Mobile applications have changed with way consumers work and play for years. 2016 is set to be the year of payment processing for the mobile stage. There have been many predictions about the effects that mobile payment processing will have on consumer payments. But there are four major trends that payment processors and mobile app investors should be paying close attention to. Mobile Checkout Will Destroy Countertop Checkout: Mobile app users are expected to use cloud-based apps to checkout instead of the POS, and will migrate towards retailers that enable this experience. In addition to cloud-based checkout technologies, there is […]

2015 was the year of e-commerce, and no other area was more impacted by the evolution of payment processing than the card-not-present (CNP) industry. Apple CEO Tim Cook believed 2015 would be the “year of Apple Pay.” Most agree Apple Pay fell extremely short of this goal, but mobile wallets in general exploded this year, bringing the issue of card-not-present fraud to the forefront of e-commerce conversations. The true effects of CNP fraud may not be known for a while. In the meantime, credit card issuers and merchants of all kinds are scrambling to keep up with fraudsters who are […]

With the 2015 holiday season upon us, recent reports have given businesses every reason to make sure they have their payment processing on point. E-commerce retailers in the U.S. are preparing themselves for a predicted busy holiday season. Reports not only show that overall spending will increase this year, but they also state that there will be an increase in the percentage of consumers shopping online – both through traditional e-commerce and m-commerce. According to the National Retail Federation’s annual Holiday Consumer Spending Survey, the average spending by U.S. consumers will rise from $802 per person to $806. In addition, […]

The month EMV migration was to roll through the U.S. is here. October 2015 was the date given for the shift to occur and for the industry to, hopefully, see a significant reduction of fraudulent activity within the card-present (CP) environment. However, the EMV migration carries with it a new concern. The expectation now is that the card-not-present (CNP) and the online purchase environment will experience a hit. In pre-EMV America, the most prevalent type of fraud was from counterfeit, lost or stolen magnetic-stripe based cards. These cards became an easy mark for hackers attempting to break into retail POS […]

A business that wants to accept credit and debit cards must first secure a merchant account through a merchant account provider. If your business or start-up is considering securing a merchant account, you will need to first arm yourself with certain information. Understanding how the process works, what is involved and what to expect will aid you in confidently working with payment processors. Keep in mind that when you obtain an account you also enter into an agreement with that merchant account service. You will be required to obey all operating regulations established by the credit card companies and the […]

There are major doubts concerning the changes in credit card technology. In fact, Wal Mart assistant treasurer and senior vice president, Mike Cook, went as far as calling the new implementations a “joke”. Why? The basic technology, already used widely through the rest of the world, is being introduced in the U.S. with a significant flaw. While the rest of the world has successfully been using (EMV Technology) chip-and-PIN, banks that enable the chip technology will only require signatures. The push for this new technology was to reduce the potential for credit card fraud. However, the implementation of chip-and-signature instead […]

With EMV chip card payments finally moving into the United States, many are asking what part fallback will play during the implementation process. Fallback occurs when an EMV card is inserted into an operational EMV point-of-sale terminal but the card’s backup magnetic stripe is used instead of the chip. Fallback is not a new issue in card payments. We have probably all experienced it at one time or another. If a magnetic stripe does not work, the clerk may have to manually enter the card’s account number into the terminal. If that fails, the clerk may have to speak with […]

Hackings are everywhere, and it seems like there is nothing that can be done to prevent them. While true, there are ways that businesses can help protect themselves and their customers from a hacking. While large businesses should have a system down, and they do, the hacking number are almost split between small business hackings and “big box” business hackings. While it could easily be a toss-up as to which is safer, small businesses usually have a more down to earth and hands on approach to online and terminal security. Small businesses also tend to have better trained staff, which […]

Every business needs the ability to process credit and debit card payments. While “cash only” businesses are an option, they are usually not the best option for a business that wants to be a long-term success. An even larger problem comes in the form of “high risk” businesses, as they are usually turned down for merchant accounts. Even some processors who claim to work with “high risk” accounts are hesitant these days, thanks to the influx of hackings. While it can be tough to find an avenue to process credit cards, it is not impossible. High risk credit card processing […]

A survey of the changing trends in the card payment industry has projected that approximately 800 million payment cards that include the debit and the credit cards are likely to have the EMV chips. For many people around the world, these Europay, MasterCard, Visa (EMV) debit and credit cards are not just a preference, they are basic requirement. The increased levels of technical fraud that threaten the safety of people’s identities and expose merchants and clients to the risk of great financial losses has made the need for EMV cards even more urgent. The promise to have debit and credit […]