The first appeared on the Small Business Trends website, and is a very useful, practical listing of “12 Tips for Merchants to Fight Credit Card Fraud at the Point of Sale.” Among the helpful pointers are the suggestion to actually compare signatures on the slip (or screen) versus the card — a practice which has fallen out of favor — and watching out for large sales, or seemingly distracted customers, rushing a purchase right at closing time.
Category: Business Merchant Services
Card Companies Show Profits, as Credit Use Climbs
There are tea leaves in nearly every flavor, for someone attempting to read what direction the economy’s headed in. But for at least two of the biggest credit card companies, the news seems to be that things are picking up, or at least their customers — the ones using credit cards — are convinced it’s okay to start saying “Charge it,” again.
Are Small Businesses Evolving Fast Enough for Customers’ Mobile Needs?
In the same week where the smallness and flexibility of small businesses is being touted in an article explaining how small specialized bookstores may outlast the giant Barnes & Noble chain, comes a report from payments firm ControlScan and TransFirst, suggesting that small businesses (those processing fewer than 20,000 e-commerce or 1 million physical card transactions annually), may be missing the boat in responding to one growing critical need: the ability to respond to a customer base increasingly seeking both information, and payment options, on mobile platforms.
Customer Feedback
We wanted to take a minute to share just a few of the wonderful reviews we’ve received from customers recently:
A Guide to the Strawhecker Group’s Swipe Fee Graphic
The Strawhecker Group is an advisory/consulting group for us in the Payments Industry. And they’ve recently come up with a compelling infographic explaining swipe fees — what they are, and where they go.
Valentine’s Day Spending Hits New Highs in 2024
A new survey by the National Retail Federation says that American’s will spend more than $18 billion on Valentine’s Day, making it one of our “spendiest” holidays, close on the heels of Christmas and Halloween. According to the NRF, the average outlay will be around $130 a person — a $5 uptick from last year, though the “average” for men actually clocks in at around $176, while for women it hovers around $90.
The History — and Future– of Credit Cards
The New Year’s cusp is always a good time for looking both forwards – -and backwards. Especially when one considers how fast the whole passing parade… passes by! For some colorful holiday reading about the history of credit cards, we refer you this article by Bloomberg, on a Christmas-season “fiasco” occasioned by Chicago banks, getting into the then-new credit card biz.
What to Look for in a Business Merchant Services Company
As a business owner, your entire business is centered on making money. Whether you own a brick and mortar store or operate your business online, business merchant services are a big part of this. Your merchant account is what enables you to accept payments in the form of checks, credit and debit cards, gift cards, and more. Unfortunately, not all merchant account providers are created equal. Here, we will take a look at what qualities you should be looking for.
