amazon have created a single login that works across a network of websites.
“Facebook is not interested in being a payments company,” an analyst, told the E-Commerce Times. “Instead, it is aiming to be the entity that irons out bumps in the payment process — something it is well-positioned to do. “With Autofill, Facebook will act as the lubricant that makes the commerce experience more seamless, providing a number of benefits to all stakeholders.”
Partners in the deal ensure that Facebook will succeed in Autofill with Facebook, it doesn’t care about payments, it cares about reaping the benefits that come from making the payment experience better.”
‘The Potential to Be Lucrative’ There could be significant financial benefits as well. “This approach has the potential to be lucrative for Facebook in that it will help plug the mobile conversion gap,” McKee suggested. “If Facebook can prove to its partner merchants that an ad on its site led to a purchase, the validity of its platform can easily be proven. Ideally, this will help convince other companies to advertise with Facebook as well.”
Taking it a step farther, Facebook will also gain transaction data, which McKee believes has considerable value. “Facebook can leverage transaction data with what it already knows about us for precision ad targeting. This will increase the relevance and placement of ads on Facebook.”
The Security Factor While many mobile customers will appreciate the Autofill function, security issues still lurk in the back of every consumer’s mind. Yet while privacy concerns have been an ongoing issue for Facebook, it has a good track record where security is concerned. “Facebook has been relatively incident-free when it comes to security breaches.” “However, this is more a problem of consumer perception. Will consumers feel comfortable storing their payment credentials with a social media platform?
“Facebook is already approaching ‘big brother’ status, and this takes it one step further.” “To succeed, Facebook must provide visibility into what it plans to do with transaction data.”
‘It’s a No-Brainer’ The convenience factor, meanwhile, could be a compelling one for consumers. “It’s no-brainer useful to mobile users…who wants to enter their credit card on a mobile phone more than once?” “It could be more secure than mobile payment alternatives.” If Facebook gets past its hurdles, it will also succeed in building strengths in areas where it has been lacking to date.
“Right now Facebook isn’t super strong at the conversion side of e-commerce.” “Autofill will give them a lot of data about purchases, which might help them remedy that.”
‘Strategic Smarts and Ambition’ As for those benefits to Facebook, there are potentially many. One example,”Autofill admits them to the online payments world.”
“This is another example of the strategic smarts and ambition of Zuck.” “One gets the sense that he wants to be a major competitor for everything online.”
Posted in Credit card Processing, Credit Card Security, Digital Wallet Privacy, e-commerce & m-commerce, Electronic Payments, Mobile Payments Tagged with: Amazon, commerce, credit card, e-commerce, Facebook, google, media, mobile, mobile phone, network, payment, payment information, payment services, PayPal, platform, processes, secure, social, transaction
September 30th, 2013 by Elma Jane
National Transaction Corporation and Trams Back Office
As National Transaction Corporation Executives get to meet Sabre’s key people in Miami FL let’s know more about what Trams Back Office one of their respective products can offer.
Travel and transportation industry is evolving quickly, agility is needed in adapting to the changing customer needs. In addition to providing the right services for customers and for business.
With Trams Back Office, part of the Sabre Red travel solution, your capable to easily monitor, manage and grow your business. Trams provides right-size, right-price information technology (IT) solutions and is one of the most popular back office accounting and reporting system on the market today. It’s easy to learn and use, helping you control costs with extreme efficiency.
In addition, Trams Back Office seamlessly works withClientBase to deliver a complete solution incorporating GDS integration, CRM, General Ledger, and more.
Special Features
Credit Card Merchant – process your merchant credit card service fees and other transactions through Trams Back Office.Trams and ClientBase Products and Services has formed alliances with credit card processing companies, to bring you competitive rates and an easy-to-use interface to process agency merchant credit card service fees and other transactions through Trams Back Office.
The Credit Card (CC) Merchant Reconciliation under Payments|Reconciliation|CC Merchant Reconciliation takes the CC Merchant payments from Trams Back Office (TBO) verifies them, and sends them electronically to your credit card processor. Your credit card transactions are then processed and sent back to Trams Back Office, where TBO clears the processed items and creates the payment and the journal entry to record the activity in the General Ledger.
Add Ons
Trams Crystal Reports – measure effectiveness and efficiency by running pre-designed Crystal Reports within the Trams Back Office system. Its FREE!! Trams Crystal Reports is an add-on to ClientBase and/or Trams Back Office that offers you the ability to run pre-designed Crystal Reports in addition to those offered within the Trams Back Office and ClientBase products. TCR10 is the most recent version of Trams Crystal Reports that is integrated with Trams Back Office and ClientBase. When TCR10 is installed, you will be able to launch Trams Crystal Reports from your desktop or in Trams Back Office, using the TCR Viewer under Reports.
IC/Host Agency Export Utility- allows Independent Contractors to share invoice data with their Host Agency’s Trams Back Office system for FREE!! Agencies today are choosing to change the way they make their bookings. Many are dropping out of ARC/BSP and booking air tickets through a Host Agency. They may also book some or all of their Cruise & Tour business with a Host Agency, or continue doing those bookings as they always have. These Independent Contractor (IC) Agents working through a Host Agency, may still operate a Store Front location, or move into a “home based” environment. This utility is designed for independent contractors (IC) and host agencies to share data more efficiently. IC’s use the host’s GDS create invoices marked with their own IC code. These invoices are then interfaced into the host’s Trams Back Office (TBO) database. This utility gives the Host the ability to transfer these interfaced invoices to the IC for importing into their IC copy of Trams Back Office. To receive records from a host agency using this utility, an IC must have a copy of Trams Back Office. The utility also allows IC’s that use ClientBase to create invoices, to export those invoices and share them with the host agency.
Over View – Trams Back Office is a locally installed solution that allows agency to effectively manage entire accounting and reporting process with their Free Special Features and Free AddOns.
Posted in Credit card Processing, Electronic Payments, Merchant Services Account, Travel Agency Agents Tagged with: agencies, agency, agency's, air, Back Office, clientbase, credit card merchant, credit-card, host, payment, processor, reporting, Sabre Red, solution, store front, tickets, Trams, transportation, travel
