2023-12-08 17:39
It is not necessarily against the rules to offset processing costs. However, it must be done in a manner that aligns with local laws and the rules set by card brands. In this discussion, we… Read More
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The Merchant Account Blog
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Tags:
payment
business
monthly minimum
cashless
rate
minimum
gift cards
accept pin debit
transaction
holiday
Covering topics related to credit card processing, ecommerce, and processing equipment.
2023-11-15 16:55
Credit card fraud is a serious issue that can cause significant financial losses to businesses. During the holiday season, fraudsters take advantage of the increased volume of transactions t… Read More
2023-09-20 18:13
As a business owner, navigating the world of credit card processing can be a bit like deciphering a complex code. One of the puzzling terms you might encounter is the “monthly minimum… Read More
2023-07-31 19:55
Dual pricing is a pricing strategy that allows merchants to offer different prices for the same product or service depending on the payment method used by the customer. Dual pricing has been… Read More
2023-06-08 16:10
It’s one of those questions that comes up all the time with businesses, and the answer is generally yes. As consumers, we have an understanding of debit and credit cards. Debit is atta… Read More
2023-05-08 20:42
Going cashless has become a popular trend in recent years, with more and more businesses adopting digital payment systems. While cashless payments offer several benefits, such as convenience… Read More
2023-04-04 19:07
In our previous article we were looked at calculating your effective rate and getting a baseline for current payments cost per dollar of processing volume. In this article we will cover thi… Read More
2023-02-06 18:45
If you are looking for the short answer:
If you are processing less than $3k per month in volume you should be using a payment aggregator like Stripe, Paypal, or Square. If you are proc… Read More
2022-12-12 23:17
If you own a small business, you’re probably always looking for ways to increase your profits. One way you may be able to do this is by implementing a credit card surcharge. But wh… Read More
2022-11-03 15:24
Gift cards are a popular holiday gift and for good reason. They’re easy to buy, easy to wrap, and they let the recipient choose their own present. But did you know that gift cards… Read More
2022-10-06 22:00
The seasonal ramp-up is about to begin and for many businesses that means opening for the first time in months, or even expanding operations for seasonal events. If you are a seasonal busin… Read More
2022-09-14 15:08
ACH Debit? Just hear me out.
I understand that most businesses don’t accept checks or any sort of bank drafting as payments right now. That said with its affordability I think it&r&hell…Read More
2022-08-16 16:08
Did you know that generally speaking most of your credit card processing fees go to the bank that issued your customer’s credit card? Some of your fees go to the systems and platforms… Read More
2022-08-02 21:56
At its heart PCI requirements are a set of standards designed to make sure all companies in the payment chain are handling cardholder data in a secure environment. Having a structured… Read More
2022-07-14 16:28
If you have a merchant account then you have likely heard the term interchange, but many don’t quite understand what it is, how it works, and why it matters. We are going to generally… Read More
2022-06-28 22:21
Over the years I have trained thousands of merchants on the basic functions of their payment devices. In many cases I found myself training people who had been using the payment device for… Read More
2022-05-17 19:02
Many merchants have been looking to cash discounting to lower their payment processing costs because it’s a far easier way to offset processing costs than meeting the surcharging requi… Read More
2022-05-04 19:39
When it comes to accepting credit cards there are a lot of rules and a lot of drab documentation to go with them. Many times businesses are breaking rules that they don’t even know ex… Read More
2022-04-13 18:18
Dejavoo recently released the QD series of Android-based credit card terminals and we figured it was about time to put together a brief overview.
These new QD devices use Android as their… Read More
2022-03-24 20:59
Would you place a stop payment on your previous merchant account provider if you found out you had some absurd early termination fee?
We recently set up a new client that was referred to… Read More
2022-03-24 19:31
This comes up more often than you might think, many attorneys out there misunderstand how payment processing may cause accidental commingling of funds if not set up correctly. While attorne… Read More
2022-03-03 15:27
If you accept tipped payments there are some potential, lesser-known, chargeback risks you should be aware of. For some types of tips, a card issuer is allowed to dispute any portion of a t… Read More
2022-02-14 15:00
Here we look at 5 more ways to accept payments that are generally much cheaper than most businesses expect. Just like in our first 5 ways, many of these do have an additional transaction… Read More
2022-02-03 21:42
Apple Inc. is said to be nearing the release of a new service that allows businesses to accept payments directly on their iPhones. This service would likely be some form of tap-to-pay using… Read More
2022-01-06 06:00
Not Reviewing Deposits
Most merchants think that as soon as they run the card funds are guaranteed. Unfortunately, there are many reasons why funds may not make it to your account w… Read More
2021-12-15 18:00
Everyone loves the holidays, but with the holiday rush, traveling employees, and chaos of busy schedules, it is very easy for fraud to fly under the radar, especially for small businesse… Read More
2021-09-30 19:30
There are many ways to accept payments and some are more cost-effective than others. Here is our list of 5 ways to accept payments that are generally much cheaper than most businesses… Read More
2021-09-07 17:07
Credit card refunds are very common and happen for many reasons. There are two primary forms of credit card refunds and they are not always used correctly. Many businesses and their employe… Read More
2021-07-28 20:44
We are back again with 5 more things you shouldn’t do with your merchant account. These are additional things to void when you have a merchant account. If you missed out last 5 List… Read More
2021-05-20 20:55
Your merchant account should be something that helps you generate sales, but sometimes it can lose you money as well. Here are 5 common ways merchants lose money through their merchant acco… Read More
2021-04-20 20:08
Did you just get a Clover point of sale, or are looking to add one to your business? Clover offers a standard 1-year manufacturer’s warranty which is full replacement coverag… Read More
2021-02-16 18:58
There are many great ways to use your merchant account but you should also be aware of the things you should not do with your merchant account.
Do not process your own credit card.Whi… Read More
2020-07-30 21:45
There is a reason we typically do at least one article a year regarding equipment leases and why we think they are a bad idea in most cases. It is simply because they are still prevalent in… Read More
2020-06-26 20:17
As businesses are increasing safety measures to keep their doors open, they often overlook their payment acceptance practices. For many businesses, this can be achieved by upgrading equipmen… Read More
2020-04-30 15:54
**A demand by a credit-card provider for a retailer to make good the loss on a fraudulent or disputed transaction. **
Simple as that…or not so much. Most merchants will, at some po… Read More
2020-04-08 19:23
If your business is in need, there are several loans and programs to help you get through these uncertain times. There is a lot of good information on the Small Business Administration&rsqu&hell…Read More
2020-04-08 19:05
In response to COVID-19, most card brands are opting to delay their scheduled rate adjustments. Below is a table showing which card brands have delayed their rate adjustments, and when… Read More
2020-04-08 19:01
You should always have a fraud prevention plan, but in the wake of coronavirus, there is increasing pressure from criminals trying to take advantage of the confusion and stress on businesses… Read More
2020-04-02 20:27
In this newsletter, we are going to look at different ways your business can continue to process customer payments as well as introduce a way for merchants to protect themselves during t… Read More
2020-03-19 18:28
This seems like a perfect time to talk about contactless and customer facing payment options. In a world of social distancing and constant hand washing there is even more reasons to lim… Read More
2020-02-13 19:37
Dejavoo was founded by the original founder of Lipman USA, and seems to be founded on the same principles that Lipman was: rock-solid products that are easy to use and very reliable… Read More
2020-01-15 17:21
In short, no. You may have received marketing information describing the perfect world of having free credit card processing. While it is possible to establish an account and have the busine… Read More
2019-09-17 15:30
What is is my contract length? Can I cancel my service without penalty?
Every merchant is under a contract with their processing bank, whether there is a penalty to cancel service is… Read More
2019-07-26 16:56
There are two sides to a credit card transaction; Authorization and Settlement. Between these two stages of the transaction process there are 4 basic functions to all credit ca… Read More
2019-05-08 20:15
MasterCard has entered phase two of its Dispute Resolution Initiative (MDRI) and so we felt that now was a good time to shoot out some information about what has changed in the world of char… Read More
2019-02-07 22:57
Regardless of your market accepting credit cards is just part of today’s world. Doing so can be an intimidating task for an uninformed business owner. Yet the process to accept payment… Read More
2019-01-16 22:15
Its be long believed by many that PIN debit transaction are cheaper than signature debit and while that may be the case in some instances that is not always the case.
First off a quic… Read More
2018-12-18 20:40
Starting early in 2019, many businesses in the US will lose the ability to force transactions. A forced sales happens when a merchant uses an existing authorization number to push a tra… Read More
2018-11-20 17:17
In our last article we covered how to get your effective rate to better understand what your credit card processing costs vs your processing volume.
Here we are going to take a look at some… Read More
2018-10-29 18:34
November 4th is right around the corner, don’t forget to update your terminal’s time.
Updating the date and time in the Verifone VX520 terminal can be done quickly using the… Read More
2018-10-11 21:56
We know how excited you are to receive your credit card processing statement each month. You just can’t wait to open it, stare at it blankly, and finally resign yourself to the com… Read More
2018-09-12 17:48
If you missed the previous two parts of Confessions of A Risk Analyst check out part one and part two.
What to do if your funds are on hold?
If you are put on hold, the processor may or… Read More
2018-08-14 17:48
How Processors Assess Risk
Continuing from part 1.
A processor takes a silent backseat to assessing potential risk based on what they know about the business, its owner, and the transact… Read More
2018-07-24 19:56
Risk reserves are one of those things in the processing world that go unknown for most businesses. For many businesses the first time they find out about risk reserves is when their fund… Read More
2018-06-20 20:06
Payment processing is a complicated industry and if you’re starting an eCommerce business, you shouldn’t expect to have a thorough understanding out of the gate. That said, t… Read More
2016-03-19 18:53
Many business owners sell their used credit card terminals on ebay to other business owners after they upgrade or no longer need them. These terminals often go for a fraction of the retail p… Read More
2016-03-19 18:53
Update 11-2013 - Added transparency option. Just omit the bgcolor from the url and the background of the logos will be transparent. This allows the logo to match any background color th… Read More
2016-03-19 18:53
This is what unethical sales in the merchant account world looks like. I’ve crossed out the business information, but Mr. Michael Lendon is pretending to be this company’s mercha… Read More
2016-03-19 18:53
If it hasn’t already happened, small merchants are about to get a rude awakening if they currently accept PIN debit transactions. Because of certain provisions in the durbin amendment… Read More
2015-11-17 15:44
We’re going to start publishing a series of videos on how to accomplish routine functions on credit card terminals, payment gateways, and other processing equipment. The first video in… Read More
2015-09-11 15:44
We’ve been receiving a substantial number of enquiries to add PIN debit to existing merchant accounts. We wanted to clear up what is looking to be a new misconception about d… Read More
2015-09-10 16:27
Previously we talked about a few of the lesser known fraud types that many small businesses encounter.
Part 2 of our series on fraud, covers some tips to help identify and prevent the damage… Read More
2015-08-18 15:19
This is the first of a 2 part series on common but under-reported and often unknown types of fraud that many merchants experience. Part 1 will consist of specific example scenarios and type… Read More
2015-07-08 13:41
FANF or Fixed Acquirer Network Fee yet another cost riding on your merchant account.
What is the Fixed Acquirer Network Fee?
After the Durbin Amendment added new regulations regarding paymen… Read More
2015-05-14 14:48
Are you missing some of your Deposits?
It could be the IRS!
From time to time we hear horror stories from merchants with deposits that seem to be missing money. Several weeks ago we heard fr… Read More
2015-04-27 21:02
What is Apple Pay all about, do I need to accept Apple Pay and do I need new equipment?
Apple Pay was rolled out fall of 2014 with headlines blasting out how it was going to change the paym… Read More
2015-04-15 14:57
We just got word that VeriFone is discontinuing their PC Charge software. Apparently due to EMV, PC Charge will discontinue all new support contracts Oct 1st, 2015. We will continue sel… Read More
2015-03-31 13:46
What is all this talk about EMV and Credit Cards?
You’ve probably heard about new changes to the processing industry by now, called EMV.
EMV is the global standard for processing a cr… Read More
2015-02-06 15:39
We are now stocking First Data FD terminals.
For retail, we have the FD130. This terminal does it all, dial, ethernet, wifi, EMV, and NFC. It works with Apple Pay as well. We have a demo uni… Read More
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