I would say that the merchant services industry is competitive, and even cut throat in some cases. Many merchants have been taken advantage of by credit card processors’ ads of low teaser rates and costly equipment. I was working on a very large merchant account this past week and felt that the proposal we put […]
VISA and MasterCard Rules and Regulations Many merchant violations of the VISA and MasterCard rules don’t even know they have committed a violation. Most stores don’t have any procedural information about how to process a credit card sale as part of their employee training other than hitting the “sale” button, and why should they? Are […]
It is projected by many economists that the downturn in our nation’s financial status is only going to get worse in 2009. A few business owners and entrepreneurs have been turning the financial crisis into big profits and some say they are preying on instability. Mortgage company owners have opened mortgage restructuring companies, and debt […]
If you have seen a sign like this at a retail store, you are not alone. No matter what the sign says, if a merchant accepts credit or debit cards, you are allowed to use any card they accept for a purchase of any amount. Merchants cannot, in any case, impose minimum or maximum purchase […]
In 2005, a credit card giant was brought down by a massive security breach. It was said that at least 68,000 MasterCard account numbers were taken from the CardSystems database and that approximately 40 million cards of various brands were exposed. Since this breach, we have implemented PCI DSS and have come a long way […]
As if there is not enough controversy over Interchange Rates charged to merchants, we now have to deal with consumer credit cards interest rates increasing drastically without notice. Some consumer spending experts say this may hinder spending even more this holiday season. What is our government doing to fix the issue? Federal regulators jumped into action and […]
Most people don’t distinguish a difference between Visa and MasterCard – both are champions going head to head in a fight to see which plastic is going to be in your wallet. As far as the average person is concerned, the two cards are identical. In most other industries when you have two similar companies, […]
The credit card companies have been hard at work coming up with programs to entice consumers to spend more and travel more this holiday season. With the uncertain economy, shoppers are holding on to every penny and looking for the best deal possible. It’s no wonder that the credit card companies and banks have begun […]
Thus far, it seemed the credit card processing industry was impervious to market conditions. But it seems that streak has come to an end when it comes to credit card giant American Express. AMEX announced today that it will lay off 7,000 workers, or 10% of their headcount. American Express is also putting a freeze […]
Visa has always been on the cusp of technology and is always looking for new and innovative ways to expand their sphere of influence. Visa is launching four new programs that allow payments and services via mobile devices which will introduce the start of mobile technology in the payment processing industry. Two such programs are […]
