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

Three dimensions merchants must look for in a payment system and Difference between a PSP and ISO

Three dimensions merchants must look for in a payment system PSP and ISO:

1. Ability to adapt and customize the solution.

2. Solutions that support broad range of payment methods.

3. Supports a full set of different channels and devices.

Difference between a PSP and ISO in the payments ecosystem? Online and Mobile Payments:

There are two types of merchant service providers and not all service providers are made equal, Processors and Resellers:

Resellers are known in the industry as Independent Sales Organizations (ISO’s) and/or Merchant Service Providers (MSP’s).

1) Resellers or ISOs – ISOs resell the products or services of one or multiple processors. They can also develop their own or aggregate other value added products and services. ISO’s range from a little sketchy to best in class providers.

2) Processors – Also known as Acquirers, processors are distinguished by their ability to actually process a transaction. To be a processor, a company must have the technical capability to receive transaction data from a merchant via a telephone line or the internet and then communicate with the appropriate financial institutions to approve or decline transactions. Processors must also be able to settle completed transactions through financial institutions in order to deposit funds into the merchant’s bank account.

Processors can be banks or non-banks. While processors do maintain a direct sales force of their own, they primarily work through ISOs to acquire and maintain their merchant base. A processor’s business model is really one of economies of scale. They’re volume shops. They essentially outsource the sales function to ISOs. The processing industry is highly concentrated with the top five processors maintaining over 70% of all transaction volume.

Types of ISOs: 

1. Banks – Banks of all shapes and sizes are ISOs. Banks entered into the merchant services business because it was a natural fit with their product and service offerings. It’s a way to increase revenue per customer. Most, but not all banks, will private label the services so that it’s difficult to distinguish whether they are a processor or ISO. The benefit of working with a bank is that you can consolidate your financial services. The drawback is, the you usually get out of the box solutions and service.

2. Non-banks – These types of ISOs range from some of the most dynamic and capable providers to firms who don’t represent the industry very well.

Industry Dynamics – There are a few dynamics that make the industry landscape quite interesting. First, there are very barriers to entry due to the lack of certifications, licenses, and capital requirements. Secondly, there really is no active regulatory body that oversees and enforces acceptable practices. So naturally, with these two market conditions, merchants need to be mindful and thorough in selecting a provider.

Processors versus ISOs In comparing the two, ISOs offer all of the products and services that processors do (because they are reselling) but processors can’t always offer the same products and services as ISOs. This is because ISOs can resell for multiple processors and can either develop their own technologies or aggregate solutions from other providers. ISOs have largely been the most successful creators of value-added services. ISO’s also tend to be smaller, which usually (but not always) leads to better customer service.

Processors are usually a safer bet for newer merchants that are still learning about the industry. Most still maintain what consider less-than-upfront pricing practices, but with their services it is less common to hear about some of the more serious problems that merchants encounter when they deal with the wrong ISO. As for price, in most cases, there really is very little to no difference. I argue, and fully disclose my vested interest, that in nearly any situation a best in class, non-bank ISO can provide more value than a processor.

Posted in Best Practices for Merchants, Credit card Processing, Electronic Payments, Financial Services, Mail Order Telephone Order, Merchant Services Account, Visa MasterCard American Express Tagged with: account, acquirers, aggregate, approve or decline, bank, best in class, channels, customize, data, deposit, devices, financial, independent sales organizations, internet, ISO, merchant service providers, Merchant's, mobile, msp, non-banks, online, payment methods, payment system, payments, processors, psp, resellers, solution, telephone, transaction, value added

Tap and Go with SpeedPass

In addition to my article about Credit Card Purchases give way to Tap and Go.

I would like to add an example of contactless payments which was introduced in 1997 called Speedpass.

Speedpass is a keychain RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Device) introduced in 1997 by Mobil Oil Corp. (which merged with Exxon to become ExxonMobil in 1999) for electronic payment. It was originally developed byVerifone. As of 2004, more than seven million people possess Speedpass tags, which can be used at approximately 10,000 Exxon, Mobil and Esso gas stations worldwide. Speedpass has also been previously available through a Speedpass Car Tag and Speedpass-enabled Timex watch.

Speedpass is another example of “contactless” payment system that provides members with a quick and easy way to pay for purchases at participating Exxon and Mobil stations nation-wide. Speedpass is similar to the electronic toll technology successfully used on subway, bus, and highway systems around the world.

Speedpass key tag has a built-in chip and radio frequency antenna that allows it to communicate with Speedpass readers at gasoline pumps, convenience store terminals, and car wash kiosks at Exxon and Mobil locations.

A quick wave of your Speedpass key tag in front of the reader initiates the automatic transmission of a unique identification and security code to the Speedpass payment system so your account can be located. Your payment is instantly processed using the credit/debit card that is linked to your Speedpass. If the transaction is approved, you will receive a payment confirmation and you can be quickly on your way.

You can securely access your Speedpass account and change the credit/debit card that is linked to your device. You can also specify whether or not you would like to receive a receipt for gasoline purchases made at the pump using your Speedpass. Even if you change your receipt settings to specify that you don’t want a printed receipt, you can always view your complete Speedpass transaction history and all electronic receipts online by logging into your account at any time.

Speedpass is safe and secure. Your card information, preferences, and personal details are not stored in your Speedpass device, so your information is protected from unauthorized use.

Speedpass is a cool payment method for people on the go! You can use your Speedpass to pay for gasoline, food, merchandise, and car washes at participating Exxon and Mobil locations nation-wide.

Speedpass Benefits:

Fast and Convenient 
Simply wave your Speedpass key tag across the area of the gasoline pump, convenience store terminal, or car wash kiosk that says “Place Speedpass Here”. 

Free
There are no fees to acquire or use Speedpass key tags.

Easy and Simple
When you use Speedpass, there is no need to sign a receipt.

Online Account Access 
If you are an existing Speedpass member, you can login to speedpass.com to access your account 24/7. You can review your purchase history, access electronic receipts, update your contact information, change the credit/debit card that is linked to your device, and more! If you are an existing member, but don’t yet have a username and password, setup your online profile today by clicking on the My Account button on this site.

Safe and Secure
Your credit/debit card number and personal information are not stored in
your Speedpass device.

Posted in Electronic Payments, Mobile Point of Sale, Near Field Communication Tagged with: antenna, built-in-chip, communicate, confirmation, contactless, convenience store, credit card purchases, electronic, electronic toll, exxon, fees, keychain, kiosks, locations, logging into, merchandise, mobil oil corp, nation-wide, online, payments, radio frequency identification device, receipts, RFID, security code, speedpass, Tags, tap and go, terminals, timex, transaction, unauthorized, verifone, watch, wave

Credit Card Purchases will give way to Tap and Go

With banks and shops starting to let customers pay by tapping their smart phones on terminals in stores, the future of plastic credit cards is looking shaky.

MasterCard, which has teamed with Coles and CommBank on these ventures, yesterday said Australians were rapidly embracing contactless payments using PayPass and rival Visa’s payWave. At Coles, six out of 10 MasterCard and Visa payments were contactless.

MasterCard head of market development and innovation for Australasia said three out of 10 MasterCard terminal payments were contactless and there were now more than 175,000 terminals nationwide that could accept them. More than 10 million MasterCards in Australia could make contactless payments.

An EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) standard meant all terminals were capable of handling different brands of contactless payments.

The first stage of the contactless payments or “tap and go” revolution began with Visa payWave and MasterCard PayPass in Australia and the first institution to make contactless payments available locally was the Commonwealth Bank in 2006.

The next stage is to use smartphones rather than just plastic cards for contactless payments. Customers still use their Visa and MasterCard accounts, but the transaction is effected using a Near Field Communication sticker placed on the back of the phone, or an embedded, secure NFC element inside modern Android smartphones.

In Europe, NFC-enabled watches, wristbands, key rings and fobs also were being used for contactless payments and there was no reason this couldn’t happen here.

Visa said it had made a “significant investment” in a mobile NFC ecosystem.

“Visa is working closely with partners like Samsung, Vodafone and Optus on a range of mobile payment solutions that use the secure element and prepaid SIM models.”

CommBank, which previously enabled contactless payments from an iPhone housed in a special case, last week said it would let customers pay directly from their Apple phone using an NFC sticker, and from newer Android phones with embedded secure NFC technology.

The new facility, to be rolled out in the current financial year, is part of a revamp of the bank’s smartphones apps.

Coles said contactless payments had increased in the past year by more than 70 per cent while CommBank’s volume of contactless payments had increased six fold in 12 months. Westpac said it was piloting an Android mobile contactless payment application and was also investigating smartwatch payments.

“We also believe that the next big trend after the rise of mobiles and NFC in Australia will be mobile checkouts, where shoppers purchase products and have them delivered within two or three clicks,” a spokeswoman said, and the moves were “as big a market shift as we’ve ever seen”.

Coles also announced a trial of its own contactless payments technology using NFC stickers. Funds would be drawn from Coles Rewards MasterCards. Some 5000 mobile phone tags would be issued in a trial.

ANZ said it was continuing its trial of a mobile wallet for Android phones begun last year, ahead of making the solution available to customers.

“Our NFC pilot with Samsung and Optus is tracking well and we’re also investigating other payment options such as QR codes,” an ANZ spokesman said.

“Given the fragmentation of the market, we will continue to monitor developments before finalising how we will bring a viable mobile wallet solution for our customers to market.”

St George Bank chief information officer said his bank planned to have a contactless phone payments solution in the market “sometime in 2014”.

The bank has previously been reported to be looking at payments via the Pebble and Samsung smart watches.

National Australia Bank, which unveiled its peer-to-peer payments app, NAB Flik, last month, said it was watching how the contactless payments market developed with “less focus on being first to market and more focus on being best in market.”

The Australian  reported last month that Apple and PayPal were exploring an alternative to NFC-enabled contactless payments called iBeacons. When you pass close to a store in a shopping centre, a beacon will detect your phone’s presence and automatically alert you to signature items for sale and specials, or offer other information to lure you inside, and process payments.

CommBank last week told The Australian it was looking at iBeacons technology.

Posted in Credit card Processing, Electronic Payments, EMV EuroPay MasterCard Visa, Near Field Communication, Visa MasterCard American Express Tagged with: accounts, Android, banks, checkouts, contactless, embedded, EMV, EuroPay, fobs, Iphone, MasterCard, mobile, mobile wallet, Near Field Communication, nfc, optus, payments, paypass, paywave, phone, plastic credit cards, prepaid, process payments, qr codes, Samsung, secure, shops, sim, smart phones, Smartphones, smartwatch, sticker, store's, Tags, tap and go, tapping, terminal, terminals, transaction, visa's, vodafone

Mobile payments still not customer preferred

Reflecting recent research that concludes mobile payment adoption remains low, Total System Services Inc. (TSYS) issued results from a survey that confirm consumers prefer banking applications other than payments for their mobile devices.

While reinforcing the dominance of debit and credit cards as payment mechanisms, the TSYS 2013 Consumer Payment Choice Study revealed that mobile devices are used as a tool for ancillary financial services, such as checking account balances and accessing discounts and rewards.

“For now, the hype largely remains hope for mobile from a payments standpoint,” the survey said. “On a relative basis, consumers would overwhelmingly prefer to have the ability to use their smartphone to monitor transaction activity or prevent fraud versus using their mobile phone as a form factor in a transaction.”

Columbus, Georgia-based processor TSYS found in its third annual survey that, out of 1,000 consumers surveyed online in the summer of 2013, 40 percent of respondents were interested in using mobile devices to instantly stop illegitimate transactions. Additionally, 37 percent indicated that the ability to view in real-time the transactions made with debit and credit cards was also an important feature.

Receiving instant offers and promotions from stores being visited (33 percent); temporarily blocking and unblocking purchases using certain bankcards (29 percent); and paying for purchases using reward/loyalty points (28 percent) rounded out the top payment-related uses for smartphones.

At the bottom of the scale was to pay for purchases with mobile wallets (25 percent) and to use credit or debit card-funded prepaid accounts for the same purpose (22 percent). “Industry observers regard mobile payments as an assumed eventuality,” TSYS stated. “Our survey results indicate that consumers are presently more interested in increased non-payment functionality on their mobile device.”

But the processor remains optimistic about the promise of mobile payments. “We believe that as the infrastructure matures and the ability to use mobile payments becomes more widespread, this trend will change,” TSYS said.

Prepaid undermarketed?

In addressing the role of prepaid cards in the payment mix, TSYS expressed surprise that prepaid cards are apparently not being marketed aggressively by financial institutions. The processor noted that major banks jumped into the prepaid card industry in 2012 to offer general-purpose reloadable (GPR) prepaid cards as checking account alternatives.

But TSYS found that just over 10 percent of survey respondents indicated they had received GPR card offers from their banks. TSYS attributed that low percentage to the fact that the survey respondents were by default credit and debit card users, while GPR cards are primarily targeted to individuals without access to credit or debit cards.

Regardless, survey respondents aged 35 and younger accounted for 64 percent of those who had received such offers. “It could be that the younger demographic on average represents a less profitable checking relationship for banks, or that banks perceive them to be more receptive to the offering,” TSYS said.

Steady goes debit and credit

Consumer payment preferences in 2013 remain relatively unchanged from previous years, according to TSYS. Debit still trumps credit as the preferred payment instrument overall, with both methods being favored by every eight of 10 survey respondents. Debit is still the clear winner when it comes to supermarket shopping and gas purchasing, while credit is preferred when dining out and shopping in department stores. But when it comes to fast food cravings, cash is still king.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, and also consistent with TSYS’ 2012 report, only 11 percent of respondents said being able to set up text message alerts for account balances and transactions was most valuable, and a mere 6 percent valued the ability to register payment cards in mobile wallets.

However, credit tops debit for online purchases, TSYS said. Further of note is that PayPal Inc.’s digital wallet service rivals debit online, with both payment methods favored by roughly one-fifth of respondents. But for small-dollar purchases, like coffee and donuts, cash remains the preferred payment vehicle, despite innovative mobile schemes offered by companies like Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts.

Posted in Credit card Processing, Digital Wallet Privacy, e-commerce & m-commerce, Electronic Payments, Gift & Loyalty Card Processing, Internet Payment Gateway, Mail Order Telephone Order, Merchant Services Account, Mobile Payments, Smartphone Tagged with: account, adoption, applications, banking, checking, consumers, credit cards, debit, devices, discounts, financial services, form factor, general-purpose, gpr, infrastructure, low percentage, mechanisms, mobile, mobile wallets, non-payment, offers, online, payment, payment related, phone, prepaid, processor, profitable, promotions, real-time, reloadable, reward/loyalty, rewards, smartphone, transaction, tsys

Reduce Cart Abandonment for Mobile Device Users

You find a good deal online, and as you hastily proceed through the checkout, something goes wrong.

After typing in your name, address and credit card number, you mis-key a digit of your credit card number. The transaction doesn’t go through. The screen seems to yell at you. START OVER. You feel like yelling back.

You have to get to a meeting, so you close your browser and vow to revisit the process later or – worse – try booking the flight on another travel site.

Cart abandonment is a well-known problem for merchants trying to sell goods to online shoppers, and it is even more pronounced when the shopper is using a mobile device.

Travelocity was seeing far too much of it, so the online travel booking site turned to Jumio for a solution.

Travelocity’s deployment of Netswipe, Jumio’s credit card scanning and validation tool, provided the basis for discussion in a recent webinar, “How Travelocity Increased Conversion, Engagement on its Mobile Apps,” sponsored by Jumio and hosted by Mobile Payments Today.

The best webinars look at use cases, said Anthony Lanham, Jumio senior vice president for North American sales, and Travelocity’s experience with Netswipe provides a great example.

Travelocity’s problem was straightforward, the online travel agency’s director of engineering. The site is a common destination for people looking for just-in-time bookings, he said. They need it right now.

And with shoppers increasingly accessing the site from mobile devices, there was this pattern. The user doing a last-minute booking is in a hurry. When you’re in a hurry with a small screen, there’s a decent tendency to ‘fat-finger’ and make key-entry errors. The transaction fails, and that becomes frustrating for the user in a hurry.

A Jumio consumer mobile insight study found that a majority of respondents find it too difficult to fill out forms from a mobile device. And if a purchase doesn’t go through, they almost never go back to try again.

They may come back and finish later, but if it’s Travelocity, the door is now open to go to Expedia and book that flight or hotel.”

Netswipe is designed to remove the burden of entering card details. The solution lets users snap a photo of their card with the camera on their mobile device and present it at checkout, removing the need to self-enter.

In the case of Travelocity, when users reach the mobile site’s checkout page, they see an “autoscan with camera” option in the billing header. They hold the card in front of the camera, which scans it and provides the necessary details to the site. The process takes about five seconds.

To test the solution, Travelocity first implemented it on its sister site, LastMinute.com. Adding the software development kit to the LastMinute.com app was simple and early adoption was larger than the company anticipated. That early success led to quick integration of the app on the flagship Travelocity site.

Checkout conversion rates there also increased much more quickly than anticipated. Over two months, customers using the card scan feature converted at 52 percent, compared to 9 percent for other customers. “The data made it clear that ease of entering payment information was the main reason.”

Though Travelocity’s challenge centered on customer conversion and engagement, Netswipe also acts as a fraud deterrent.

Fraudsters always take the path of least resistance and any decent fraudster can get their hands on the name and number and expiration date that match. But once you get to the point of asking that fraudster to put a bona fide card in front of a camera, you are going to instantly cut out a huge swath of fraudsters. For them to take that information and actually translate it on a physical card that would pass muster for the checks that we do is an enormous task. They can go monetize those fraudulent credentials elsewhere easily.

Moharil offered a few lessons from the integration. First, he said, it’s important to measure, and to continue measuring often. For example, are users checking out the feature out of curiosity or are they using it to complete transactions? And it’s important to plan for backward compatibility – making sure earlier versions of the Jumio SDK and Travelocity app don’t have glitches.

Moharil advised rolling out a new solution along the simplest path, in a small use case, early results for Travelocity have been so good, he only wishes the solution were implemented sooner.

The webinar concluded with a short question-and-answer session. The free webinar is now available for Online Replay, and will remain on the Mobile Payments Today site for 12 months.

 

Posted in Best Practices for Merchants, e-commerce & m-commerce, Travel Agency Agents, Visa MasterCard American Express Tagged with: autoscan with camera, billing, booking, cart, checkout, conversion, credit-card, data, device, digit, fraudster, key-entry, merchant, mis-key, mobile, online, shoppers, site, transaction, travel, travel agency's, travelocity, webinar

Cardless Cash Access at ATMs

Banking and payments technology provider FIS and City National Bank, a private and business bank, have partnered to pilot FIS’s Cardless Cash Access at City National ATMs in Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco. The solution lets consumers stage an ATM transaction from their mobile devices.

City National plans to introduce the emerging technology to clients in its three largest markets early next year, according to an FIS announcement, continuing FIS’ rollout of the solution at banks and ATMs in key U.S. locations.

FIS said Cardless Cash Access securely authenticates a user on his or her smartphone. The consumer then uses the phone to select the account and amount of the withdrawal. At the ATM, the consumer scans a QR code on the ATM screen and, within seconds, the cash is dispensed and an e-receipt is sent to the phone.

Consumers continue to look for innovative new ways to engage with their financial institutions via mobile devices, FIS Mobile, said in the release. At the same time, they demand additional security to keep their information safe. Information from Cardless Cash Access is maintained in the cloud, so card data cannot be accessed if the consumer’s phone is lost or stolen – making this a faster, safer, more secure way to make a withdrawal.”

To decrease fraud, FIS said, security within Cardless Cash Access is provided through the app’s authentication and registration of a user’s smartphone, which the company said eliminates card skimming risk and fraud incidents for banks and their clients.

With the proliferation of debit and access to cash at the point of sale, financial institutions are looking for ways to expand the utility of the ATM,” Senior vice president and head of product strategies, Vince Hruska, City National Bank, said in the release. “Cardless Cash Access not only provides a secure and easy way to obtain cash from an ATM, but introduces to the client a new way of looking at ATM use.

Posted in Financial Services Tagged with: account, amount, atm, authenticates, banking, banks, card, cardless, cash, data, e-receipt, emerging, financial, Mobile Devices, national, payments, QR code, securely, Security, Skimming, smartphone, transaction

Difference Between an Aggregated Merchant Account and a Dedicated Merchant Account

 

First what is a Merchant Account? It is a type of bank account that allows businesses to accept payments by payment cards, typically debit or credit cards. A merchant account is established under an agreement between an acceptor and a merchant acquiring bank for the settlement of payment card transactions. In some cases a payment processor, independent sales organization (ISO), or member service provider (MSP) is also a party to the merchant agreement. Whether a merchant enters into a merchant agreement directly with an acquiring bank or through an aggregator such as PayPal, the agreement contractually binds the merchant to obey the operating regulations established by the card associations.

Merchant Account comes in 2 Basic Types – Aggregated Accounts and Dedicated Accounts.

Aggregated Merchant Account – such as those provide by PayPal that use a single merchant account to provide credit card processing for an entire portfolio of companies.

Dedicated Merchant Account – are provisioned specifically for your business.

Each has its Advantages and Disadvantages.

4 Key Points to Consider when deciding which type is the most advantageous for your small business.

1. Creditworthiness: To obtain a dedicated credit card processing merchant account your business will need to go through comprehensive underwriting. If you’re in a difficult to underwrite industry or if your business is very new and if it has a less than stellar credit history then an aggregated merchant account is the best choice. You still need to provide information about your business, underwriting for aggregated accounts is typically far less rigorous than for dedicated merchant accounts.

2. Funds Control: With an aggregated merchant account, transaction proceeds go to the service provider and are then deposited to your bank account at the provider’s discretion. There are no industry standards or rules that govern how an aggregated merchant account provider handles or disburses your money. The provider makes the rules, and can change them at will, so if you choose an aggregated merchant pay very close attention to the contract terms and any changes made to them. With a dedicated merchant account, transaction proceeds, less processing fees, are deposited directly into your business account. While the merchant account provider can correct errors, react to potential fraud and debit your account for customer “chargeback” claims. This must all be done based on industry-standard credit card processing rules.

3. Neighborhood: With an aggregated account, you’ll have no idea about the other companies processing transactions. If a good number of them engage in fraudulent activity, it is possible that the service provider’s processing account will be terminated and even honorable businesses like yours will lose credit card processing ability. If you do go with an aggregated account, it is very important to make sure that your provider is large enough to absorb fraud generated by a few bad apples.

If you’re using a small provider, try to get a list of the other business using the service and check them out to see if you want to live in the same neighborhood. With a dedicated merchant account the only company processing credit card transactions through it will be yours. You are in full control of keeping the account in good standing.

4. Speed: Getting a dedicated merchant account can take time. While there are some providers automating the process and providing same-day decisions. A typical application will take 48 hours to approve and additional time to integrate into a POS or electronic payment processing environment. Signing up for a credit card processing under an aggregated account service provider can usually be done in minutes, and it often comes with an online system that can have you actively processing payment within the hour.

Offering your customers the option to pay with a credit card is a great way to enhance revenue for your small business. Customers want the points associated with rewards cards, and they want to manage their own cash flow by floating balances or financing their purchases. Allowing them to use credit cards accomplishes both. So, give the customers what they want. If you don’t accept credit cards yet, now is a great time to start. Having made that decision, the next step is to obtain a merchant account for credit card processing.

The actual credit card processing rates you’ll be charged are a critically important factor as well. But as with most things, you get what you pay for. So don’t choose a low rate without also considering how the provider you  select will impact your overall business.

For Merchant Account Services Please call National Transaction at 888-996-2273 or visit our  website www.nationaltransaction.com to know more about our services.

Posted in Credit card Processing, Merchant Services Account Tagged with: account, accounts, acquiring, aggregator, card, cards, chargeback, credit, debit, electronic, environment, fees, financing, fraud, ISO, merchant, msp, payment, PayPal, POS, Processing, provider, transaction, underwriting

Qualified-Mid-Qualified-Non-Qualified Rates and Conditions about Card Transactions

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

How A Typical Credit Card Transaction Works and How Credit Card Fees Work for Merchants

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