Category: Electronic Payments

5 tips for Ecommerce owners and managers who seek improved productivity in their business.

De-clutter

A messy workplace is annoying, distracting, and can get out of hand. Keep clutter at bay by regularly tidying up.

Clutter can also exist inside the mind. Having piles of paper on your desk can keep you from finding a pen, having too many thoughts can curb your focus.

Fix this by de-cluttering your mind. Use a mind-mapping tool to organize all the ideas, tasks, or worries in your head.

Eat your Frog Early

When you arrive in the office every morning, do you dive right into your biggest task or do you get the minor stuff out of the way first? Author and personal development coach Brian Tracy says that the former is more effective in terms of productivity.

In his book Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time, Tracy cited a famous Mark Twain quote, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”

He used frog eating as a metaphor for task completion, in which the frog “is your biggest, most important task, the one you are most likely to procrastinate on if you don’t do something about it.” Finish that task as early as possible, and you can spend the rest of the day knowing that you’ve accomplished a big goal.

Resist the urge to complete smaller jobs first. Doing so will only feed your procrastination and won’t take you any further towards completing your big tasks.

When deciding on what to prioritize in your business, always put your highest-impact goals at the top of your to-do list. What step can you take today that will have the biggest effect on your company? Start with that, and either delegate or hold-off on the low-level tasks. This tough to do.

Follow the 80-20 Rule

The 80-20 rule, developed by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto states that for many situations, about 80 percent of the effects or outcomes come from just 20 percent of the causes.

In business, the 80-20 rule comes into play when 80 percent of a company’s clients are generated from 20 percent of its sales staff, or when 80 percent of returns come from 20 percent of its customers.

Determine how the 80-20 principle applies to your business, then address that 20 percent so you can generate more results, or eliminate problems.

For instance, if you discover that 80 percent of your profits come from 20 percent of your customers, then nurture your relationships with those customers and reward them for their loyalty. Or perhaps you notice that 20 percent of your online marketing efforts are bringing in 80 percent of your site traffic. Stop spending resources on the low-performing strategies, and focus your efforts on the channels that work.

Have a Meeting Policy

If you must hold meetings in your company, keep them brief. Always have an agenda and a clear purpose for the meeting.

You may also want to consider having company-wide policies that tell people when and how to set-up meetings. Some companies for example, always hold meetings on the same day and time each week…e.g., Monday mornings, Thursday afternoons. This schedule enables people to plan their days and weeks more effectively.

Optimize your Relationships with Vendors

You optimize your site for speed and user-friendliness. Why not do the same for your suppliers and service providers?

Check with your vendors to ensure you’re working efficiently. Ask if there’s anything you can do to make their jobs easier, or recommend any improvements that they can implement. Don’t view your relationship as a service provider and client. Instead, treat your vendors as your partners.

Posted in Best Practices for Merchants, e-commerce & m-commerce, Electronic Payments, Environmentally Green, Internet Payment Gateway, Mobile Payments, Mobile Point of Sale Tagged with: agenda, business, ecommerce, loyalty, marketing, mind-mapping, online, optimize, organize, policies, prioritize, procrastinate, procrastinating, procrastination, spending, strategies, suppliers, task

Post Office New Credit Card Payment Service

Post Office launches new payments service to help small businesses make more money.

The Post Office in partnership with WorldPay, has launched a new card payment service to help sole traders and small businesses. The Post office which services around four million small businesses, will offer them a range of ways to take secure card payments made in-store, online, via mail or telephone order, or on the move, which it hopes will plug a 20 per cent revenue gap between firms that accept card payments and those that don’t. According to new WorldPay research, 87 per cent of customers are likely to spend more money per transaction when paying with a debit or credit card, as opposed to cash.

The study also showed during the past year, one in five of UK consumers has had to abandon a purchase due to a small business or sole trader not accepting cards or because they weren’t carrying enough cash to pay. The service includes card machines for in-store payments or those made via mail or telephone order, and online payment pages for websites.

There is also a Pay As You Go option for sole traders and mobile businesses, like hairdressers or beauty therapists, who can sign up to take secure Chip and PIN card payments.

Posted in Credit card Processing, Electronic Payments, Mail Order Telephone Order Tagged with: card payments, Chip and PIN, credit-card, in-store, mail or telephone order, online, payment, purchase, secure, service, transaction, worldpay

EMV America What Took You So Long?

Europay, Mastercard, and Visa (EMV) standards. Considered safer and widely used across Europe and other nations, the chip-based cards require insertion of the card into a terminal for the duration of a transaction, a break here from our traditional swipe-and-buy behavior. That’s just one way in which EMV changes things here… but it’s not the only way, nor is it the most important way. By way of reminder, October 2015 is the date by which all restaurants and other merchants are due to have implemented these standards, or potentially be liable for counterfeit fraud, which primarily reflects a shift from magnetic-stripe credit cards to chip cards.

The main driver in the EMV migration is card-related financial fraud.  As an example, and traditionally, card fraud in the United Kingdom has always been considerably higher than here in the States, primarily because the U.K. previously used offline card authorization as opposed to the online card methodology used here. As losses due to fraud rose steadily in Europe, despite the best efforts of global law enforcement agencies to reduce it, the pressure to find a solution built around some alternative authentication strategy mounted. From this concern, EMV was born.

Is it working? Recent statistics from the European Central Bank (ECB) revealed that, despite growing card usage, fraud in the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) – a mature EMV territory that includes all 28 members of the European Union,  Finland,  Iceland ,  Liechenstein,  Monaco and Norway,  – fell 7.6% between 2007 and 2011. This decline is underpinned by a slowdown in the growth of ATM fraud as well as a 24% drop in fraud carried out at point of sale terminals. The 2008 Canadian roll-out of Chip and PIN had a dramatic impact on fraud there. Card Skimming had accounted for losses totaling $142 million, but that figure dropped to $38.5 million in 2009, according to figures provided by the Interac Association. Some critics point to the fact that most of this decrease comes in the form of face-to-face card fraud, and that criminals merely shift their focus onto some other area that is less anti-fraud focused. Still, there are positive gains and as technologies improve, more successes are sure to follow.

Part of the reason why the U.S. not embraced  EMV sooner is because our  fraud problem, while significant, has typically been among the lowest rates in the world among highly developed economically mature countries. Much of that is due to the online authentication methods at work here. Here at home, our online authentication methodology permits authorizations to be done in real-time, thus thwarting a significant percentage of the fraudulent attempts at the point-of-sale, the best place to stop fraud. Our online authentication methods also incorporate multiple fraud and risk parameters as well as advanced neural networks that are ‘built-in’ to the approval process. It’s been a highly effective system that works well, when compared to most alternatives. The effectiveness of our authentication processes has helped fuel the resistance to full EMV adoption here. However, the EMV migration has gained momentum to the point where it is only a matter of time. The truth is that, despite the gains in preventing credit card fraud, and despite the best efforts of EMV’s backers to push acceptance through, global adoption of the EMV standard is still considerably less than 100%.

In England’s old offline authentication method, credit card transactions were gathered together at specific times- typically, at the end of the business day- and then batched over to the card issuers for authorization. It’s a method that gave those committing fraud a significant time lag between the transaction and the authorization, and this time lag contributed greatly to the higher levels of fraudulent activities in England. However, for Europe and for much of the rest of the world, adoption of the EMV technologies changes things dramatically, at least in terms of authentication protocols for both online and offline purchases. During an offline transaction using the EMV chip card, the payment terminal communicates with the integrated circuit chip (ICC), embedded in the payment card. This is a break from the old method which involved using telecommunications to connect with the issuing bank. The ICC / terminal connection enables real-time card authentication, cardholder verification, and payment authorization offline. Alternatively, in an online EMV transaction, the chip generates a cryptogram that is authenticated by the card issuer in real time.

Posted in Electronic Payments, EMV EuroPay MasterCard Visa, Financial Services, Near Field Communication, Payment Card Industry PCI Security, Visa MasterCard American Express Tagged with: authentication, batched, card, card authorization, card-related, chip cards, chip-based, credit cards, cryptogram, EMV, EuroPay, financial, fraud, fraudulent, icc, insertion, integrated, magnetic stripe, MasterCard, Merchant's, networks, online, payment, restaurants, Skimming, standards, swipe-and-buy, terminal, transaction, verification, visa

Extreme Electronic Payments in a Cashless Society

As we move to smartphones and tablets as payment methods security and privacy concerns are a real issue. With recent NSA leaks shedding light on our data and the access others have to it, we have to consider security, privacy and health implications. This year alone e-commerce transactions on smartphones and tablets during the holiday season are set to grow by 15%. Although tablets, not smartphones will drive the bulk of that growth, smartphones are set to overtake mobile-commerce payments over the next 5 years. Tablet payments in the U.S. alone are expecting to reach $26 billion in transactions. Currently tablets are more convenient for m-commerce due to their size, but as far as the future of electronic payment processing, smartphones are where it’s at.

The smart merchant sees this coming and realizes frictionless transactions increase sales. The more comfortable and less complicated a transaction is for a customer, the better. Smartphones, tablets, PCs, laptops and more can already process electronic transactions from credit and debit cards, gift cards, electronic checks and more. Money movement is easier than ever and more convenient than cash. Cash is king however in situations where internet connectivity and power are an issue. In India for example, a poor electric grid makes power outages a common occurrence. During natural disasters, when resources are badly needed, power outages or severed internet communications mean no electronic transactions can be processed. So physical currency remains a must, in the future we may see payment technology evolve to where digital money like crypto currency (BitCoin) may be stored on the device itself similar to having cash. As these electronic payment systems evolve, merchants need to position themselves to accept what their market prefers to transact with.

The smart citizen also sees this coming and has concerns that things like a National ID program being established may compromise their privacy.
As an extreme example of electronic transactions, a nightclub in Spain used subdermally implanted RFID chips in a woman that allowed patrons to pay for food and beverages without a credit card.

Posted in e-commerce & m-commerce, Electronic Check Services, Electronic Payments, Gift & Loyalty Card Processing, Merchant Services Account, Near Field Communication, Smartphone Tagged with: bitcoin, cash, connectivity, credit, crypto currency, currency, debit cards, digital money, e-commerce, electronic, electronic checks, frictionless, Gift Cards, health, internet, laptops, leaks, m-commerce, Merchant's, mobile-commerce payments, money, national id, nsa, pay, payment methods, payment processing, PCs, privacy, processed, RFID, Security, smartphone, tablets, technology, transact, transactions

Environmentally Greening Your Business

Eco Tips For Greening Business. Creating a greener office can result in a healthier and more productive work place, a lighter ecological footprint, increased staff morale and good news for your bottom line. So whether you work in an office, shop or factory, run your own business or manage a corporation… taking care of the environment is easier than you think.

Here’s some simple, yet effective tips for going green at work by saving energy, conserving natural resources and reducing landfill and preventing pollution.

A Switch to 100% Recycled Office Paper. Every tonne of paper recycled can save 17 trees. The best paper to buy is bleach-free, 100% post-consumer recycled paper (usually off-white or brown in color), because it uses up to 90 per cent less water and half the energy required to make paper from virgin timber, creates demand for waste paper that would normally end up in landfill, and no trees are cut down to make the paper. Genuine recycled paper is 100% made from post-consumer waste. This means the paper has been used at least once by consumers, collected, and reconverted to pulp to make paper again. But check the fine print because some paper manufacturers call paper recycled even when it uses pre-consumer waste… meaning pulp that never left the factory. A business is not truly recycling unless it buys recycled products.

Changing A Light Bulb. Compact fluorescents are 80% more energy efficient, and last 10 times longer than incandescent light bulbs. A switch from conventional light bulbs to energy efficient compact fluorescents can be one of the most effective things your business can do to reduce emissions and global warming, and it saves you money off your energy bill too.

Green Power. Your business can save tonnes of emissions a year, by switching to renewable sources such as solar, wind and geothermal energy.

Green Printer. Look for a printer who uses vegetable-based inks, and can assist you to choose paper made from sustainable forest fibres or better still, paper recycled from post-consumer waste. Next time you are arranging the printing of your stationery or printing material, get a comparison quote from a ‘green printer’. You might be pleasantly surprised to learn how competitive the costs are compared to traditional, alcohol-based, offset printing.

How White Is Your Paper? When you buy chlorine-free writing and copier paper you’re telling paper manufacturers that you demand safer alternatives. So, choose recycled paper with a high percentage of ‘post consumer’ waste, and look for the ECF or TCF symbols to ensure that environmental harm is minimized. ECF (Elemental Chlorine Free) means pulp is bleached without the use of elemental chlorine gas. Even better, TCF (Totally Chlorine Free) means pulp is bleached avoiding the use of chlorine at all. Paper manufacturers use chlorine to bleach paper bright white. The more chlorine our society uses, the more toxic substances such as dioxin there are in our water, air, soil, and in our bodies.

Implementing Green Cleaning Program. Green cleaning is not only good for the environment; it also increases workplace health and safety. Switch to environmentally responsible cleaning products and services.

Natural Air Filters Are Indoor Plants. Use Indoor plants they are natural air filters which can absorb airborne pollutants and radiation from computers while replenishing oxygen levels.

Put Your PC To Sleep. Save approx. $100 per year off your energy bill for every computer you switch off at the end of the day. If you are away from your computer for less than half an hour, put it in sleep mode, which reduces energy use to about 5% of full operating power. Also next time you’re replacing office computers, remember that laptops and notebooks use up to 90% less energy than a desktop PC. Many office computers never get switched off, needlessly consuming energy overnight and on weekends. A computer left on all day, every day uses 1,000 kilowatts of electricity over a year, producing more than a tonne of carbon emissions.

Recycling Program. Different Councils may have different regulations about what you can recycle. Kerbside collection has changed the face of office and household recycling, making it easier to reduce landfill.

Recycle The Cartridges From Your Printer, Fax And Copier For Free. Contact a free collection service that recycles all your ink jet and toner cartridges and guarantees zero waste to landfill.

Recycle Your Old Mobile Phone. Preserve the environment by keeping unused mobile phone out of landfill and recycling it back to reuse. Look for official industry recycling program that provides a solution to help clean up the environment while at the same time raising much needed funds for charities.

Treat Paper Like It Grows On Trees. Simple recycling measures can significantly reduce your waste removal expenses. Set your computer printing default to double-sided. Print out only what is necessary, and proof read documents carefully on screen to avoid having to print multiple copies. Use a paper tray to collect single-sided printed scrap paper for notes, or reuse it in your photocopier or fax machine. Place a paper recycling box under each desk, and encourage your team to transfer the contents into a centrally located recycling bin when full. Paper comprises up to 70 per cent of office waste, with 10,000 A4 sheets used for every worker each year. That’s equal to 10 million trees.

Waterless Urinals Installation. Every year, billions of litres of fresh drinking water are wasted in urinals flushing. Waterless urinals are best to use, absolutely no water while meeting the highest hygienic standards.

Go Green!!!

 

Posted in Electronic Payments, Environmentally Green Tagged with: electronic payments environmentally, energy efficient, environmentally green, green, greener office can, greening your business, lighter ecological footprint, merchant, payments environmentally green, service, the environment

Available Nationwide Isis Mobile Digital Wallet

Available Nationwide Isis Mobile Wallet

Latest version of the Isis Mobile Wallet has been announced. This is now available to consumers for download in the Google Play app store and at thousands of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless retail stores nationwide. Isis Mobile Wallet allows customers to pay at contactless payment terminals, and to save money through special offers and loyalty cards at participating merchants – all from their Isis Ready smartphone.

Today’s Isis Mobile Wallet nationwide launch is a milestone for consumers, merchants and banks. It’s the start of a smarter way to pay.

Together with Isis partners, a seamless mobile commerce experience have been built. Isis pleased to bring the magic and simplicity of the Isis Mobile Wallet to consumers across the U.S.

The redesigned Isis Mobile Wallet features a simplified user interface with a clean, white background and easy-to-navigate toolbars. Starting today, customers with one of the more than 40 Isis Ready smartphones available from AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon Wireless can receive a free enhanced SIM card from their wireless carrier and download the Isis Mobile Wallet for free from Google Play. Integration with American Express Serve makes it convenient for Isis Mobile Wallet users to load funds to their American Express Serve Account from a U.S. debit or credit card, bank account, or through direct deposit, as well as pay bills online and send money to friends and family using an American Express Serve Account.

 

Posted in Digital Wallet Privacy, Electronic Payments, Mobile Payments, Near Field Communication, Smartphone, Visa MasterCard American Express Tagged with: American Express, AT&T, banks, bills, carrier, contactless, debit or credit, google, interface, ISIS, loyalty cards, Merchant's, mobile wallet, online, payment terminal, play app, smartphone, T-Mobile, Verizon, wireless

The Most Secure Way To Process To Date – Point-To-Point Encryption

November 7, 2013 –  Payment Card Industry (PCI) Council’s recent acceptance of the world’s first Point-To-Point Encryption-validated solution is great news for both acquirers and merchants, and will aid in reducing merchant scope and increasing business security worldwide. If your P2PE know-how is a little spotty, here are the basics.

What is P2PE?

Point-To-Point Encryption (P2PE) is the combination of hardware and processes that encrypts customer credit/debit card data from the point of interaction until it reaches a merchant solution provider’s environment for processing. Because card data is immediately encrypted as the card is swiped (or dipped), it prevents clear-text information from residing on the payment environment. Encrypted card data is then transferred to, decrypted by, and processed through the solution provider processor who is the sole holder of the decryption key.

In a POS environment, merchants often store decryption keys on their backend servers. Bad idea. If a cybercriminal hacks into that environment, they not only have access to the encrypted card numbers, but the decryption key as well. Hacker jackpot. Many question the difference between P2PE and typical point of sale (POS) encryption.

The reason P2PE is arguably the most secure way to process is because merchants don’t have access to decryption keys. If a hacker breaches a merchant using a validated P2PE solution, he/she will only recover a long string of useless encrypted card numbers with no way to decode them.

Why use P2PE?

Basically, P2PE increases data security and has the ability to make a merchant’s job of reaching PCI compliance easier. The main point of using a P2PE-valiated solution is to significantly lessen the scope of security efforts through PCI Data Security Standard (DSS) requirement and P2PE Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) reduction. Compared to the 80+ questions required of mainstream merchant SAQs, the P2PE-HW SAQ only requires merchants to answer 18 questions.

Are all P2PE solutions created equal?

Answer is no. Many P2PE solution vendors claim their solution reduces scope, but in order for a merchant to qualify, they must select only P2PE-validated solutions listed on the PCI Council’s website.

To get P2PE solutions and applications listed on the approved website, solution provider processors must go through a rigorous testing process performed by a qualified P2PE Qualified Security Assessor (QSA). P2PE QSAs help entities thorough the 210-page document of P2PE requirements, testing procedures, and controls required to keep cardholder data secure – a task which only a few companies in the world can do.

As of this post, the only P2PE hardware solution approved by the PCI Council is European Payment Services’ (EPS) Total Care P2PE solution, validated by P2PE QSA SecurityMetrics. A number of other P2PE solutions are currently undergoing the review process and will be added to the list once approved.

Posted in Best Practices for Merchants, Credit card Processing, Credit Card Security, Electronic Payments, Merchant Services Account, Payment Card Industry PCI Security, Point of Sale, Visa MasterCard American Express Tagged with: acceptance, acquirers, backend, cardholder, credit/debit, cybercriminal, data, decode, decrypted, decryption, DSS, encrypted, encryption, encrypts, hacker, hardware, key, Merchant's, p2pe, p2pe-hw, Payment Card Industry, PCI Council, point of sale, point-to-point, POS, process, processed, processes, Processing, processor, provider's, saqs, secure, solution, transferred, validated

Reduce Credit Card Debt with Micropayments

Micropayments provide faster results and some immediate gratification that can keep you motivated. Rather than eating out or splurging on something that you don’t really need, immediately apply that money to pay down your credit card balance. Instead of paying a certain amount once a month, divide that payment in half and pay that amount every two weeks. Consumers can even sign up for an electronic transfer of your funds to take place every two weeks. By the end of the year, you will have made 26 payments or the equivalent of 13 monthly payments. The extra monthly payment resulting from this payment plan will enable you to pay down your debt at a faster pace.

If you are planning to make micropayments, consumers may want to call their credit card company to verify that separate payments can be made and will be credited to their monthly minimum. See if your issuer has any restrictions or limitations on making additional payments.

Holiday shopping is just around the corner, and consumers need to have their credit card balances as low as possible in order to avoid costly interest charges. One way to do this is to make micropayments on their credit card bill. While we are conditioned to pay our credit card bill once a month, consumers can actually make a number of smaller payments throughout the month. Some banks and issuers allow payments to be made as often as once a day. If you carry a balance, micropayments can reduce the interest because most credit card companies charge interest based on your average daily balance during the month. Pay more often and you reduce your average daily balance and therefore the interest you pay that month.

If you have more than one card with a balance, keep paying the minimums for each card, but pick one card to pay off first. Select either the card with the highest interest rate (save more money) or the card with the lowest balance (pay it off faster). Stop charging on that card, using another card for purchases.

There are several other advantages to making micropayments when paying down credit card debt:

You may have better control of your payments. If you are paid weekly or bi-weekly, money can slip away by the end of the month. Designate a specific day after you are paid to send in a payment for your credit card. Four $50 payments or two $100 payments are sometimes easier to make than a monthly $200 payment. It is also easier to add a little extra money to smaller payments.

In time, micropayments can help raise your credit score. An organized, scheduled payment plan can help you avoid late payments and pay more than the minimum due. Both of these are important elements for a good credit score.

Micropayments can reduce financial stress. Making payments right after payday at a time when you actually have the money will likely reduce anxiety and financial stress.

The higher your interest rate, the more you will save.

The disadvantage to the micropayment plan is that it takes time, organization and financial discipline to make the plan work and this may be difficult for some people.

 

Posted in Electronic Payments, Financial Services, Visa MasterCard American Express Tagged with: balance, bill, consumers, credit-card, credited, debt, elements, financial, interest, issuers, limitations, micropayments, money, monthly minimum, pay, payments, purchases, shopping

Medical Credit Card Abuse Rising :National Transcription

Since Medical Transcriptions is one of the product and services by National Transaction Corporation under National Transcription Corporation I just want to share this topic.

The abuse of the medical credit card system is growing by the day because many doctors are making these cards appear like an in-house payment program. Most patients are inclined to pay their doctor for their services directly, but they are more hesitant when a credit card is involved. Some medical professionals are masking the true source of their lending services and thus putting their clients at risk.

An example of this form of abuse can be seen by a company called CareCredit. Nearly 90% of New Yorkers in the CareCredit program opted for a program with no interest if the amount was paid in full. A quarter of them ended up paying 26.99% interest on their accounts instead. CareCredit has more than seven million cardholders nationwide, and it is currently the defendant in a variety of civil lawsuits.

If you are offered a chance to take to a credit card to cover your medical expenses, you should fully research the card before signing on the dotted line. Fully understand the terms of the card before agreeing to anything so you don’t end up in heavy debt.

Medical credit cards are designed to help people pay for procedures they may not be able to afford on their own. These cards give patients a chance to undergo the procedures their insurance may not pay for, as well as giving the doctor the opportunity to get their money right away.

While this may seem like a great setup, most patients are pressured into getting medical credit cards without knowing the excessive costs sometimes associated with them. They can fall into a debt trap very quickly.

 

Posted in Credit card Processing, Electronic Payments, Medical Healthcare Tagged with: amount, cards, clients, credit-card, debt, doctors, heavy debt, interest, lending, medical transcriptions, money, paid, patients, payment, procedures, professionals, risk, services, signing, system, terms

Cash Back Credit Cards vs. Store Credit Cards

If you want to make the most out of your shopping adventures, you need to have a credit card that helps you save money. The question is, which option is better for you? Some people automatically think about store credit cards, and others go for cash back credit cards. Before you apply for a card, assess which type of card would be more beneficial for your personal needs.

Cash Back Credit Cards

The main perk to having a cash back credit card is the fact that you can use it anywhere. It still acts as a traditional credit card. The only difference is that you get rewards from the money you spend on it. The average cash back credit card offers 1% cash back on all purchases. Some may also pay an additional 2% to 5% cash back on select purchases made with the card. Example, the Citi ThankYou Preferred Card offers 2 reward points per $1 spent on dining and entertainment. Blue Cash Everyday card from American Express offers 3% cash back at supermarkets, 2% cash back at gas stations and 1% on all other purchases. You could earn a great deal of your money if you choose the right cash back card and use it correctly.

The problem with cash back credit cards is that the rewards structure can sometimes be confusing. The Discover It Card features an attractive rewards program, but its 5% cash back offer changes every three months. It may be on home improvement purchases during one quarter, but during another quarter, it may be applicable on purchases at gas stations and for holiday shopping. You have to keep up with the rewards calendar to get the most out of your credit card. You also have to consider any fees associated with your credit card. Some cash back cards on the market have an annual fee, and many have a slightly higher interest rate than the average card. Review the terms of any card you are considering for so you can pick the perfect one for you.

 Store Credit Cards

Store credit cards are usually easy to apply for and just as easy to obtain. Some of them can be used like regular credit cards, and others have to be used at a specific store. For instance, the traditional Walmart credit card can only be used at Walmart, but the Walmart Discover card can be used anywhere Discover is accepted. You need to know this about your card before applying for it. Many people get a store credit card because they receive some type of introductory offer when they apply for one. You might be able to save 10-15% off your initial purchase, or you might get a certain amount of cash back after making your first purchase. These offers are designed to lure you into getting a card, even though you may never use it again. What you may not realize in the euphoria of the introductory offer is the very high interest rate you typically have on a store credit card.

When you start looking at store credit cards, consider what kind of rewards you can get and how those rewards are accumulated. Do they only come from purchases at that store, or do they come from any transaction? Are you required to use rewards in the store, or can you use them online? Does the card have an annual fee? You must go through this type of analysis before deciding if a store credit card is worth getting.

Are Cash Back Credit Cards Better Than Store Credit Cards?

In our opinion, yes. This isn’t because we’re biased towards cash back cards. We just like the idea that you can earn rewards wherever you make a transaction. You aren’t limited to one store, either in the way you spend money or the way you collect your rewards. In addition, store cards usually have a higher interest rate. With that said, there are people who benefit from store credit cards because they shop at those stores all the time. If you spend thousands of dollars a year at Lowe’s for your construction company, a Lowe’s credit card may provide substantial savings for your business.

Don’t get overly excited when you reach the checkout counter. That one-time savings on a store credit card may not be worth it in the end. Think over your shopping habits and see if a cash back credit card is more suited for your needs. If so, you have plenty of them to choose from.

Posted in Electronic Payments, Financial Services, Gift & Loyalty Card Processing, Visa MasterCard American Express Tagged with: %, accumulated, American Express, annual, assesses, average, beneficial, calendar, cash, cash back, checkout, credit cards, dining, Discover, earn, entertainment, fee, improvement, interest, lowe's, market, money, online, pay, points, preferred, purchases, quarter, rate, rewards, savings, shopping, store, traditional, transaction, walmart