Triple your sales

Studies show that business who start accepting credit cards can experience a huge increase in volume, almost overnight. The average size of credit card orders have also been show to be up to three times larger than cash and check orders. The bottom line is people tend to buy more when they pay with a credit card.
 

No more trips to the bank or bounced checks to worry about

Do you get tired of constantly driving to the bank to deposit checks hoping that the checks will clear?
 
By using credit cards as one of your primary methods of payment you can rest easy knowing that your payments are guaranteed. Your money will be deposited directly into your bank account, reducing the overall time it takes to process orders.
 
You will have more time to concentrate on your business and make sales. No more trips to the bank or bounced checks!
 

Customers want to pay with credit cards

Not very many people haul around a wad of cash in their pockets anymore. Consumers like things to be convenient, and will use whatever the easiest method is for them to purchase their goods and services.
 
More and more customers are turning to credit and debit cards as their preferred payment method. Credit cards make transactions easy for consumers, they can track their expenses, receive benefits such as frequent flier miles or other affinity points, and gives more flexibility to manage cash flow.
 

Visa has a charge back ratio threshold of 1% of total sales volume (for any given month) and up to 100 chargebacks. Master Card is exactly the same scenario, only their threshold is a 0.5% ratio, and 50 total chargebacks in any given month. In addition, you can find more information regarding these programs at:

• MasterCard Chargeback Manual
  
• Visa Card Acceptance Guide
  

You can calculate your charge back percentage by dividing the dollar volume of chargebacks in a month by the total dollar volume of Visa/MasterCard transactions processed in that same month.

If you are concerned about chargebacks please contact us immediately. Platinum Payment Systems specializes in handling higher risk accounts and helping the merchant reduce their chargebacks and chargeback costs. We can also fight your chargebacks for you through our Consumer Credit Mediation and Chargeback Defense Service.

Here is how the Chargeback Process Works

1. One of your clients or shoppers has a problem with a transaction that took place at a merchants site.
2. The shopper informs their credit card issuer about the problem and asks for their money back.
3. The card issuing bank then reimburses the shopper the amount of the disputed transaction.
4. The card issuing bank then starts a special process, called chargeback, and obtains funds from the merchants processing/acquiring bank that will in turn debit the amount directly from the merchants bank account along with the chargeback processing fees.
5. The acquiring bank sends a Notification of Chargeback (NoC) and a Request for Information (RFI) to the merchant.
6. The merchant provides documentation to the shoppers issuing bank to dispute the NoC.
7. If the merchant provides sufficient amount of documentation to show they did not deserve the chargeback then the card issuing bank will reimburse the merchant and debit the shopper the disputed amount. If the information is not sufficient then the merchant looses the chargeback dispute and the money is gone for good.

The truth is the customer usually does have a sufficient limit and funds on the card for the transaction. However, because the transaction is outside of the customers “traditional” or “normal” spending habits or they are using a card they haven’t used for some time the issuing bank that gave the customer the credit card will automatically decline the transaction as a precaution against fraud. Customers will have to contact their credit card company and request that they authorize the transaction. They can then go back to the merchant and purchase the good’s or service’s with no problem.

A good message to have on your check out page or to read to your customers would be the following:

“If this purchase exceeds your regular purchasing pattern or you have not used the card you are about to use in a long period of time, please contact your credit card company or your issuing bank and inform them of this purchase. In doing so, you will avoid the possibility of your credit card company and/or issuing bank declining the card due to irregular purchasing activity or possible fraudulent activity.”

Authorize.Net enables merchants to authorize, settle and manage credit card and electronic check transactions via Web sites, retail stores, mail order/telephone order (MOTO) call centers and mobile devices.

• Reputation You Can Trust – More merchants trust Authorize.Net than any other payment gateway to manage their payment transactions securely and reliably.
• Easy to Integrate – Authorize.Net offers several methods for linking Web sites to the payment gateway. Online merchants can choose the method that best suits their business needs. Retail merchants integrate to the payment gateway via third-party POS solutions.
• Free Customer Support – Customer satisfaction is our number one priority. That’s why we provide free customer support via toll-free telephone, e-mail and online chat. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, 5 AM to 5 PM Pacific time (closed major holidays).
• Scalability – Authorize.Net provides valuable solutions for cost-conscious merchants. If your business needs change, you can transition to the CyberSource Advanced service for enterprise-volume processing, international payments, advanced risk management services, and more.
• Business Partnerships – We are dedicated to providing products and value-adding services and tools that help merchants minimize risk, reduce costs and increase revenue.

Please contact us today if you would like us to set you up with an Authorize.net payment processing gateway.

If you are new to Authorize.net you can check out the excellent tutorial videos they have on their website.

Check21 is a transparent process that converts a paper check or your client’s online billing information to payment of goods and services.

If your tired of Visa and MasterCard telling you what you can or can’t do or even shutting your business down without warning then Check21 is the solution. You won’t have to deal with anymore chargebacks, high reserves, PCI compliance fees, high risk chargeback monitoring programs, and NACHA (Check21 is not regulated by NACHA).

Read more about our Check21 product here or contact us today for a free evaluation.

Mobile payments are great for those merchants who are constantly on the move, work at home, sell products at craft fairs, conventions, and boutiques and want to be able to accept credit card payments to increase their sales.  With a web enabled mobile phone they can now accept credit cards and not have to worry about purchasing an expensive credit card terminal or pay the expensive lease fees that come with them.

Some Benefits include:

• Convenience
• Safe and secure
• Significant savings over the cost of wireless terminals
• No per transaction fee
• PCI Compliant
• Immediate approval or decline notice for transactions
• A business can use one merchant account but have a remote workforce processing payments using mobile phones.

Contact us today for more information!

“We are disappointed that Senator Durbin has decided to force unrelated legislation into the financial reform package at the eleventh hour without a hearing or debate.

“Thursday’s vote is another step in a lengthy legislative process. We’re hopeful that when the issue is fully reviewed by members of Congress during the next phase of negotiations, they will conclude the amendment harms consumers, credit unions and community banks and should be eliminated from the bill.

“Visa will continue to work with policymakers to educate them about this flawed legislation that imposes price controls on debit products and allows retailers to dictate which payment card is used by consumers at the point of sale.

“Debit products deliver significant incremental value over cash and check, including guaranteed payment to merchants, greater security and increased sales, all of which the Durbin amendment ignores.

“At the direction of Congress, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has twice examined the potential impact of proposed interchange legislation, and confirmed that there is little evidence to suggest that consumers would benefit. In Australia, where price controls have been implemented, consumers have not seen a reduction in retail prices, and instead have experienced reduced consumer benefits and increased costs.

“We hope Congress sees today’s amendment for what it is – an attempt by retailers to increase their profits at the expense of consumers.”

A detailed description can be found here.

This could be great, especially for the small businesses, it keeps more money in their pockets and allows them to grow which is vital in our current economy.

You can read the article here.

Authorize.Net is one of the most trusted brands in the payments industry, providing secure and reliable payment processing services since 1996. With over 220,000 active merchants, we process over $30 billion in transactions each year and continue to experience strong growth thanks to partners like Platinum. We are fully compliant with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard and renew our compliance on an annual basis. The Authorize.Net Payment Gateway is available to merchants seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and supports all of the major credit card processors. Our company is dedicated to providing products and value-adding services and tools that help merchants minimize risk, reduce costs and increase revenue.

One of our longest and most successful partnerships over the years has been with Platinum Payment Systems. Their commitment to convenient and affordable merchant solutions is identical to our own goal of providing flexible and scalable payment processing services for all types of merchants, including e-commerce, retail, mail order/telephone order (MOTO) and mobile.

Additionally, at Authorize.Net, quality customer support is one of our top priorities. We offer free, technical and customer support to all our merchants. And as one of our most trusted resellers, we know we can rely on Platinum Payment Systems to provide the same level of support to their merchants. The Platinum Payment System’s core values of relationship, education and service truly are embodied by their helpful and friendly support staff.  Platinum’s support, responsiveness, attention to detail and quick merchant account underwriting are as good as you will find in the industry.

Again, we are excited about the potential this partnership with one of our most valued resellers has to offer and look forward to the many opportunities your new relationship will provide. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions about Authorize.Net, our services, or our partnership with Platinum Payment Systems.

Sincerely,

Brent Harwood
Authorize.Net | a CyberSource solution