Google Wallet dropped NFC Loyalty Points and Gift Cards Google recently announced fundamental changes to its Google Wallet service. On August 21, Google Wallet stopped supporting NFC redemption for gift cards and merchant loyalty points. In these competitive times, more and more businesses have come to rely on loyalty programs to spur consumer activity. By […]
NFC loyalty down by contact for Google [2023 Update] Read More »
Two years after the Durbin Amendment became law, the consequences of this historic legislation are still unfolding. In the coming months, new developments in Durbin implementation could lead to historically low debit swipe fees for merchants. Last July, U.S District Judge Richard Leon ruled on a Durbin-related lawsuit that pitted a consortium of retailers against
Durbin Debit Fees Revisited [2023 Update] Read More »
Host Merchant Services is proud to provide credit card processing for the Brandywine Festival of the Arts this weekend through our relationship with Barry’s Events. The festival was originally called the Brandywine Arts Festival when it was started in 1961. “Big” George Sargisson was the founder of the event that now brings over 20,000 visitors
Host Merchant Services and Brandywine Festival of the Arts 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 »
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 »
Today the Official Merchant Services Blog takes us to Australian and covers a topic that the big card brands are pushing as a needed security measure in the credit card processing industry. A recent push by Visa and MasterCard is aimed at increasing the percentage of transactions that are verified by PIN to 90 percent.
Visa, MasterCard weigh PIN vs. Signature [2023 Update] Read More »
During the events at National Small Business Week the Small Business Administration announced upcoming changes due to take effect on July 22, 2013. These changes shift what defines how “small business” is defined. The administration is increasing the size standards in 70 industries. These standards lay out the maximum size a firm can be and
Upcoming SBA Rule Changes to Affect Small Businesses [2023 Update] Read More »
Bitcoins (BTC) are a growing new form of digital currency created in 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto, who envisioned them as a peer-to-peer, electronic cash system. His goal was to create a decentralized currency, not backed by any central bank or country, therefore allowing the free market and determine the worth and pricing of the bitcoins.
Bitcoin: The Hidden Danger to Your Business Read More »
I recently stopped down at the Cherry Creek farmers market here in Denver and noticed a couple things. One, there are way more vendors that have setup shop at this event than in years past. And two, very few of the businesses there were setup to accept credit cards. This surprised me. The amount of
Mobile Payments at Farmers Markets [2023 Update] Read More »
At Host Merchant Services we know that while Fortune 500 companies may get the national spotlight and most of the media attention, small businesses are what really powers our communities and helps grow our nation. A recent stat showed that two out of every three new jobs created in the US is generated by small
National Small Business Week Guide Read More »
Larger charities such as the American Red Cross and the American Cancer Society are easily recognizable. People like to donate to charities that have a reputation for doing meaningful work and spending their money sensibly. However, even these organizations have to seek out donations constantly to keep up and running. For smaller nonprofits and charitable
Should Nonprofits Accept Donations on Credit Cards? Read More »
Every merchant who accepts Visa debit or credit cards is subject to transaction and processing fees. The determination of what those fees, known as custom payment services (CPS) fees, will be follows a complex maze of calculations based upon such things as the type of card the customer uses, the volume of credit card transactions
Steps Can Help Merchants Meet Visa CPS Requirements Read More »
In recent weeks I have personally spoken with numerous merchants who want to try and understand their monthly statement better. It seems like some providers of credit card processing have come up with a game: “confuse the merchant”. Different combinations of low rates and high fees or vice versa. One pricing structure that I have
The ERR Pricing Trap Read More »
Many businesses that accept credit cards wonder what the PCI compliance fee is and why they have to pay it. It all starts with the information that a retailer gains when a customer purchases a product or service using their credit or debit card to pay for the transaction. The thin black strip on the
About PCI Compliance Fees 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 »
When observing large, Fortune 500 companies from the outside, small and medium size business owners often wonder what it is that makes them so successful. There are several factors that comprise the answer to this question, and one must be careful not to get overwhelmed or discouraged by its complexity. The remainder of this article
Merchant Services Conference Read More »
Loyalty cards are an important part of modern business when it comes to payment processing. As e-business becomes more prolific and consumers have more options available, it becomes vital to retain repeat customers. Attracting new customers is just as important. Perks go a long way to doing both. Loyalty card processing can provide coupons, gift
Loyalty Card Processing [2023 Update] Read More »