Steve Jobs was a master at consumer-driven markets and a great innovator who turned iTunes into a successful micro-payment platform. Surely we should expect bank innovators to adopt more creative ideas, right? For example, we know … more
Visa has made modifications to its Credit Voucher Interchange fee program to coincide with other operational changes to comply with the new debit regulatory requirements ushered in by the Federal Reserve such as capping regulated debit card Interchange rates.
Credit Voucher Interchange fees are paid to the merchant acquirer (processor or service provider) by the card issuer when cardholder refunds are processed. This is the reverse of what happens during a sale transaction where the merchant pays a discount rate to accept the card payment.
With this Visa adjustment, the processing volume for debit … more
The rule was slated to take effect on July 21, yet with less than one month to put in place all the mandated provisions, more time is required to implement these changes. For example, it will take … more
While the purpose (encourage proper compliance with transaction authorization standards) of the two programs is similar, there are some differences in how they will monitor compliance. While both Visa and MasterCard will assess fees when authorized (approved) transactions cannot be matched to a clearing settlement record or an authorization reversal, Visa allows 10 days (20 days for T&E merchants) while MasterCard provides … more
First some background. As a merchant services provider, Vantage collects only a very small fraction of the fees merchants pay to perform services ranging from marketing, sales, underwriting, risk management, customer service, terminal services, 24x7 help desk, transaction authorization and settlement, funding, statement reporting, PCI … more
What is PCI?Specifically, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) prohibits the storage of the full contents of any magnetic-stripe, CVV2 or PIN data. Storage of this type of data is in violation of (PCI DSS) and the card company operating regulations. It also provides security requirements for transmitting card data.
PCI is a data protection standard and it provides a lot of detail on how that protection should be implemented. This means that PCI is not only good for protecting payment card data, but also protecting your business and any personally identifiable information you may have about your customers and employees.
The Financial Risks of a Breach are Real. As the rules & regulations now stand, once your … more
As I see it, this is really a showdown between mega-banks and mega-retailers. Small community banks and credit unions, small merchants in communities serviced by these community banks and credit unions and consumers should be most concerned about the hastily added Durbin amendment to the massive financial regulatory bill. We’ve raised concerns about the impact of the unintended consequences for both our merchant clients and … more
Tactic #1: The “Rate Game”
Tactic #2: The Binding Contract
Tactic #3: Early Termination Fees
Tactic #4: New PCI Fees
Tactic #5: The Bewildering Statement
This post does an excellent job of explaining the pitfalls of these tactics and recommending solutions. Of course you MUST pay attention, ask questions and read the fine print for yourself to identify these tactics. You can NOT rely on “knowing the rep” or the “ … more
Interchange fees are paid to the banks that issue debit cards when they are accepted for payment. The fees that Visa and MasterCard charge are excluded from this regulation. Yet in question is their business model. Are the card brands value-added service providers or has their success turned them into just another type of utility company that should be regulated by the government?
Visa and MasterCard made headlines on the news with both experiencing major stock price declines. Merrill Lynch speculated that banks will seek financial concessions from Visa and MasterCard to make up for lost debit … more