The story of retail has largely been a story of a shift in focus from individual customers to the mass economy, but there’s a push to take everything back to the personal level. Recent studies about consumer preferences indicate that consumers are more receptive to personalized shopping experiences and services. If you can make the […]
BLE and the power of the individual in the mass market [2023 Update] Read More »
Chargebacks are a headache for both merchants and credit card processing companies alike. They create problems with merchants getting money for the goods and services they provided, and can really cut into the profit for both small business owners and larger corporations. Although chargebacks cannot be 100% gotten rid of, there are some steps that
Stemming the Tide of Fraud [2023 Update] Read More »
EMV Smart Cards are an inevitability. They are coming, they will be standard, and the United States is going to have to adjust. The major credit card companies, in preparation for changing the standard have instituted a shift in liability. The fraud liability shift goes into effect on October 1, 2015 for Visa, MasterCard, American
Counterfeit Fraud Liability Read More »
Following up on our recent blog about terminal of the future, the VX 520, today we’re going to let the other shoe drop. With the payment processing industry thrusting its spotlight onto security in the wake of the Target Data Breach, the PCI DSS and its upgraded protocols are getting a lot of attention. Host
Terminal Retirements Read More »
Sometimes the future just sort of sneaks up on you. Even if you’ve given yourself reminders, sticky notes, calendar alarms, and the proverbial string tied around your finger, the future still has a way of creeping up on you unawares. Which is why Host Merchant Services is happy to offer its customers a payment processing
The VX 520 Embraces the Future Read More »
Holiday Inn, Marriott Hotels Suspected Targets of Data Breach The Official Merchant Services Blog has breaking news regarding the ongoing series of credit card data breaches. One the heels of the major hack of discount retailer of Target that stole credit and debit card data from 40 million accounts right smack dab in the middle
Hackers find new target: Mariott [2023 Update] Read More »
The Innovation Act – Protecting Businesses from Harmful Patent Litigation Speed and innovation have become crucial business tools of the communications age, but litigious patent trolls stifle innovation by filing questionable patent-infringement lawsuits. The Innovation Act of 2013 seeks to reduce the number of frivolous lawsuits and unsupported complaints by requiring greater responsibility from people
The Innovation Act Read More »
Safeguarding Stored Cardholder Data with Tokenization In this era of connectivity, consumers are increasingly concerned about the safety of their personal data. Leaders in the merchant services industry are actively engaged in developing new ways to protect customer information. Here at Host Merchant Services, we commit to security by providing our clients with tokenization, the
Tokenization Makes Card Use Safe Read More »
Credit and debit cards have become nearly universal accessories in modern life. The great majority of Americans now use these cards to expedite and simplify their financial activities. According to the industry analysts at Community Merchants USA, a mere 27% of all POS transactions are cash transactions. In spite of this, only 45%of U.S small
Perceived Barriers to Accepting Credit Cards Read More »
Over the course of the past ten years, credit card providers have ramped up their efforts to woo consumers with point-based loyalty programs. Custom gift cards and loyalty cards are a great way to encourage repeat business and so many merchants have embraced the concept that the credit card providers have pushed. These redeemable Transaction
Are Credit Card Rewards Points Programs Harmful? Read More »
Throughout many industries, companies are feeling the effects of 2010’s Durbin Amendment. This much-vaunted amendment to Dodd-Frank was intended to protect consumers and businesses from unreasonably large interchange transaction fees. As finally implemented in 2011, the amendment protects one large class of businesses while doing measurable harm to firms specializing in smaller transactions. Though the
Service Impact of Imposing Credit Card Minimums [2023 Update] Read More »
CVV (Card Verification Value) codes are either three or four-digit numbers that are printed on either the front or back of credit and debit cards. This system was created to provide an extra layer of security to merchants and card-issuing banks against fraudulent transactions in card not present purchases. Two Types of Codes These codes
CVV Codes: Why do They Exist? Read More »
The long-lived standard of paper and coin currency is nearing its end. The simple truth is that debit and credit cards, mobile wallets, and various other ways to pay are bringing about the beginning of the end of Washington, Jackson, and even Franklin. Businesses are going cashless. The truth is that when businesses accept cash
Your Business Should Consider Going Cashless [2023 Update] Read More »
It’s no secret that credit card processing is not a favorite topic of my business owners. Yet in the current economy consumers are trending toward more of a “cashless” society. Even more, most credit cards now offer some sort of incentive, such as rewards or points, so more consumers are using cards even for minor
Top 5 Myths About Credit Card Processors Read More »
Merchants that sell goods through an online store have many decisions to make when it comes to setting up and running their new ecommerce business. Just one of these is how will they process payments when customer are finished with their shopping and ready to pay for their transaction. One option is to setup what
Offsite Payment Processing Read More »
When your identity is compromised Every individual’s identity is unique to him or her. The problem with this is that there are many others who would love to take that away. They would like to steal identities in order to benefit themselves. Unfortunately this happens far more often than we would like to believe. In
Identity Theft Restoration [2023 Update] Read More »
Credit Card Commerce Tips to Keep Debt Under Control Credit cards get a bad reputation, but they can actually be quite a handy financial tool if used correctly. There is no reason to go into unmanageable debt using credit cards. The following credit card commerce tips can actually help you use them to build wealth
Credit Card Commerce Tips Read More »
Should Merchants Surcharge? In many states merchants have had a decision to make. Recent developments allow merchants that accept credit cards to pass card processing charges on to their customers. So should merchants surcharge their customers? First of all, in at least ten states there are laws that prevent merchants from assessing their customers a
Should Merchants Surcharge? Read More »