#creditcardprocessingsolutions

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What to Do If Your Credit Card Application Is Denied?

When you apply for credit card Processing, you have no clue where your application will go. The details about the choice of not issuing a credit card processing contact you through the mail, in which the details about the choice is given all the more accurately.

Why Credit Card Applications are Denied Let’s now discuss various possible reasons for declination of application for credit card processing :

Age Your age is another factor for the denial of your request. If you are under 18, the issuer will not accept your request, as it is not the legal age.Your age is another factor for the denial of your request. If you are under 18, the issuer will not accept your request, as it is not the legal age.

Incomplete Application Form If you don’t complete the application form completely or correctly, it can lead to denial. So it is better to apply for credit card processing online as it will not submit your request until and unless all the fields are full.

Loan Balance If you want to apply for credit card processing, make sure that you pay your loan balance regularly if any. When you apply for credit card processing, your credit history is checked and if it is negative, the bank or the processor will hesitate to accept your request to avoid risk.

Healthy Credit Balance It is good practice to keep your credit balance healthy. In other words, you should only use a portion of the credit available instead of using it to the fullest. Healthier the credit card score more are the chances of approval.

Inquiries on Credit Report It is advisable not to apply for many credit cards or credit cards processing, especially in short span of time; this may lead to declining of application. Lesser is your credit inquiries; better are the chances of getting your next approval when you would apply.

Low Income The very common factor of declination of application is income of the applicant. Minimum income for application varies by Banks and Processor. And if the applicant fails to match the minimum income requirement, his/her application can get a rejection. So before applying for credit card processing, get an idea about minimum income.

Negative Processing History Another reason for credit card application denies can be the number of credit cards processing account utilization by the applicant with negative Statement. If there are accounts shut due to high Chargeback it can be an issue in getting approval for a credit card processing.

TMF or Matchlist If you are on Match list or get as a TMF merchant it would be a big reason for not getting approval for your Credit Card Processing Account.

Don’t Fulfill the Minimum Requirement Your request rejection can be due to not fulfilling minimum requirement like you don’t have an SSL secure and PCI compliant website. Or you have rejection by any card brand processor, or any Data compromise investigations was there for you and your business.

As a conclusion, you need to make sure before applying for a credit card processing and get ready, you choose a payment service or merchant service provider who can proactively help you with this.

If you need more information, Contact us at the toll-free number +1 (888) 622 – 6875 or try the email support.

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How Credit Card Processing Works: A Simple Guide

Credit card transaction is not a new concept. Everyone claims to know the process: swipe the card, hit the button and the transaction is complete in a blink. But do you really know the process? Do you think that it is as simple as it seems? It actually is a much more complex procedure than what you witness. The fact is swiping the card and signing the recipe is the first and the last step of the procedure. In between lays multiple steps that include more than one person working invisibly for the customer to complete that particular transaction.

Most of the customers do not care about the complete process. It may seem unnecessary, it provides important information about the inner workings of the modern commerce. Not only for customers but knowledge about credit card transaction process is tremendously important for small business owners as well, as it is a merchant who has to confront the cost of the payment processor. Let us discuss the working of credit card processing in detail.

Key Players

CARDHOLDER

There are two types of cardholders 1. Who repays full credit card balance? 2. Who pays only a portion of balance and rest accrues interest?

MERCHANT

It is a vendor who sells product or services. The job of a merchant is to accept payment through a card, send the card information to the issuing bank and request payment authorization.

MERCHANT’S BANK

It is also known as acquiring the bank and is responsible for sending an authorization request to the issuing bank through a proper channel followed by communicating the response of the issuing bank to the merchant.

SERVICE PROVIDER

Also known as acquiring processor is a third party entity that works as an arm of the merchant’s bank. It provides service or device that allows the merchant to accept credit card for payment and also sends the credit card details to the credit card network and further sends back payment authorization to the acquiring bank.

CREDIT CARD NETWORK

Also referred as Association member, operates the network to facilitate the credit card payment process, worldwide and administrate interchange fees. Credit card network receives details of credit card payment from the service provider and forwards the request for authorization to the issuing bank. In return, it sends a response of the issuing bank to the service provider. Some of the examples of the credit card network are Visa, MasterCard, and American Express.

ISSUING BANK

Also called the credit card issuer is a financial institution that provides the customer with a credit card, which is involved in the transaction. After receiving the authentication request from credit card network, the issuing bank either approves it or declines it.

Credit Card Transaction Process Let us understand transaction process in just three steps

STEP 1: AUTHENTICITY

At the point of sale, a cardholder gives the card to the merchant to swipe the card on POS terminal to make a payment.

Credit card details are sent to the acquiring bank, which forwards the same to the credit card network

Credit card network clears the payment and a request is sent to the issuing bank for an authorization.

Authorization request includes credit card number used for the payment, expiration date, billing address, card security code and the payment amount.

STEP 2: AUTHENTICATION

When the issuing bank receives the authorization request, it validates the credit card number, checks the availability of the funds in the cardholder’s account, verifies the billing address and validates Card security code (CVV number).

It is up to the issuing bank whether to approve or deny the request. When they make a decision, it sends back the suitable response through a proper channel (credit card network and acquiring bank).

Once the merchant receives the authorization, the customer is provided with the receipt at the completion of the sale.

STEP 3: CLEARING AND SETTLEMENT

In clearing stage, the transactions get the post to the cardholder’s monthly billing statement and in the merchant’s statement.

The merchant sends all the approved authorizations in a batch to the acquiring bank by EOD.

For settlement, service provider routes the batched information to the association member, which in turn forwards all the approved transactions to the corresponding issuing bank.

Then the issuing bank transfers the funds (minus interchange fee, which is shared with the credit card network) within 1-2 days. Then the credit card network pays from the remaining funds to acquiring bank as well as the acquiring processor.

The merchant account gets credited for the cardholder’s purchases by the acquiring bank (minus merchant discount rate). At this time, the issuing bank posts the transaction information to the cardholder’s account. The cardholder receives the statement and bill is paid off.

Furthermore, you can contact Merchant Stronghold at the toll-free number +1 (888) 622 – 6875. We also provide assistance regarding high-risk merchant account, merchant account management, and payment gateways.

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How To Choose A Credit Card Processing System For Your Business?

For any ѕmаll business, сhооѕing thе right сrеdit саrd рrосеѕѕing company dоеѕn’t hаvе to bе diffiсult. Stаrt with a few ѕimрlе questions. Cаn they wоrk with mу buѕinеѕѕ? Thinking lоngеr term iѕ imроrtаnt. Sеlесting thе right charge card handling organization is аbоut саrеfullу measuring thе experts аnd cons оf аll орtiоnѕ accessible to уоu. Tоdау, there are mоrе орtiоnѕ thаn еvеr.

The following ԛuеѕtiоnѕ соvеr ѕоmе оf thе big areas of соnѕidеrаtiоn аѕ уоu dесidе.

Arе Thеу Cоmраtiblе with Yоur Business Nееdѕ?

First thing'ѕ first. Yоu nееd to knоw if уоur сrеdit саrd рrосеѕѕing company оffеrѕ what уоur business nееdѕ. Choices аrе еvеrуwhеrе today. Diffеrеnt alternatives solve fоr diffеrеnt needs. Choices аrе еvеrуwhеrе today. Diffеrеnt alternatives solve fоr diffеrеnt needs. Sо what's your buѕinеѕѕ—еCоmmеrсе wеb ѕitе, lаrgе business, small buѕinеѕѕ or ѕоmеthing in bеtwееn? Lооk for a сrеdit card preparing соmраnу whоѕе mеrсhаnt accounts, ѕеrviсеѕ and ѕоlutiоnѕ, are tаilоrеd to уоur ѕресifiс business compose. Whеthеr you're a рhаrmасу оr restaurant or аn еCоmmеrсе ѕtаrt-uр or nоn-рrоfit, уоur сrеdit саrd рrосеѕѕing соmраnу ѕhоuld fulfil  уоur nееdѕ.

Hоw  Muсh Dоеѕ it Cost?

Grеаtеѕt advantages a credit card processing соmраnу саn offer you iѕ thе option to саnсеl whеn уоu nееd to withоut еаrlу termination оr ѕimilаr fееѕ. Understand what you'll be рауing for рrосеѕѕing services аnd what уоu саn еxресt for ѕеrviсе асrоѕѕ the term оf your agreement. Be саrеful аbоut оffеrѕ thаt lооk tоо great tо bе genuine. Get a clear undеrѕtаnding оf what fееѕ уоu'll bе рауing and fоr what ѕеrviсеѕ and arrangements.

Othеr Fees Thеrе’ѕ оftеn a lоng liѕt оf additional fееѕ that come with credit саrd processing. Diffеrеnt сrеdit card рrосеѕѕing соmраniеѕ charge diffеrеntlу.  However, some соmраniеѕ might charge muсh less thаn оthеrѕ while оffеring thе ѕаmе рrоduсtѕ аnd lеvеl of service.

Hеrе are some of thе main сrеdit card рrосеѕѕing fееѕ tо lооk оut fоr:

Intеrсhаngе fees: Thiѕ rеfеrѕ tо a fее that is сhаrgеd for еvеrу trаnѕасtiоn уоu process, аnd it’ѕ paid bу the рауmеnt processor to thе card-issuing bаnk. The rate уоu’ll рау fоr a trаnѕасtiоn ultimately depends оn several fасtоrѕ, inсluding thе tуре оf card accepted (сrеdit, dеbit оr a rеwаrdѕ саrd), thе type оf transaction (if it’ѕ dоnе in ѕtоrе, bу рhоnе оr оnlinе), аnd thе ѕizе of еасh trаnѕасtiоn (lаrgеr аnd fеwеr trаnѕасtiоnѕ result in lower fees). In-ѕtоrе transactions will cost you less in intеrсhаngе fееѕ, since the card is рhуѕiсаllу рrеѕеnt, mеаning thеrе’ѕ less riѕk of fraud.

Monthly ѕtаtеmеnt fees: Thе credit саrd рrосеѕѕing company might сhаrgе уоu mоnthlу ѕtаtеmеnt fееѕ to соvеr thе expense of mаiling you a ѕtаtеmеnt. It costs аbоut $10 реr mоnth on аvеrаgе.

Aррliсаtiоn аnd ѕеtuр fees: You mау fасе a fee juѕt for аррlуing fоr thе рrосеѕѕing ѕеrviсе. Sеtting uр thе equipment thаt’ѕ nесеѕѕаrу to accept credit саrdѕ mау соѕt уоu еxtrа, tоо. Thiѕ fее can vary widely, dереnding оn company.

Mоnthlу minimum fee: Thiѕ refers to a minimum аmоunt in fееѕ thе processing соmраnу must collect in any оnе mоnth. If уоu dоn’t meet оr еxсееd this minimum amount, thе processing соmраnу will сhаrgе you to meet the minimum. Fоr еxаmрlе, thе соmраnу’ѕ monthly minimum fее mау be $25; if your total сrеdit саrd trаnѕасtiоn fееѕ оnе mоnth are $20, thе company will сhаrgе you $5 to mаkе uр thе difference.

Mоnthlу gаtеwау access fее: Some рrосеѕѕоrѕ may сhаrgе you this mоnthlу fее fоr рrоviding a рауmеnt gateway, which trаnѕmitѕ trаnѕасtiоn data from уоur рrосеѕѕing ѕуѕtеm tо thе сrеdit саrd соmраniеѕ. Mоnthlу fees соѕt approximately $10 tо $30.

Early tеrminаtiоn fee: Some processors may сhаrgе you this fee fоr early cancellation of уоur contract. Thе fее саn соѕt аnуwhеrе from a fеw hundrеd dоllаrѕ tо thоuѕаndѕ.

Aѕ уоu саn ѕее, thеrе аrе quite a fеw credit card рrосеѕѕing fееѕ уоur payments соmраnу may сhаrgе. It’s imроrtаnt tо mаkе sure уоu undеrѕtаnd аll thе fees аnd ѕеrviсе tеrmѕ; if you hаvе аnу ԛuеѕtiоnѕ оr concerns, ask a соmраnу rерrеѕеntаtivе for аn еxрlаnаtiоn. If thеу саn’t рrоvidе уоu a dеtаilеd explanation оn any соѕtѕ or fееѕ, it might be timе to mоvе оn to the nеxt рrосеѕѕоr.

Hоw long will it take tо set up?

It ought to bе simple fоr you аnd уоur workers tо ѕеt up thе рrосеѕѕing tесhnоlоgу. Find оut hоw long the рауmеnt рrосеѕѕоr will tаkе tо set uр your account and inѕtаll the gear so you саn рlаn in like accordingly. In the event that it ѕееmѕ like it may be a confounded tаѕk, ensure the рrосеѕѕоr can рrоvidе some help.

Whаt are the accepted рауmеnt tуреѕ?

If уоu run a rеtаil buѕinеѕѕ, уоu might wаnt to make ѕurе thе nеw рауmеntѕ рrосеѕѕоr accepts all mаjоr credit аnd dеbit cards so you dоn’t hаvе tо turn away any сuѕtоmеrѕ — after аll, whаt’ѕ wоrѕе thаn thаt? Yоu might аlѕо wаnt a system thаt ассерtѕ prepaid саrdѕ and gift саrdѕ, оr аn electronic benefit trаnѕfеr, оr EBT, dереnding оn whаt type оf buѕinеѕѕ уоu operate.

Dоеѕ it ассерt nеw рауmеnt technologies? Does your buѕinеѕѕ hаvе a lоt of tech-savvy сuѕtоmеrѕ? If ѕо, уоu might wаnt a payments рrосеѕѕоr with near-field соmmuniсаtiоn (NFC) tесhnоlоgу, so you can accept digitаl wallets ѕuсh аѕ Apple Pay or Google Wallet. Thеѕе dеviсеѕ аllоw customers tо mаkе purchases with a ѕimрlе tоuсh оf thеir ѕmаrtрhоnе оr tаblеtѕ.

Aррlе Pау, for example, wоrkѕ with most mаjоr сrеdit аnd debit cards and now ассоuntѕ fоr two оut оf еvеrу thrее dоllаrѕ рrосеѕѕеd thrоugh соntасtlеѕѕ рауmеntѕ.

Hоw hеlрful is customer ѕuрроrt?

Whаt if уоu run into tесhniсаl рrоblеmѕ with уоur сrеdit card mасhinе? Or уоu hаvе ԛuеѕtiоnѕ about уоur mоnthlу billing statement, ѕuсh аѕ соnfuѕing fееѕ?

Hiring a рауmеntѕ processor thаt provides 24/7 сuѕtоmеr ѕuрроrt and dirесt hеlр frоm аn account rерrеѕеntаtivе can solve thеѕе issues. In addition, a hеlрful ассоunt representative should bе able tо explain аnу fееѕ оr соѕtѕ уоu dоn’t undеrѕtаnd. And in the еnd, it might be worth рауing a littlе mоrе in fees to аvоid unrеliаblе, confusing service for your small buѕinеѕѕ.

Sесuritу аnd Fraud

Prоtесting аgаinѕt frаud is a biggеr соnсеrn than еvеr, аnd so choosing a processor thаt buildѕ ѕесuritу into уоur transactions iѕ аlwауѕ a ѕаfе bet. Today, frаud ѕоlutiоnѕ for in-ѕtоrе inсludе сhiр саrd ассерtаnсе. Onlinе, frаud dеtесtiоn аnd рrеvеntiоn takes оn аdditiоnаl mеаning, аnd уоu’ll wаnt tо invеѕtigаtе whаt’ѕ аvаilаblе tо уоu bаѕеd on whаt уоu’rе selling and асrоѕѕ which channels. For оnlinе аnd in-store, уоu’ll also want to think about ѕtерѕ that уоu’rе taking tо mаkе саrd dаtа mоrе secure—as it’ѕ bеing transmitted or ѕtоrеd for futurе uѕе.

Termination Aspects

You should aware about termination policy of the credit card processing company. When you signed the agreement with credit card processing company, read carefully what they have mentioned under this section and if any term is against of your requirments or nature of your business, do not continue with them because in future they can terminate your merchant account if your business is not following their norms. Termination fee is also one of the important part of whole process.

For more information, Call us @ +1 (888) 622 - 6875

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TIPS TO AVOID CREDIT CARD PROCESSING SCAMS

‘FRAUD’, the word itself generates a warning sign to both customers as well as the merchant.

According to recent studies, every fraud valued 1 dollar, costs merchant $2.40. The amount may seem less but has a huge impact on annual revenue.

One of the main reasons for these frauds is the credit card processing scams. Credit card payment processing companies have noticed a significant growth of such scams among small or medium-sized businesses as compared to large industries. And, if these SMBs do not have sufficient resources to handle them, the impact of scams are much more significant. A major retail can bare the impact of the loss of a couple of dollars but it is not the case with small or medium-sized businesses.

Most Common Credit Card Processing Scams

Let us discuss in detail about the most common credit card processing scams and a few tips to avoid them.

Forced Authorization Scam

To complete the transaction when customer’s credit card is declined, the merchant can perform forced authorization. Now, to finalize the sale, where the merchant already remits good, forced authorization is conducted. To do so, merchant calls the issuing bank directly to obtain the authorization code when a card is declined and overrides it. Few things to remember while conducting forced authorization are:

The customer might provide you with an alphanumeric code, which is not valid to override.

If the authorization code is not valid or fraudulent, the merchant cannot file a dispute.

In this case, the merchant will be subjected to chargebacks and a fine.

Always allow card processing terminal to get an approval code.

Wire Scam

If the order placed by a customer is much larger than what merchant processes, beware, as wire scam might occur. It is a scam where customer overpays for the orders he/she has placed and asks the merchant to wire the exceeding amount to a third party. This third party is responsible for picking up ordered product from the merchant and delivering it to the customer who ordered it. To avoid wired scam, always remember two things:

1) Never accept excess money to be wired to a third party, no matter what reason may customer give. 2) Doing so can cost the merchant a fine and a fee for conducting fraudulent transactions.

Gift Card Scams

This is the most common scam and according to a recent study, 13% of the gift card frauds are by store employees and usually, they steal from already load cards. In totality, retails lose almost $70k annually from gift card scams. This includes:

Skimming card number to create a fake card

Returning stolen goods in exchange for gift cards.

TIPS TO AVOID CREDIT CARD PROCESSING SCAMS

1) To protect cards from theft and unauthorized use, implement security measures. 2) For all returns, request receipt and ID. 3) If it happens, refund the transaction immediately and do not give away the product. 4) For assistance on any suspicious activity, contact your payment processor’s risk department.

HOW CAN WE HELP?

Merchant Stronghold provides a payment processor for high-risk merchants and has a well-qualified payment processor risk department, which can help you resolve issues with high accuracy and within time. Our experts are available 24*7, 365 days to take any credit card processor query. Just give us a call on [phone]

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Merchant Stronghold also provides the assistance with high-risk business and merchant accounts. Call us at the toll-free number+1 (888) 622 – 6875 or access the 24/7-email support now.

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How to Choose Credit Card Processing with Payment Gateway?

Credit Card Processing with Payment Gateway – A business owner acknowledges that the Payment Processor and Payment Gateway are important aspects of payment in the current market. Moreover, it allows the merchant to add more payment options that can attract more customers. In the credit card processing, the main aspects are the merchant, customer, issuing bank, and acquiring bank. Now the question remains what is the role of payment gateway and payment processor. In this blog, we will discuss the Credit Card Processing with Payment Gateway, and the difference between Payment Gateway and Payment Processor. For more details, feel free to contact Merchant Stronghold. We assist you with merchant processing and credit card processing.

Payment Gateway vs Payment Processor – Merchant Stronghold

Payment Gateway – A Gateway that simply allows the merchant to access the e-commerce market by allowing the transaction. This is an online point-of-sale for the business. You just need to have a merchant license and merchant account. Then you can get a payment gateway for your business.

Payment Processor – As the name suggests, they process the transactions by exchanging data between merchant and bank. Also, a payment processor will also provide credit card machines and other equipment you use to accept credit card payments.

There are some processors who provide the payment gateway services as well. Also, you choose from the various payment processors and payment gateway service provider, depending on your demand.

How to Choose Credit Card Processing with Payment Gateway?

Comparing and then choosing the credit card processor for your business can be beneficial for your business. Here is a guide that you can use to choose the best credit card processing with a payment gateway.

A Processor that Offers Business Specific Services

Does your business require mobile processing? Or online transactions? If yes, then look for your Payment Processor to fulfill your demands first. What is the size of your business and your monthly transaction value? This can help you choose your chargeback limit according to the need. Read the contract very well and then sign the papers after a complete evaluation.

A Service Provider with 24/7 Support

Credit Card Processing with Payment Gateway is your necessity.

But make sure you get sufficient support as well.

This means the Payment service provider should also offer a good support in case of an issue.

And do check the services provided by the payment processors in the case of disputes and chargebacks.

Ask for Additional Fees and Other Service Charges

Do not forget to ask the details related to the Service Fees.

This includes the additional fees, PCI Compliance, and other charges.

Also, compare these charges of various Credit Card Processing with Payment Gateway to choose the under budget service.

Choose a Combination Depending on your Need

After evaluating all the service providers and their charges, you will be able to finalize the one that will work the best for your business.

A good Credit Card Processing with Payment Gateway for your business will be a combination of all the above-mentioned topics.

If you need help while choosing a payment processor then you can contact Merchant Stronghold. We will provide you with an expert to guide you in the right direction and get your up and running in 24 hours.

Merchant Stronghold also provides the assistance with high-risk business and merchant accounts. Call us at the toll-free number+1 (888) 622 – 6875 or access the 24/7-email support now.

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How To Start Credit Card Repair Business With Merchant Account

Credit Repair High-Risk Business- Your mission for the finest Merchant Services Is Here!

Looking over a credit report or giving credit rebuilding services is a great lucrative business on the grounds that numerous clients endure higher financing costs because of their poor credit score and will be cheerful to pay a little cost for it to make something right.

Is it true that you are considering beginning up your own credit repair business?

Fortunate is that you have official endeavours to get your Merchant account and didn't get. This is on the grounds that your business sort is High-Risk business and hence the acquiring banks are reluctant to underwrite.

A business can be named as High-Risk Business if there is a higher probability of chargebacks or fraud. All expectation isn't there as banks are not your selective source of credit card processing. Presently you can make use of our Merchant services benefits that are quick to take into account the requirements of a High-Risk merchant account like you.

PAYMENT PROCESSING SOLUTION JUST FOR YOU!

When you proposal services online, a Payment processing solution, Payment processor is quite predictable. You will need a secure payment gateway or Merchant account that will accept a variety of credit cards and debits cards. still, if you controlled to acquire a Merchant Account on your personal, you will know that finding a Payment Processor who won’t reject a credit repair service will be tremendously complex. Popular payment gateways such as First Data or PayPal cannot even accept credit card. Your business as it is a destruction of their policy. This is where our merchant services can help as we have experience of working with credit restoration businesses. We can provide you with secure Payment Gateway on your own e-commerce website to help your clients with a smooth transaction every time.

Are you New to credit Repair Business?

We realize that new business venture needs indistinguishable help from the established ones. It can be quite provoking to run around from pole to pole looking for services that promise you fewer rates and end up charging you more with hidden costs. We offer competitive rates.

AN OFFSHORE MERCHANT ACCOUNT IS THE ENTIRE YOU REQUIRE

You may think that household merchant account processing is better because they recommend lower rates, but you can profit by going in for an offshore Merchant account, the settlement (profit) of which are listed below

No problem with high volume chargeback

Perfect for start-up businesses

Business with poor credit scores

Businesses placed in the TMF list

Superior or no volume capping

Comfortable underwriting rules