May 23rd, 2016 by Elma Jane
Today, the information thieves want most from your customers is not their credit card numbers but their email addresses and account passwords. Criminals used stolen credentials to gain control of consumer accounts and open new accounts using their names to defraud merchants.
Data encryption and payment security are crucial for merchants, but so is helping customers keep their credentials secure. Encouraging customers to keep their information secure is a good thing.
Help customers practice good password habits – set up your system to require good passwords. Have account rules in place that require more secure passwords. ( a minimum number of characters and a mix of character types).
Remind customers what they can expect from your business – like your employee will never ask for customer account passwords or payment account information via email or no one from your company will call to ask for account passwords or credit-card information.
Offer security tips ahead of peak season – by reminding them ahead of time about account safety. Your business may receive a high volume of travel booking which means peak time for fraud attempts that need to be screened for fraud.
Keep your own fraud-prevention program updated – fraud prevention is an ongoing cost of doing business for merchants, but it doesn’t have to be too much expense. Working with your customers to keep their data and yours secure, will strengthen your business with them while protecting your business from fraud.
Posted in Best Practices for Merchants, Travel Agency Agents Tagged with: credit card, customers, data, fraud, merchants, payment, payment security, Security, travel
May 18th, 2016 by Elma Jane
Terminals are ready, but the software isn’t – many merchants have EMV capable equipment, but has not been activated yet because it still needs to be certified.
The certification process includes security and compatibility tests.
For a small merchant, all you need to worry about is your equipment or software is EMV certified.
For software, developers, terminal manufacturers needs to get certification before they can deploy their products to merchants.
So many merchants who want to accept EMV, are now just waiting for their POS system to get necessary upgrades, which they can’t do until they’re certified.
Slower Checkout Time – common complaint by consumers. Dipping takes several seconds longer than swiping the card. There’s also a chance of forgetting your card because you have to leave your card inserted while waiting for the transaction to get approved.
The fastest Path to EMV – Depending on the nature of your business, the risk of landing yourself for credit card fraud is slim. The easiest way is to contact your merchant account provider and they will tell you what equipment and software you need and how much it will cost.
For our retail customers, we have the iCT250, the smart and compact desktop device designed for maximum efficiency. iCT250 offers a smart and effective payment experience on minimum counter space. Accept all electronic payment methods including EMV chip & PIN, magstripe and NFC/contactless.
For card-not-present, we have our payment gateway platform that accepts payments your way Online, In-Store and On the Go.
- E-commerce – manage your e-com business along with all of your other payment transactions in one, secure place.
- In-Store – accept payments in person with ease using your computer and a broad range of an optional device, like card readers and PIN pads.
- Back Office Mail & Phone – Process you mail and phone payments online. Converge is ideal for recurring and installment payments too.
- Mobile – Take payments on the go with an intuitive mobile app that’s compatible with most smartphones and tablets.
For more details give us a call at 888-996-2273 or check out our website for our products and services.
Posted in Best Practices for Merchants, Credit Card Reader Terminal, e-commerce & m-commerce, EMV EuroPay MasterCard Visa, Internet Payment Gateway, Mail Order Telephone Order, Merchant Account Services News Articles, Mobile Payments, Near Field Communication, Point of Sale, Smartphone, Travel Agency Agents Tagged with: card, card readers, Chip & PIN, consumers, contactless, credit card, customers, e-commerce, electronic payment, EMV, fraud, in-store, magstripe, merchant account, merchants, mobile, nfc, online, payment, payment gateway, PIN pads, POS, provider, Security, terminals, transaction
May 10th, 2016 by Elma Jane
To our retailer partners, you are now able to accept UnionPay Cards with National Transaction. No additional steps are required; when a client hands you a UnionPay card just swipe it like you would with any other credit card.
What is UnionPay?
UnionPay was established in 2002 and has become the central and pivotal part of China’s bankcard industry. UnionPay cards are being accepted in 150 countries and regions outside of China. Since 2010, the number of bankcard networking merchants, POS terminals and ATM machines accepting UnionPay cards has increased by 40%, 30%, and 31% respectively. Chinese tourists are a huge strategic market with big profits and great potential for merchants in the US. These cards are currently being accepted at many large companies in North America including Niemen Marcus, Walmart, and Hertz.
Thank you for your business. At National Transaction Corporation our goal is to provide merchants with payment solutions and service beyond their expectations. If you have any questions please contact our Customer Service Department at 888-996-2273.
Posted in Best Practices for Merchants, Credit card Processing Tagged with: bankcard, cards, credit card, merchants, payment, payment solutions, POS, terminals
May 5th, 2016 by Elma Jane
Businesses or merchants accepting payments online needs an up-to-date and active security software that includes:
- FIREWALL PROTECTION – a software program that helps to screen out malware and hackers that try to reach you through the internet.
- ANTI-VIRUS PROGRAMS – Not all anti-virus program offers protection against all kinds of malware. Viruses are one type of malware. Spyware is another type of malware that can steal credit card information or your bank account.
Update:
- Keeping your operating systems, security software programs, and browser current can help secure your data information.
- Evaluate browser’s privacy settings, limit or disable cookies. Other cookies can be used maliciously and collect data information.
- Back up your data regularly. If your computer or device got compromised, you still have access to important files.
Need to set up an account give us a call at 888-996-2273
Posted in Best Practices for Merchants, Credit Card Security Tagged with: bank account, credit card, data, merchants, online, payments, Security
May 5th, 2016 by Elma Jane
- A terminal lease carries with it a 48-month lease agreement.
- The cost of that lease can run anywhere from $50-$100/month.
That is a LONG time to be paying for a terminal equipment that doesn’t cost more than $400 these days.
- If a merchant pays upfront the cost of the purchase is completely tax deductible, you don’t need to pay $2400 for a terminal equipment that costs $400.
If you can’t pay cash for your credit card terminal, you can just charge it to a business credit card. The interest paid is still tax deductible. That’s a savings of nearly $2,000 that can be better directed toward developing and expanding your business.
Need to set up account give us a call at 888-996-2273.
Posted in Best Practices for Merchants, Travel Agency Agents Tagged with: credit card, merchant, terminal
May 4th, 2016 by Elma Jane
Credit Card Terminal for…..
Some processors offer a free terminal to their merchants, but as we all know, there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch! A free terminal carries with it a yearly Terminal Replacement or Warranty charge of $50 to $100/year. That’s still much less than what a lease would cost you, but it’s not really FREE
If you’re not currently in a lease but are considering one, don’t be deceived. Instead, calculate the total cost of leasing vs. owning. The best and most affordable option still lies in ownership.
If you need to set up an account give us a call at 888-996-2273
Posted in Best Practices for Merchants, Travel Agency Agents Tagged with: credit card, merchants, processors, terminal
April 29th, 2016 by Elma Jane
The credit card industry in the U.S. underwent a liability shift October 1st of 2015. The one major exception to the October 2015 liability shift has been automated fuel dispensers. Automated payment terminals at the pumps were given until October of 2017, to comply with the new standard.
Upgrading a gas pump payment terminal is more expensive than what other retailers face upgrading a typical credit card reader.
• First, the cost of replacing the payment terminal itself.
• After replacing gas station’s payment terminal, it also needs to re-certify the entire pump, which costs additional time and money.
• Gas pumps also have to be certified by state officials, to make sure that they are dispensing and charging correctly.
Consumers need to be vigilant while gas stations are getting a break, the card might be exposed to counterfeit credit card fraud, because whenever the card is swiped the traditional way using the mag-stripe, that EMV chip is not doing anything.
Posted in Best Practices for Merchants, EMV EuroPay MasterCard Visa Tagged with: card reader, chip, consumers, credit card, EMV, fraud, payment, terminals
April 25th, 2016 by Elma Jane
There are a lot more details of what makes up a credit card rate, this information is a good start to know more about a merchant account. All merchant accounts are subject to the same costs with respect to interchange fees and assessments.
Most rates are made up of three parts:
Assessments – are paid directly to card network associations (Visa, MasterCard, Amex, etc.)
Interchange – are paid to the issuing bank that issued the card, and is typically made up of a flat rate.
Card present transactions (the card is physically present or swiped) are typically lower than card-not-present transactions (the card is keyed-In like e-commerce and mail-order transactions).
Card-not-present transactions have higher interchange rates because they are riskier.
Processor fees – the fees involved with providing the service, risk assessments, the type and size of the transaction. This includes the margin between the total rate and the two previous parts, along with other fees, like chargeback or statement fees.
Posted in Best Practices for Merchants, Credit card Processing, Travel Agency Agents Tagged with: bank, card, card network, chargeback, credit card, merchant account, rate, transaction
April 19th, 2016 by Elma Jane
Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) is an electronic system that allows a recipient to authorize a transfer of their government benefits from a Federal account to a retailer account to pay for products received. Very much similar to purchasing something using a credit card.
Posted in Best Practices for Merchants Tagged with: account, credit card, EBT, electronic, Electronic Benefit Transfer
April 14th, 2016 by Elma Jane
Accepting credit card payments is a must if you’re planning to start a business. It’s good to know what is out there and how it applies to your situation. So you need to learn about credit card processing machines, depending on your business.
Here are some of the different types of credit card processing machines:
Dial-Up Terminal – the grandfather of credit card processing machines. Dial-up terminals use a phone line to connect with a credit card processing company. The advantage is that they are normally inexpensive than some higher-end options. The disadvantage is slower processor speed.
IP Terminal – connect the merchant over a high-speed internet connection. The advantage of IP terminal over dial-up terminal is speed. IP machines can process transactions as fast as 3 seconds as opposed the 10 to 25 seconds that a dedicated dial-up machine might take. IP terminals now cost about the same as dial-up units and that a single DSL link can accommodate more than one credit card terminal.
Wireless Terminals – the priciest yet most convenient type is a wireless machine that runs on a wireless network, much like your mobile phone.
Virtual Terminal – virtual terminals are computers running credit card processing software connected to a credit card reader. Virtual terminals are a great addition to an office because they don’t require a standalone credit card processing terminal.
There are many options available for your business, whether you’re e-Commerce, MOTO, In-Store or Mobile there’s a credit card processing machine and platform out there that will fit your business.
Give us a call to know more at 888-996-2273 or visit us at www.nationaltransaction.com
Posted in Best Practices for Merchants, Credit Card Reader Terminal, e-commerce & m-commerce Tagged with: card reader, credit card, credit card processing, e-commerce, merchant, mobile, moto, payments, terminal, virtual terminal
