Processing a sale for a merchant with a credit card has never been easier when it comes to using a mobile phone.  With today’s technology it is perfect for a professional working in the field.  You can process transactions on the go.  You are no longer held back by the connected internet and having to have a stationary location.  Making your business as mobile and wireless as you are allows you the freedom to go anywhere.

One of the advantages is you would be able to take it on the road with you and even be able to take it with you while you went on vacation.  You would be handle things instantly on the spot and move on.  Transactions take a matter of minutes.  So, not only do you save time but you are not tied down.

Think about the opportunities that will be available to you and how you will be able to take advantage of an existing computer, a landline meaning a phone that actually plugs in, or any mobile telephone even a wireless handheld device.  There is no down side to either option.  The lines are secure and you are still able to provide the customer safety and protection on his credit card data allowing a secure payment solution.

There are several businesses available that you would be able to sign up with that would be able to provide these services to you and your business.  So, have the ability to process orders on the spot, increase your sales and profits, other business’s have that tried it.  There is customer service available to you 24/7, 365 days a year when you have this service and it allows you to grow your business without tying you down.  That’s about it, it makes sense and it also takes advantage of the last minute impulse buyer or the add-on sale to complete a customer’s purchase.

Wireless credit card processing is great if you do business at trade shows or at someone’s home or are on someone else’s premises.  It allows you to offer customers additional payment options.  It provides you a payment at the point of sale too.  By using one of the web-enabled wireless terminals it allows you to process credit or debit card payments in real time from anywhere you can use your cell phone.  You are able to process payments more quickly and with less of an error rate or missed payments.  It is definitely worth checking out the options available to you.

For more information on how to obtain a mobile merchant account or wireless merchant account please vist http://www.stradafee.com!

Don’t you love going into the malls around the holiday and seeing the different kiosks that are available for you to purchase that special gift for someone?  This is when there are usually a variety of them around and in the summer too.  They may be selling you the seaweed facial wraps or cups to put your child’s picture on or even that picture that you just took in the photo booth as a souvenir.  The one question remains and that is how will they process your sale 

It is through a wireless merchant account that many kiosks are able to conduct their business.  Of course, there are some that call back to their physical store and have a person physically type it through the internet system they use but for the most part at the malls they use wireless credit card processing.

There are a few companies that you would be able to rent equipment from or purchase equipment from and purchases their services for a monthly fee.  Let’s look at a few of them.  There are the traditional wireless terminals, the apps for your iPhone and the Android-powered phone.  Most come with no setup charges and no monthly minimums which is something to take into consideration when you are looking for a company to use.  Another consideration is their customer service, when you want help you want someone there to provide it to you. 

A traditional wireless credit card terminal is great if you do trade shows or work outside and need something to process credit card and debit card sales and you can use your cell phone.  The iPhone is a mobile, virtual credit card terminal which runs right on your iPhone.  You do not need any additional hardware and you simply take the customers information and charge the credit card.  The mall kiosks would be able to get instant authorizations on all their sales.  

The last one we will mention is the Android and it is a terminal that runs on any Android-powered phone.  Once again this does not need special hardware and you can just enter the customer’s credit or debit card information and an instant authorization is available for the person at the mall kiosks.

 Now, that was pretty easy if you think about how they are able to conduct business when taking conducting credit card processing at one of the mall kiosks.  Times have changed huh?  In a good way though.

 For more information on wireless merchant accounts for your mobile credit card processing needs, please visit http://www.stradafee.com/wireless-merchant-account!

The most important reason that Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards are in place is so that the customers and the businesses will not be open to identity theft and to discourage computer “hackers” from breaking into your business or entering into your bank accounts.  A hacker is someone who performs a network intrusion which is an unauthorized access to a computer network environment or payment system, to illegally obtain cardholder data.

Here is another definition – “data compromise and that is it is a deliberate attack on the communications or information processing systems exposing cardholder account information to third parties, and placing cardholders at risk of fraudulent use.  This attack can be initiated by a disgruntled employee, a malicious competitor, or a misguided hacker.  Attacks often result in damage or disruption to the entire payment system.  Protect your cardholder customers as best you can as you would want to be protected if you were your own customer. 

It is a requirement that merchants protect credit card processing data.  Companies are using common practices that have adopted common industry security requirements referred to as Payment Card Industry (PCI).  One of the ways that this is being accomplished is by going into partnerships with various security companies that can provide the data security and the mandatory industry requirements around the protection of data through the payment transaction process.

There are twelve requirements that need to be met and they range anywhere from installing a firewall to your mainframe network, encrypting all transmissions of cardholder data across open public networks, updating antivirus software, assigning unique IDs, maintaining an Information Security Policy, and regularly testing security systems and processes.

The PCI Security Council is an independent body responsible for the development and ongoing evolution of security standards for account data protection has developed the “Priority Approach”, which provides guidance for non-compliant merchants striving to achieve compliance.   This is a pretty powerful statement and a useful statement letting you as a merchant know that there is help available to get you where you need to be with your business.  This is in place for the protection of your customers.

Depending on the size and number of transactions your business processes each year will depend on the requirement or assessment you will be responsible for whether it is a quarterly scan or an onsite assessment.  Virus scanning is important and beneficial because you want to have your environment sealed off to individuals trying to break through your network.  The quicker you are able to catch someone the quicker you are able to shut them off.  Your goal is to safeguard your customer’s cardholder data, when you perform the scans continuously you are also following the requirements for ongoing Payment Card Industry compliance.

To learn more on on becoming PCI compliant for your online merchant account check out http://www.stradafee.com!  Make your credit card processing safe and secure for your clients.

How many times have you been somewhere and then stopped unexpectedly at another place to find you did not have enough money on you?  Although, you do remember seeing and ATM machine on the way in and knew you could go back and get some.  When you go on vacation you normally plan on the money that you bring and then there are times when an unexpected expense will occur or you see that one thing you must have and you find you forgot your charge card but have your bank card on you and know it can be used in an ATM machine.

Have you noticed at many places now that there are independent ATM machines available for you to use?  ATM machines are now available when you go to places like a summer festival.  This would have something years ago that would have been unheard of and now you do not have to worry anymore.  The added conveniences are all around us.

In any town, that sets up their activities they should consider bringing in an ATM machine for everyone to use.  It is an extra way to ensure that your vendors have success at the summer festival.  It is another way for a business to make money as they get a fee from every transaction.  The ATM Machine will allow better concession sales especially when that is usually a cash only portion of business.  Consider it another customer convenience and a part of doing business if you are a company that travels.

Summer festivals are a place to have fun and they are a place where customers tend to impulse buy so having an ATM machine available is a way to increase your sales whether that customer needs that extra item to round off her purchase or finds that special piece that is unique and will make the best gift she has ever bought someone. 

As businesses at festivals try to cover all ends of processing credit card and debit card sales using a wireless terminal or hand held device not all businesses are equipped with wireless capabilities.  Having the ATM machine available should be a consideration for your next investment.  For more information on ATM machines and ATM processing please visit http://www.stradafee.com.

PCI (payment card industry) compliance will be mandatory, and the deadline for all merchants and processors to be PCI compliant is July 1, 2010.  PCI compliance is required if you are receiving, storing or processing the Primary Account Number (PAN) or the main credit card number of the customer, which is usually no longer than 19 and no less than 16 digits in length.  In addition, a merchant or acquirer must remember that if a PAN is being stored or processed, the other information such as CVV/CVC and card holder information must be protected as well.

A common misconception is that PCI Compliance is a law, it is not a law yet.  It is a security standard set by the five major credit card companies Visa, MC, Amex, Discover and JCB.  The official name for the group is the PCI Security Standards Council.  Prior to the councils formation, each credit card company had its own set of security standards, now with the unity of the five credit card companies forming PCI SSC there is one set of security standards instead of five.     

There are 4 different merchant levels along with requirements for PCI DSS Compliance:

Level 1 – a merchant that transacts over 6,000,000 per year.  The merchant will be required to bring an assessor on-site called a QSA to evaluate the security and create an in-depth report on compliance.  Quarterly PCI Scans will also be mandatory.

Level 2 – a merchant that transacts between 1,000,000 – 6,000,000 per year.  Instead of a full report on compliance, the PCI Council will allow Level 2 merchants to complete a PCI Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ).  Quarterly PCI Scans are mandatory.  Level 2 merchants will also need to complete a one page document that states that they don’t store certain card data information on file.

Level 3 – a merchant that transacts between 20,000 – 1,000,000 per year.  In place of a full report on compliance, the PCI Council will allow Level 3 merchants to complete a Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ).  Quarterly PCI Scans are also required.

Level 4 – a merchant that does between 1 and 20,000 transactions a year.  Instead of a full Report On Compliance, the PCI Council will allow Level 4 merchants to complete a Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ).  Quarterly PCI Scans are mandatory.

If you are a merchant that does not understand what PCI compliance means to you, check with your merchant service provider or website programmer so they can guide you through what you will need to do to become PCI compliant before July 1^st.

Eliminate the need for a standalone cash register and credit card terminal by obtaining an all in one device by integrating the credit card terminal right into an electronic cash register.  By simplifying the acceptance of your cash and electronic payments not only will you free up counter space but you will be able to track your cash, check, credit card payments as wells as taxes received.

What you get with the Free Cash Register Program:

 *  72 Flat Keys

*  Multi-application support

*  Drop and load thermal printer

*  Free Programming

*  PCI PED Compliant

*  Large LCD Display

*  Large memory capacity

*  Free replacement along with a lifetime warranty

*  Nationwide technical support

*  Dial Up or Ethernet Connection

*  State of the art Casio heavy duty cash register

For as long as you continue processing your credit card transactions through United Bank Card you will be provided with a replacement Casio cash register if yours breaks or malfunctions, for free of charge! 

To sign up now or for more information please visit the merchant enrollment page at http://www.stradafee.com/application.htm

Have you ever heard of 3D Secure Processing?  What about SSL Credit Card Processing?

3D Secure Processing stands for Three Domain Model processing.  This refers to payments being split up into three different domains:

*  The Issuer Domain – this domain deals with the mechanisms of the card issuer and the cardholder

*  The Acquirer Domain – this domain deals with the merchants.

*  The Interoperability Domain – deals with the functions of the Issuer and Acquirer Domains.

This model is used for secure payment processing systems.  This credit card processing method also helps to better the performance of transactions online.  When using this processing method, customers begin to trust you more, and your business starts to increase.  During this process, when customers make a purchase, the system will be able to tell whether or not the transaction is legitimate or fraudulent. 

The performance of transactions should be impacted in a positive way as to benefit the merchants as well as the customers.  Both VISA and MasterCard have used the 3D Secure Payment Processing Program for branding purposes.  With VISA, it is called “Verified by VISA,” the brand for MasterCard is, “SecureCode”.

For both. the branding of VISA and MasterCard brands, merchants can participate if they wish.  However, if the merchant has a lot of chargeback’s on their account, then their participation is limited. 

This credit card processing program was created to keep credit card transactions flowing and reduce or eliminate the number of fraudulent accounts.

Any merchant website should be branded with an SSL certificate.  When a customer sees this on a merchant’s website, they’ll know that the website is legitimate and their data is secure.  SSL is an acronym for Secure Socket Layer.  SSL lets users on the internet get involved with websites that are deemed secure.  One example of such a website is a bank.  It is imperative that they have this certificate on their website because there is so much sensitive information regarding customer bank accounts. 

The SSL certificate lets people know that the data that goes between the web server and a merchant’s browser is safe and cannot be leaked out or hacked.  Having an SSL certificate on a merchant’s website can:

*  Get customers from all over the world.

*  Influence customer’s confidence in the merchant’s website.

*  Customers will feel a sense of security knowing that their sensitive information is safe.

*  Customers will have that sense of trust that merchants are looking out for them.

On the other hand, if a website does not have an SSL certificate, there may be some question marks.  Their sensitive credit card information might not be as secure as customers thought.  Hackers may take advantage of the oversight and invade the website.  Customers may decide to go somewhere else because of the breach of security.

It’s very important that merchants keep their customers happy and their credit card processing secure by providing having a SSL certificate.  There’s nothing worse than having a website and the customer’s information has been compromised.  When you go that extra mile to put those measures in place, your customers will thank you for it.

Like any business, online commerce has its own obstacles. Though they may present themselves differently than a brick and mortar establishment, many of these challenges are rooted in the same fundamental issues of trust, communication, and convenience. Creating a profitable eCommerce business with a positive reputation depends on your ability to navigate these challenges and provide customers with the best online shopping experience available.

The first thing to realize as an online business owner is that the vast majority of visitors to your site will not trust what they see. Customers are unimpressed with stylish layouts and amazing graphics when it comes down actually spending money. Most people want to see legitimacy. This can be displayed in many ways. Start by including a physical address and phone number, along with several contact emails and company bios. These things can go a long way in establishing legitimacy, but don’t stop there. Partnering up with other valued websites and becoming a member of organizations such as the Better Business Bureau are other proven ways to build trust. Beyond that, you must be good at answering the phones and responding quickly to customer inquiries. Some customers will even call just to see how quickly you respond, looking for comfort in the fact that your business is active and on top of things.

Product presentation is the second most important obstacle to overcome in online business. Unlike in a real world store, customers cannot touch and feel the product under consideration, and for this reason, the level of product showcasing must be very high. Provide several image views, elaborate descriptions, customer reviews, as well as links for other information. Most successful ecommerce sites provide at least five pictures of each product. Descriptions should be unique to your business and as clear as possible. If you or your team is not comfortable writing attractive product descriptions, hiring a writer is well worth the expense.

The last major issue in online business is security. The security of your website determines a customer’s willingness to enter their personal payment information. Part of establishing trust in your security is in having an online merchant account. A credit card merchant account will allow you to accept card payments while keeping shoppers within your website. Moving from your site to a third party processor’s site can be quite unsettling for potential buyers and can also cause a host of other problems. Once a merchant account is in place, making sure your site has adequate encryption will also reassure your customers in the level of informational security employed by your business.

The challenges of online sales are easily overcome with the investment of some time and thought. Without tackling these obstacles, the probability of sales will be very low. Of course, it doesn’t stop there. There are an infinite number of improvements you should continue to make as your business grows and develops. These major obstacles are merely the roadblocks that have a tendency to shut businesses down before they even get started.

Merchant accounts make it possible for businesses to provide online credit card processing. For more information on credit card processing visit www.stradafee.com.

With all of the preparation, problem solving, and management involved in having an eCommerce store, there is one precaution that is grossly overlooked which has the potential of creating huge problems. Credit card chargebacks were created to protect cardholders from unauthorized transactions, and they make it possible for customers to refuse payment for goods or services based on the claim that the services were not received or goods were never delivered. Credit card institutions may also approve chargebacks based on damaged items and items that are not what they were claimed to be, even if the items were never returned to the vendor. As a result, a few customers regularly abuse the system in hopes of receiving products for free. Naturally, this greatly impacts those in the business of online sales by suddenly removing funds that are already collected, thus these entities must take care to utilize certain protocol to prevent as many chargebacks as possible.

It is extremely important for an eCommerce website to exercise extreme clarity in regards to shipping information, products, and checkout. It is imperative that the customer is aware of how the charge will appear on their card statement. Some customers mistakenly submit a fraudulent charge claim because they did not recognize the charge. Another way to prevent such confusion is to send automatic follow-up emails reminding customers that their card will be charged. These emails are also an appropriate time to reiterate to the customer that they are welcome to call you with any questions concerning this order. The business telephone number should appear clearly on the website as well as on the actual credit card charge. This allows customers to easily call to verify the charge without having to research what the charge might have been.

Pre-ordered items should not be charged to credit cards in advance. The time in which it takes to receive the item in stock may give the customer time to change their mind or simply claim a false charge on the grounds that no items were shipped. Instead, wait until the item is in stock and ready to be shipped before charging a customer’s credit card.

Getting rid of mistaken charges quickly is also a valuable policy for eCommerce. Not only does this avoid confusion and assure the customer that you will not be keeping the money, but it will also build your reputation as a professional and organized establishment. If a mistaken charge is not quickly voided, the customer is likely to take matters into their own hands by simply requesting a chargeback. If a customer reports a mistaken charge, you must never put off responding. It is imperative that you send an immediate response at least to let the customer know you are looking into the matter and will correct it as soon as possible.

The basic idea of preventing chargebacks is to have professional quality control and customer service policies that deal with the problem before a customer has time to consider disputing the charge with their credit card institution. It is much better to deal with these issues with customers directly, both for your future business and for your credit and legal integrity.

Merchant accounts make it possible for businesses to provide online credit card processing. For more information on credit card processing visit www.stradafee.com.

Approximately 85% of online shoppers are concerned with their security, as well they should be. Credit card fraud and identity theft is at an all time high following the explosion credit card transactions made through the Internet. This is why it is extremely important for online retailers and businesses to gain the trust of customers, helping them to believe in the security of your eCommerce system. According to recent research by TNS, 65% of purchases are lost when the customer reaches the check-out area. This is largely due to doubt in the security of the credit card form, which can be avoided by making sure your website displays proper security measures.

Many eCommerce savvy shoppers have learned to look for certain signs of security before entering their credit card information. Some of the most typical security signs are “https” and the padlock graphic found in the URL of the website. The padlock graphic is a VeriSign Secured Seal, one of many companies providing secure transaction online. Almost four out of five Americans recognize the VeriSign Secured Seal, making it an extremely effective security mark. Newer browsers make it possible for authenticated certificates to be detected, displaying the address bar in green. However, most people do not have this feature to help them along and are looking for other signs.

Most reputable companies providing online transaction security utilize SSL technology. SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer, is a military grade encryption that protects customer credit card information as it is transferred on the Internet. This type of information encryption authenticates identity information in association with the credit card data by an authority, verifying the identity of the owner of that certificate. Thought SSL is not a required element for shopping cart security, it certainly shows your commitment to the level of security customers will experience.

The use of these online security measures not only provides protection, it also helps to demonstrate the authenticity of your business. Some customers may still be wary to enter their credit card information online, but the demonstration of such security measure may help them in deciding to make a transaction over the phone, or perhaps contact you for further information. Online retailers see an increase in sales on an average of ten percent after installing some form of security system on the payment pages of their website. This should be a sign to retailers that customers are really looking for ways to make sure their credit card information is safe. Earn the trust of online shoppers by providing the professional security people want.

Merchant accounts make it possible for businesses to provide credit card processing for card present and card-not-present transactions. For more information on credit card processing visit http://www.stradafee.com