Quick links: FAQ | Glossary of Terms

FAQ

Q. What do I need to do to accept credit cards?

A . We have an application process. Depending on your business this can be done via the fax, with originals to follow. The application is a one page form that has information about your business, ownership information and credit card terminal information. In addition, we would need a voided check for where you want your funds transferred.

Q. What are the charges for credit card processing?

A. Charges vary based on the type of business and the way in which the credit cards are accepted and processed. Charges are based on a discount rate which is a percentage of the dollar volume that is processed, in addition there is typically a per item transaction fee. For those businesses that are currently processing, we conduct an analysis of your current statement and then provide you with the most competitive rates.

Q. How do your rates compare with other processors?

A. We offer excellent services with extremely competitive rates.

Q. Do I have to buy equipment or is there another option?

A. Purchasing is an option, and we also have leasing available.

Q. Can I use the terminal I already have, or do I need a new terminal?

A. Typically we can reprogram nearly every piece of equipment, please verify your equipment type with one of our sales agents.

Q. I have bad credit; can I still get a merchant account?

A . Absolutely, we have several options for you at rates equal to those with good credit.

Q. How long does it typically take for me to see my funds in the bank?

A . Typically 24-48 hours

Q. Are the credit card discount charges taken daily or monthly?

A . This is your choice; daily means that the discounts are taken out of the settled batch and the net amount is funded into your bank. Monthly means that all funds are deposited into your bank account, and then the charges are debited from your account at the end of the month. Note: there may be an extra charge for monthly discount.

Q. Do I have to settle my terminal everyday?

A. Yes, you should settle your batch daily to avoid higher fees. Depending on your terminal we can set you up on auto-settle which will automatically batch your terminal at a specified time.

Q. I don’t swipe many cards, why is my rate so high?

A. Non-swiped transactions are less secure and are prone to higher incidences of consumer fraud. A great way to lower your non-swiped rate is by utilizing AVS (address verification system). This is a secured form of keyed transactions that offers you the merchant better than typical non-swiped rates offered by most other companies.

Q. I have a website on the Internet; can you provide me with credit card processing?

A. Yes, by purchasing authorize.net we can offer you online credit card processing, check services, and shopping carts.

Q. If I don’t have a pin pad can I still accept debit cards?

A. Yes, as long as they have the VS/MC logo they will clear as a credit card transaction. If you have a pin pad you will have only a transaction fee without a % from Visa® & MasterCard®. There is a small fee that the debit networks charge but we simply pass that through to you.

Q. Do I need an additional phone line?

A. If your business does not produce a lot of transactions, we suggest using a fax or modem line, it only takes about 10 seconds for the transaction to go through.

Q. Can you set us up for check services?

A. Yes we can, but we also suggest trying to get a check debit card instead of checks. They are much more secure, & cheaper than check service fees.

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Glossary of Terms

Acquirer: An Acquirer is a Visa® / MasterCard® Affiliated Bank or Bank/Processor alliance that is in the business of processing credit card transactions for businesses and is always Acquiring new merchants.

Address Verification Service (AVS): The process of validating a cardholder's given address against the issuer's records, to determine accuracy and deter fraud. This service is provided as part of a credit card authorization for mail order/telephone order transactions. A code is returned with the authorization result that indicates the level of accuracy of the address match and helps secure the most favorable interchange rates.

Adjustment: An adjustment is initiated by the acquirer to correct a processing error. The error could be a duplication of a transaction or the result of a cardholder dispute. The acquirer debits or credits the merchant DDA account for the dollar amount of the adjustment.

Auto Close: A terminal feature that allows an end-of-day batch closing to occur automatically at a specified time, without having to be initiated by the merchant.

Automated Clearing House (ACH) File: A file with instructions for the exchange and settlement of electronic payments passed between financial institutions. It represents debits and credits to be deducted from an account automatically as they occur.

Batch: The accumulation of captured credit card transactions in the merchant's terminal or POS awaiting settlement.

Capture: The submission of an electronic credit card transaction for financial settlement. Authorized credit card sales must be captured and settled in order for a merchant to receive funds for those sales. Also see Settlement.

Card Not Present: A transaction where the card is not present at the time of the transaction (such as mail order or telephone order). Credit card data is manually entered into the terminal, as opposed to swiping a card's magnetic stripe through the terminal.

Chargeback: A credit card transaction that is billed back to the merchant after the sale has been settled. Chargebacks are initiated by the card issuer on behalf of the cardholder. Typical cardholder disputes involve product delivery failure or product/service dissatisfaction. Cardholders are urged to try to obtain satisfaction from the merchant before disputing the bill with the credit card issuer.

Close Batch: The process of sending the batch for settlement.

Code 10 Authorization: If you suspect a card is fraudulent at the time of the transaction, the merchant can call their voice authorization phone number and ask for a code 10. The voice operator will instruct the merchant on how to proceed.

DDA Account: This is the merchants Demand Deposit Account, otherwise known as the merchant's home town bank account.

Discount Rate: The percentage of sales amounts that the bank card acquirer or T&E card issuer charges the merchant for the settlement of the transactions.

Electronic Date Capture (EDC): Process of electronically authorizing, capturing and settling a credit card transaction.

Interchange: The standardized electronic exchange of financial and non-financial data associated with sale and credit data between merchant acquirers and card issuers on various types of MasterCard® and Visa® transactions.

Interchange Fee: A fee paid by an acquirer to an issuer for transactions entered into interchange. The interchange fee is a percentage applied, according to Visa®/MasterCard® regulations, to the dollar value of each transaction. There are multiple categories of interchange, and Visa® and MasterCard® each have their own criteria for their own categories. A transaction must meet the specified criteria for a category in order for that category's rate to be applied. Each transaction is evaluated individually, so various interchange rates may apply within one batch of merchant transactions.

Internet Service Provider (ISP): Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are the Web Site Hosting companies that provide a home for merchant's web sites. They typically resell and/or support the services of a Secure Gateway Provider and/or ISO or Agent or Bank.

Manual Close: A batch close that must be initiated by the merchant on a daily basis, as opposed to an auto close at a pre-set time.

Merchant Identification Number (MID): This number is generated by a processor/acquirer and is specific to each individual merchant location. This number is used to identify the merchant during processing of daily transactions, rejects, adjustments, charge backs, end-of-month processing fees, etc.

Network: Company and system used to authorize and capture credit card transactions.

Non-Qualified Transaction Fees (NON-Qual): Bank card sales transactions that do not meet set Visa®/MasterCard® criteria for that particular merchant and are processed at a higher interchange rate. An example of this is a merchant that is retail (card present) that processes a card-not-present transaction (or manually enters card data rather than swiping the magnetic stripe through the terminal). The merchant will pay the difference between what they should have paid on retail and what they actually qualified for (card not present). This difference is called non-qualified interchange fees.

Processor: A Processor is the company that actually routes an Authorization Request from a Point of Sale device (such as a VeriFone credit card terminal) to Visa® or MasterCard®, and then arranges for Fund Settlement to the merchant. Such processors are traditionally accessed via direct dial out modems connecting to their system.

Processing Network (Vendor): The medium of data transport between the merchant application and the processor. This company authorizes and captures credit card transactions.

Procurement/Purchasing Cards: Charge cards used by businesses to cover purchasing expenses, such as raw materials or office supplies.

Reserve Account: One method that ACH Processor's use to mitigate risk, is to require that merchants maintain a Reserve Account at the Processor's Sponsoring Bank. This allows the Processor to issue a Hold on funds in this account when fraud has been detected or an excessively large number of returns is received. Merchants with good credit and history can usually meet the expectations of ACH Processors for covering returns and so are not always required to keep a reserve account. In cases where a reserve is required, the minimum-reserve-balance in the account is set at about 20% of the anticipated processing volume. New merchants are usually allowed to build up their reserve by sending in transactions which are not withdrawn until the minimum reserve balance is achieved; after that, the merchant is allowed to withdraw the excess funds for transfer to their home town bank.

Sales Draft (Ticket): A form showing an obligation on the cardholder's part to pay money (i.e., the sales amount) to the card issuer. This is the piece of paper that is signed when making the purchase. Sales draft data can be captured electronically and sent to be processed over the phone lines. Also see Electronic Data Capture.

Secure Payment Gateway: Secure Payment Gateway companies help other Processors conduct secure business on the internet using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology.

Settlement: The process of sending a merchant's batch to the network for processing and payment. For non-bankcards, the issuer pays the merchant directly (less applicable fees) and then bills the cardholder. For bank cards, the acquirer pays the merchant (less applicable fees) with funds from Visa®/MasterCard®. The bank card issuer then bills the cardholder for the amount of the sale. Also see Capture.

T & E cards: Credit or charge card used by businesses for travel and entertainment expenses. Examples of these cards are American Express, Diners Club, Carte Blanche and JCB. Also see Corporate Cards.

Terminal: Equipment used to capture, transmit and store credit card transactions.

Terminal Identification Number (TID): A unique number assigned to each POS terminal.

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