B2B credit card processing FREE analysis

Are increasing merchant services credit card fees annoying you?

While technology can optimize fee management, there are multiple reasons new fees or rising fees may occur. Use the information for a quick self-assessment and determine whether it’s worthwhile to engage with a 3D Merchant Services payments professional for further review. This method is easier than my B2B credit card processing fact check, while still revealing problems that must be resolved.  As a processor neutral payments expert, Christine Speedy offers a unique perspective.

The areas needing most attention are rate qualification and other fees.

Here’s a shortcut to determine if you have authorization problems, which directly impact credit card processing transaction fees. Why is this important? Because unless you fix the underlying problem, switching merchant accounts will only provide partial relief from escalating transaction fees like non-. If you have any of these items below on your merchant statement, there’s a problem that is causing unnecessary extra costs.

  • Mastercard Transaction Processing Excellence Fee – Nominal Authorizations
  • Misuse
  • Integrity
  • Compliance or Non-compliance
  • Standard / STD (any)
  • EIRF
  • Data rate I
  • Data Rate II or Data Rate 2
  • Chargeback: FRAUD TRANS-NO CARDHOLDR AUTH
  • Chargeback reason: Compliance
  • Non-Qualified, NQ

Hint: If you open your merchant statement in Adobe Acrobat, in OSX with command F you can copy and paste the terms above. It’s not foolproof due to varying abbreviations, but you only need to have one of the bad items to know there’s a problem.

For card not present business to business, these are two credit card processing interchange types you should see; many often don’t and that is also a problems resulting in higher costs.

  • Full UCAF
  • Data Rate III, Commercial Level III

I don’t know why, but I get calls from other salespeople in the industry looking for solutions to help customers qualify for Data Rate II. Why wouldn’t you want the customer to qualify at Data Rate III? Makes no sense.

I also hear from merchants how they were told that the new solution would fix their level 3 data problems, but it didn’t. If you do preauthorizations, and the solution doesn’t automatically get new authorizations and manage reversals it’s not going to fix authorization problems. Always ask, “how will the payment gateway manage authorization reversals if we don’t settle for the original preauthorization amount’? That’s one of several critical key questions. If they don’t know the answer instantly, move on.

Due to constant changes in card network rules and data security compliance rules, a review by a neutral payments expert is essential. Did you have any red items? It’s time for a deeper dive into why.  Your FREE report will identify issues impacting profits and security, include action items how to fix them, and rarely requires changing financial partners.

credit card transaction fee checkup form

Call Christine Speedy, to reduce merchant fees with new or existing merchant account at 954-942-0483, 9-5 ET. With Christine as your account manager you’re assured a unique experience to maximize profits and security without business disruption.

3D Merchant Services is now WBE and WOSB certified and is rebranding to Greater Good Tech.

Credit card surcharge rules and laws 2023

Looking for a credit card surcharging solution to offset expenses? The rules vary across multiple card brands and terms of acceptance. Here’s an updated review of who can surcharge, what card types, and checklist of how to roll out credit card surcharge at your company. The answers are targeted for business to business merchants, my area of expertise. Historically if a merchant complies with Visa surcharge rules, they’d be compliant with other brands, so we often cite that as the standard.

What is a credit card surcharge?

Surcharge is any fee charged by a merchant for the use of a card.

What’s the difference between a surcharge and convenience fee? Convenience fees can only be charged for a bona fide convenience in the form of an alternative payment channel outside the Merchant’s customary payment channels and not charged solely for the acceptance of a Card. If a merchant only accepts credit cards, it’s prohibited. If a merchant is 100% card absent, merchant cannot charge a convenience fee.

Card brands agree on this for surcharging:

  1. Merchant Discount Rate is the fee, expressed as a percentage of the total transaction amount that a Merchant pays to its Acquirer or Service Provider for transacting on a Credit Card brand. In short, it’s typically all the fees on your merchant statement EXCEPT PCI compliance, terminal rental fees or any other special fee that is not paid via the mechanism of the per-transaction merchant discount fee. Per Visa, merchants must “Limit the amount to your merchant discount rate (MDR) for the applicable credit card or 3% whichever is lowest.” This is the reason merchants can get in trouble if their surcharge solution provider charges a flat amount for every card type.
  2. The Surcharge amount must be submitted separately (in the defined surcharge field) from the Transaction amount in the authorization and clearing message.
  3. The receipt must list the surcharge amount separately.
  4. If the original transaction has a partial or full refund, the surcharge amount must all be refunded proportionally.
  5. Surcharge on debit or prepaid cards is prohibited for all merchants.To ensure compliance use a payment gateway that can identify the card brand and type of card to allow surcharges only on eligible cards.
  6. The fee must be relative to their average cost of card acceptance.

How much can a merchant surcharge?

In short, surcharging is allowed to cover costs, not to make a profit. Let’s face it, based on the rules above, to simplify implementation, merchants will surcharge at the brand level because they lack the technology to discern between product types on a per transaction basis. Taking all that into account what can you surcharge?

  • Cannot exceed Maximum Surcharge Cap, which for Visa is currently 3%, effective April 15, 2023, and MasterCard remains at 4%.

Just because somebody offers it doesn’t make it right. Some companies are offering “free merchant accounts” by offsetting fees with surcharge of 3.5% or even 4%, both exceeding current rules. The average B2B company has much lower than 3.5% effective rate so that was always a violation of card acceptance rules, subject to penalty. The companies offering these services are making big money on the spread of actual fees vs what customers are paying. Again, these are card brand rules violations.

Surcharge checklist:

  1. Notify card brands (Visa etc) in writing at least 30 calendar days before assessing a US Credit Card Surcharge; must state whether will surcharge at the brand level or product level.
    1. https://www.visa.com/merchantsurcharging
    2. http://www.mastercard.us/merchants/support/surcharge-disclosure.html
    1. https://www.discoversurcharge.com
    2. Amex- none required
  2. For card not present orders, disclose verbally if telephone; for online orders minimum 10-point Arial font, but in any case no smaller or less prominent than surrounding text.
  3. Receipt must be delivered with the surcharge as a separate line item.
  4. The surcharge amount must be sent with the transaction for authorization.

 Which states prohibit merchants surcharging?

Per Visa, as of April 15, 2023, they are “Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and Oklahoma. Note also that Merchants located in Colorado may not surcharge more than 2% as per State law.” However, due to federal and other court rulings, multiple states have backed away from the bans. The legislative intent in many of these states was to protect consumers, and not to restrict B2B surcharging, therefore, B2B companies may have exceptions.

What’s the penalty for non-compliance with surcharge rules? Acquirers face fines. Acquirers of any merchant identified as surcharging improperly may be assessed an immediate US $1,000 fine. This is just the beginning and is not all-inclusive. Visa is proactively enforcing surcharge rules from April 15, 2023.

  1. In 2015, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a federal court, overturned Florida state law as being unconstitutional, allowing surcharges to legally continue in Florida and nine other states that had enacted bans against them. The case was a highly contentious 2-1 decision in which the court’s chief judge said the state surcharge bans (like Florida’s) were “being struck down by a federal court for no good reason.”
  2. In December 2019, Oklahoma attorney general official opinion declaring the state’s no-surcharging law unconstitutionally restricts free speech. 

Surcharge Laws Stories:

  • 2/2023 NJ Businesses Fined For Credit Card Surcharge Without Proper Notice https://lakewoodalerts.com/cracking-down-businesses-fined-for-credit-card-surcharge-without-proper-notice/
  • Texas Updated 2020 – https://faq.sll.texas.gov/questions/9631Senate Bill 560, which went into effect on September 1st, 2017, changed the laws relating to credit card surcharges. Previously, the Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC) enforced the law on credit card surcharges, but that is no longer the case.
  • Florida update https://www.epgdlaw.com/are-credit-card-surcharges-legal-in-florida/
  • California update
    https://oag.ca.gov/consumers/general/credit-card-surcharges
  • January 10, 2019 NY Update
    https://www.natlawreview.com/article/parties-case-challenging-constitutionality-ny-no-credit-card-surcharge-law-jointly
  • NY Court of Appeals issues interpretation of no surcharge law  https://www.consumerfinancemonitor.com/2018/10/26/ny-court-of-appeals-issues-interpretation-of-ny-no-credit-card-surcharge-law/
  • 2018 Florida https://www.nbc-2.com/story/40273084/you-can-legally-be-charged-extra-for-using-a-credit-card
  • 2018 case in California http://delfinomadden.com/credit-card-surcharge-ban/
  • 2017 US Supreme Court & NY https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/01/10/supreme-court-new-york-credit-card-surcharge-price-speech/96391718/
  • http://fortune.com/2017/03/29/credit-card-charges-supreme-court-freedom-speech/
  • http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/consumer/os-nsf-florida-credit-card-surcharges-20160706-story.html
  • https://www.ncsl.org/research/financial-services-and-commerce/credit-or-debit-card-surcharges-statutes.aspx

State statutes on surcharge laws

  • https://portal.ct.gov/DCP/Legal/Credit-Card-Surcharge
  • https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXX/Chapter140d/Section28a Massachusetts statutes.

For more information, see Surcharge law resources under Merchant Alerts & Rules Links or contact your acquirer for accurate and current information specific to your situation. Neither Christine Speedy nor this web site provide legal advice. Consult an attorney for all your legal questions.

Does your company want to surcharge? Call Christine Speedy right now at 954-942-0483, 9-5 ET for a compliant solution. Please share your surcharge insights for others and ask any questions below. The information herein is based upon public information available at the time written and may change.

3D Merchant Services is rebranding as Greater Good Tech.

US Court rules Kansas credit card surcharge ban unconstitutional

Kansas has prohibited surcharging for decades, but a February 25, 2021 successful challenge changes that. Like many other states that had old statutes regarding surcharging, courts are ruling in favor of plaintiff’s. The U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas a part of plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment in an action concerning whether a state statute that bans credit card surcharges violates the First Amendment.

EXCERPT: “As aptly stated by Judge Tjoflat in Dana’s R.R. Supply v. Atty. Gen., Fla., 807 F.3d 1235, 1239 (11th Cir. 2015), “surcharges and discounts are nothing more than two sides of the same coin; a surcharge is simply a ‘negative’ discount, and a discount is a ‘negative’ surcharge.” It is comparable to permitting a restauranteur to serve “half-full” beverages but not “half-empty” beverages. Id. at 1245. Kansas prefers to label the lower price attendant to cash purchases a “discount” and so prohibits Plaintiff from labeling the higher price of credit purchases as a surcharge, even though both describe the same state of affairs: cash purchasers pay less and credit card purchasers pay more because of the cost associated with using credit cards. Again, as Judge Tjoflat pointed out, such a law does not ban surcharges; it merely targets expression and could be called a “surcharges-are-fine-just-don’t-call-them-that-law.” Id. at 1245. This elevation of form over substance, which fails to directly and materially advance any substantial state interest, unjustifiably infringes on Plaintiff’s right to convey information to consumers in a way that truthfully and accurately describes the transaction and allows consumers to make an informed choice. “The First Amendment prevents staking citizens’ liberty on such distinctions in search of a difference.” Id.
On a case within its jurisdiction, and upon the filing of an appropriate pleading, the court may declare the rights of an interested party seeking such a declaration. 28 U.S.C. § 2201(a). Based on the uncontroverted facts, Plaintiff has shown that K.S.A. 16a-2-403, as interpreted in Kansas and as applied to Plaintiff, violates Plaintiff’s rights under the First Amendment. The court concludes Plaintiff is entitled to a declaratory judgment to that effect.

For more information, see Surcharge law resources under Merchant Alerts & Rules Links or contact your acquirer for accurate and current information specific to your situation. Neither Christine Speedy nor this web site provide legal advice. Consult an attorney for all your legal questions.

Does your company want to surcharge? Call Christine Speedy right now at 954-942-0483, 9-5 ET for a compliant solution. Please share your comments below. The information herein is based upon public information available at the time written and may change.

How to add freight cost after credit card preauthorization

A preauthorization, or authorization hold, is a temporary hold on a customer’s credit card until final settlement. In this B2B transaction scenario, such as for distributors and manufacturers, the customer buys an item online, for example via Woocommerce or Shopify; the customer does not save their card on file or use a saved card on file, in which case different rules apply. Compliance with credit card processing rules improves authorization approvals, mitigates risk and reduces merchant fees.

On the merchant side for ecommerce sale described: request for authorization goes out and the issuer responds with an approval code if all goes well. By also using 3-D Secure, the merchant shifts fraud liability to the issuer, reduces chargeback risk and can potentially qualify for reduced merchant fees. An additional authorization is not required if the final settlement amount is not more than 15% of the original authorization. Note, this is based upon scenario described! However, depending on the card type, the qualified interchange rate may downgrade to the worst rate possible due to authorization and settlement mismatch; The same applies if the final settlement on the original authorization is less.

Some, but not all payment gateways and API’s have solutions to help merchants resolve the mismatch problem.

How can merchant maximize profits on this type of transaction? Here are some requirements:

  1. Settlement date must be within 2 days of the transaction date.
  2. Settlement date must be within 7 days of initial authorization for purchasing cards (non-gov)
  3. Obtain and pass 1 valid electronic authorization. Authorization and
    settlement MCC must match. One authorization reversal is allowed.
  4. Transaction date must equal shipping date and that date is no more than 7 days after authorization.
  5. Transaction must include order number and either customer service phone number, URL or email.
  6. Must have secured E-Commerce indicator of “5” or “6”. The POS Condition Code must be “59”. Must perform Cardholder Authentication Verification Value (CAVV) and AVS4 (zip code, except goverment cards).
  7. Must Pass Level II and Level III Data.

Failure to meet all requirements can increase merchant fees more to an additional 1% or more of the transaction amount.

References:

Visa Product and Services Rules, section 5.8.3.1

Christine Speedy, Founder 3D Merchant Services, is a credit card processing expert with specialized expertise in card not present and omnichannel technology. Christine is an authorized reseller for Elavon and CenPOS products and services, in addition to other solutions. Call Christine for payment gateway, cloud technology, merchant services and check processing needs.

Phone vs text express checkout: Covid-19 customer pick up solutions

Businesses are changing the way they interact with customers to reduce both employee and customer exposure due to the Covid-19 coronavirus crisis. Accepting payment over the phone and delivering to cars is growing. However, there are risks and costs associated with this that can be avoided. A combination of text, chat, and artificial intelligence can dramatically improve customer engagement and satisfaction while driving down costs and increasing revenue. We put this all together with express pay checkout for a ready-to-go solution to transform operational efficiency and drive profitability virtually overnight.

FAST HELP NOW: Stop taking cards over the phone and start getting paid remotely with a one-way text or email. You’ll use the platform to send a simple request for payment or you can optionally upload an invoice. I just fixed your Covid-19 pay over the phone problem to instantly save you time and money, while improving security.

MANPOWER PROBLEMS: Working with fewer employees, whether to save money due to declining sales resulting from Covid-19 economics, or to adjust for family needs and illness, can lead to customer service issues. Longer hold times leads to even more phone calls, messages and emails as customers desperately search for answers. Takeaway: Studies show a 48% decrease in customer care costs with our recommended automation solutions. It takes just a few seconds to change customer status to ‘ready for pick up’, generating an automated text that will collect payment. That’s way faster than getting card data over the phone.

CREDIT CARD PROCESSING FEES: If your business traditionally accepts cards in person, then the merchant account is set up for RETAIL. When the acquirer does not receive EMV or swipe card data, the transaction is downgraded to the worst rate possible. Timing couldn’t be worse with new higher rates imminent. Small Business credit transactions failing to qualify for Custom Payment Service (CPS) will be assessed the Non-Qualified interchange rate of 3.15% + $0.20 effective April 18, 2020. That’s cost plus there are other fees on top of that. Regulated debit will still be .05% regardless of payment acceptance method. The Fix: Our recommended solution improves credit card rate qualification; merchants can qualify for lower rate using our express checkout vs over the phone, and fraud liability for ” it wasn’t me, I didn’t authorize” shifts to the issuer.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: As time goes on, people holed up at home are bound to get more anxious and testy. Nobody likes giving their card number over the phone so now you’ve got an unhappy customer regardless of what you do. They’re on their phones texting all day, and calling to sit on hold with you is annoying. Employees often resort to using their own phone devices with no oversight, creating potential liability problems. The Fix: Converse with them the way they want and customer satisfaction is proven to soar. Use a cloud platform from any device so all data is secure and compliance is managed automatically. Our recommended solution ensures texting compliance and creates on-demand searchable records. Additionally, the one click yes or no end of service satisfaction survey enables management to instantly identify problems and address them accordingly.

HOW IT WORKS FOR MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW: Add users, assign users to roles, modify existing automated message templates (or make new ones), set up hours of business, set up alerts; users can login via computer, tablet or phone app. Add a promotion and one question survey if desired. Let the automation begin!

SECURITY AND COMPLIANCE: The last thing I’d want any business to do is have employees taking card data over the phone and then key enter it into something else. There are too many things that could go wrong. One mistake and a data breach or disgruntled employee could put you out of business. The Fix: Our recommended solutions remove employee access from cardholder data and customer self-checkout is proven to be far more secure. Compliance with the latest credit card processing rules is automated. This is not the case with all remote payment solutions, many of which have not kept up with the onslaught of new card processing rules (not the same as PCI compliance), especially for storing and using stored cards. I don’t care how big they are or how recognizable their name is, many solutions are not compliant today.

DRIVE THROUGH PICK UP: A parent pays for their kids car repair. A friend wants to pick up a pet for their elderly neighbor. No problem. During checkout, your customer can designate things like a pick up time, name of pick-up person, and even add details about the car that will be picking up.

BEST USE CASES: Veterinarians, car service, truck service, anything where something is dropped off and then needs to be picked up later. Animal hospitals can deliver instructions, photos, results etc and reduce or even eliminate phone time. Restaurants may have specialized software that meets needs so I would look there first. We focus on businesses with sales are over $1M annually.

FAQ: Can I use my same merchant account? Yes. Do you offer low cost merchant accounts? Yes, submit your statements for a comparison. How do you reduce my fees if I keep the same merchant account? Proprietary patented technology dynamically optimizes every transaction to mitigate risk and qualify for the lowest fees. What payment types are supported? Paypal, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, ACH/echeck and more. Is it HIPAA compliant? Yes. What if my customer insists on paying in person? No problem. Just mark as paid when they come in. How long does it take to get set up? Usually one business day turnaround once we receive your paperwork, though it can vary. How easy is it to use? We like both our users and customers to have an ‘Apple-like’ experience; just login an go; self-serve and assisted remote training is available. How much does it cost? We have two price plans depending on your business type. Most customers are more profitable using our system so any fees are entirely offset by credit card fee savings, labor savings, and increased revenues. How long is the contract? Month to month; if you don’t like it, just cancel. We’ve never had a customer say they didn’t like it and cancel.

GET STARTED: Christine Speedy, 954-942-0483. For a fast, free checkup on your merchant account or to implement our express checkout system, contact us today.