Travel environments are unique and transactions are usually keyed in. There’s almost always a delayed delivery period, and large ticket transactions.
One card holder may be paying for multiple tickets and they tend to be seasonal; with peak season months generating an unusual spike in their “average” monthly volume and chargebacks, pose a potential threat by travelers who are unable to complete their trip.
These factors can cause for either a reserve or account termination. Therefore travel merchant accounts are considered high risk.
Most merchants do not realize that merchant processors carry a financial risk on merchant accounts, and normally fund merchants prior to receiving payment from the client’s bank. Therefore, a merchant account is an unsecured loan.
The merchant runs a transaction and at the end of the day they settle their batch. The merchant will receive the funds for that batch in their bank account within 2 business days, even though the travel arrangements the client paid for do not take place right away.
Here at National Transaction Corp, we specialize in understanding what makes your transactions as a travel agent unique and how they affect your merchant account.
Educating the merchant and ensuring they have a good understanding of what makes travel merchant account high risk, is one of our specialties.
Call NTC to speak with a Travel Merchant Account Specialist today!
This is a question we encounter on a daily basis. Travel environments are unique in that your transactions are usually keyed, there is almost always a delayed delivery period, large ticket transactions are not uncommon since one cardholder may be paying for multiple tickets, they tend to be seasonal, with peak season months generating an unusual spike in their “average” monthly volume, and chargeback’s pose a potential threat by travelers who are unable to complete their trip. Combine even a few of these factors together and you have cause for a reserve, or even account termination.
Being a part of a MO/TO (Mail Order/Telephone Order) or Keyed environment carries an increased risk of potential fraud or unauthorized use of a credit card. Since the credit card and cardholder are not present at the time of the transaction, the merchant has a limited ability to ensure the card is not being misused or that the proper AVS (address Verification Service) information is provided. NTC stresses the use of Credit Card authorization forms in order to obtain the correct credit card number, expiration date, billing address, and signature of the cardholder.
Travel merchants tend to have periods of increased volume based on peak travel seasons, whereas most other industries tend to have the same average monthly volume every month. This can generate spikes in volume on the merchant account that can trigger security concerns with the processor. Helping the merchant to analyze their volume trends and reporting the trends to the underwriters helps eliminate the security concerns when these spikes occur.
Large transactions which exceed the average sale amount for the merchant account can also trigger security concerns. Merchants who do not inform their merchant processor of large transactions prior to charging the credit cards can trigger security concerns and cause funding delays and reserve holds. Educating and clearly communicating with the merchant how to handle large tickets, volume spikes, and group bookings, prevents reserves, funding delays and/or other merchant account issues.
Another concern from the underwriters is the delayed delivery time frame. Delayed Delivery refers to the amount of time between accepting a credit card payment (whether a deposit or full purchase) and the time the cardholder travels. The client’s credit card is billed and the travel agent is paid however, the trip the travel agent was paid for doesn’t generally take place for 2 to 3 months. This leaves a lot of time for things to change, and should the client not travel for some reason, the first thing they do if the travel agent does not issue a refund, is claim a chargeback. NTC offers quite a few tips that can help protect the travel agent from chargeback situations.
Most merchants do not realize that merchant processors carry a financial risk on merchant accounts, and normally fund merchants prior to receiving payment from the client’s bank. Essentially, a merchant account is an unsecured loan. The merchant runs a transaction and at the end of the day they settle their batch. Generally the merchant will receive the funds for that batch in their bank account within 2 business days even though the travel arrangements the client paid for do not take place right away.
Here at National Transaction Corp, we specialize in understanding what makes your transactions, as a travel agent, unique in how they affect your merchant account. Educating the merchant and ensuring they have a good understanding of what makes travel merchant account high risk, is one of our specialties. We have established a special relationship with our underwriting department which facilitates our ability to approve your high risk travel merchant account.
It’s true that the travel agencies are high risk. This is because of the high chargebacks by travelers who fail to complete their trips or stays due to a variety of reasons. It also has to do with the nature of delayed delivery where items or services are sold today but not used/consumed for a delayed period of time. Using the right merchant solutions can make a difference.
You want merchant solutions that help you to manage chargebacks, errant transactions, and terminal messages. Additionally, you should be able to integrate your software with services such as Sabre Red, Sabre, Trams or other accounting programs such as QuickBooks and Peachtree.
With NTCePay, simply create a pay button for any dollar amount. Then send this digital link to your customers via email. The customer reviews the invoice details and enters their payment information to complete payment. You can also create custom links that can be added to your web site or posted to your social media accounts for payment collection. With advanced invoices, you can easily break down payments into installments.
With this service, you avoid the complexities of integrating the software with your shopping cart, point of sale, or accounting system yet still collect your travel payments in a seamless manner.
For Electronic Payment Set Up Call Now! 888-996-227
Running an e-commerce website, travel agency, retail store or any other business that requires payment processing can be overwhelming.
You’ve got to monitor your transactions, ensure security to your customers, and generate reports. That’s a lot of work. However, with NTC payment solutions, you can streamline the whole payment process and stay on top of your operations.
With the right service, it allows you to get paid faster, offer loyalty programs, and process payments on the go. Depending on your business, you want to pick the right solution that best suit your needs.
Let’s explore some of the options you can consider.
With the right software, you can gain control of your business from inventory and order management to refunds and returns. No matter how you have set up your point of sale system, having the right software can make a great difference.
You want a software that lets you add other functionality, such as loyalty cards, sales exchanges, layaways, discounts, etc. This allows you to experience seamless customer management, inventory management, and retail accounting.
With the advancement in technology, you can access your point of sale system right on your iOS or Android device. This technology can replace your bar code scanners and cash registers to improve your in-store payment processing. There are also card readers that you can connect to your phone to start processing payments.
National Transaction can provide hardware, software, and support for any point of sale and other merchant solutions that your business needs.
To speak with our Payment Consultant Call Now 888-996-2273
Credit card transaction types are categorized based on the level of risk and processing cost associated with them. Here’s a breakdown of the common types:
1. Qualified
Definition: These are considered the “safest” and least expensive transactions for processors to handle.They typically involve traditional credit or debit cards processed in person with a physical card swipe or chip insertion.
Characteristics:
Card is present during the transaction
Cardholder’s signature is captured (if required)
AVS (Address Verification Service) matches the billing address on file
CVV (Card Verification Value) is provided and matches
Transaction meets all security protocols and risk assessment criteria set by the card issuer and processor.
Examples:Swiping a standard Visa or Mastercard credit card at a retail store.
2. Mid-Qualified
Definition: These transactions fall in between qualified and non-qualified in terms of risk and processing cost. They often involve card-not-present transactions or cards with higher reward structures.
Characteristics:
Manually keyed-in transactions (online, over the phone, or mail order)
Rewards cards with higher cashback or points benefits
Business or corporate cards
Transactions where AVS or CVV information is not provided or doesn’t match
Examples: Entering your credit card details online to purchase something, using a rewards card with travel benefits.
3. Non-Qualified
Definition: These transactions are considered the riskiest and most expensive to process.They often involve international cards, manually keyed transactions without proper security measures, or cards with very high reward programs.
Characteristics:
International credit cards
Manually keyed transactions without AVS or CVV verification
High-risk businesses like online gambling or adult entertainment
Keyed transactions for business or corporate cards
Examples: Using a foreign-issued credit card, manually processing a transaction without verifying the cardholder’s address.
Why does this matter?
Processing Fees: Merchants are charged different fees for each transaction type.Qualified transactions have the lowest fees, while non-qualified transactions have the highest.
Tiered Pricing: Many payment processors use tiered pricing models, categorizing transactions into these types and charging accordingly. This can sometimes be confusing or lead to unexpected costs for merchants.
Interchange Fees: The card networks (Visa, Mastercard, etc.) also charge interchange fees for each transaction, which vary based on factors similar to those used for transaction type categorization.
Understanding these transaction types is crucial for merchants to:
Negotiate better processing rates: By understanding the factors that influence transaction categorization, merchants can negotiate better fees with their processors.
Optimize payment processing: Merchants can take steps to minimize the number of mid-qualified and non-qualified transactions, such as encouraging in-person payments or using address verification systems.
Control costs: By being aware of the different transaction types and their associated costs, merchants can better manage their payment processing expenses.
Remember: The specific criteria for each transaction type can vary depending on the payment processor, card network, and individual merchant account. It’s always best to clarify with your payment processor to understand their specific categorization rules and fee structures.
To establish a merchant account for your business call now 888-996-2273 or click here NationalTransaction.Com
NTC ePay is for any merchant who wants to avoid the complexities of a shopping cart or integration into an accounting system or point-of-sale. When custom pricing becomes an issue, shopping carts, POS systems, and booking engines tend to get immensely complicated.
NTC ePay does away with those complications by allowing merchants to simply email a payment request that can be paid in 2 simple steps.
When you call National Transaction, we pick up the phone ready to assist your business. Our dedication to supporting our merchants is unparalleled, from the point of sale and beyond.
Our commitment to our merchants extends to their interests with NTC Gives.Com, a program designed to give back to a charity of their choice. Call today and let National Transaction Corporation earn your business.
Contact National Transaction Corporation today at 888-996-2273, or visit us online
National Transaction is celebrating 21 years in the business today. Founded in 1997 National Transaction (NTC) purpose is to serve businesses of all sizes with their cash flow with the highest levels of professionalism and care.
This 21 year anniversary would not be possible without our leader, Mark Fravel and we want to take you back to his why and the reason we are still here today.
The beginnings:
Mark, a single parent of 3 beautiful daughters, wanted to provide for their kids without being on the road all the time. And so, with this passion in mind, a desire to serve and commitment to his family, National Transaction was born.
NTC began like many business and passions, with no customers and only one employee but quickly grew and Mark knew that leading with confidence and excellence will drive this business somewhere.
The Present:
Now, NTC often ranks in the top 10 of many data and technology awards. This Excellence has also earned us an A+ rating in the Better Business Bureau.
This 21 years would not be possible without our desire to help a business grow and give them the right tools for their transactions. We love being on the phone with our customers, we love getting to know them and how we can provide our best service.
The Future
Mark started this with a desire to be a family man, and so, this family feeling has stayed with our company. We treat our team like family, and we are excited about what our future holds the next 21 years.
Thank you for celebrating 21 years of customer service, passion, connection and above all, quality. We will continue to provide you with the best service we know how to give, and we will uphold our promise and mission to make digital transactions reliable and simple to the merchant and familiar to the consumer, reducing the complexity and expense to both.
Before you can start accepting credit card or electronic payments, there are a number of factors to consider.
You will need to decide on a Point of Sale system. Some Merchant Services Providers require you to use only their equipment.
Some of these systems have expensive equipment costs. Others will provide you with free card readers. Companies offering free equipment may do so in exchange for higher processing fees.
Before you choose a Merchant Services Provider, you should look into how they work those fees.
Understanding Processing Fees
Credit card processing fees have several moving parts, so we aren’t going to dive too deeply into how these fees are determined. We will, however, take a broad overview.
Merchant Services Providers will charge either a flat rate, a percentage, or a combination of the two. This fee is called an interchange rate.
Interchange rates vary between card providers, which is why some sellers don’t accept certain credit cards and why many small companies have minimum requirements for credit card payments.
Some Merchant Services Providers don’t charge a flat transaction fee, however, they usually charge a higher percentage for payments.
Each model has its benefits and disadvantages.
Before choosing a Merchant Services Provider, familiarize yourself with their processing fees. Consider how they will fit with your business model. Are most of your transactions smaller or larger? How much will a free card reader save you?
Weigh every option out before you lock yourself into an agreement.
For Payment Consultation call now and speak to our Payment Consultants 888-996-2273!
Paying with a credit card seems like a simple process. You charge the customer, they swipe their card, and then they walk out the door.
But behind the scenes, it’s a bit more complicated.
A credit card payment involves four parties.
The Merchant
The Customer
The Issuing Bank
The Merchant Services Provider
You know who the Merchant and Customer are – that’s the easy part.
The Issuing Bank is the institution that lends money to the Customer.
When the Customer swipes their card, the Issuing Bank lends them the sale amount. This loanis given with the understanding that the Customer will pay the amount back within 30 days or repay it with interest.
Before the Merchant sees any of that money, it goes through the Merchant Services Provider. In exchange for their credit card processing services, they take out a fee before paying that money to the Merchant.
These fees vary between Merchant Services Providers, but one thing is certain: The Merchant always receives less money than the Customer paid them.
This might seem like a raw deal. However, accepting credit cards can lead to more sales than if you only accept cash.
On our next article we will discuss how to start accepting credit card payments and understanding the processing fees….so stand by for more information about Electronic Payment Processing.
