Tag Archives: level 3 gateway

Level 3 Credit Card Processing Solutions

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Level 3 processing requires payment solutions that can both send level data and dynamically optimize transactions to qualify for level 3 rates. Learn the secrets to higher profits right now. Were you told your last solution would fix your problems so you’d qualify properly? Have you been told with more training you could fix the problems to hit level 3? Hogwash! It’s not your fault, you just didn’t have an insider perspective until now.

Many payment gateways can send level 3 data, but the requirements to qualify for level III interchange rates are much more complicated than that. Do you perform preauthorizations? You know what happens when the preauth expires? Or when the final settlement is not the same as the preauthorization? These are just two of many reason merchants fail to qualify for level 3.

New rules for storing cards and using stored cards can also impact profits. Hint: If you haven’t made big changes to how you do this since October 2017, you’ve got a problem. Failure to comply with any rules negates rate qualification. If issuers are not sophisticated enough to catch all the rule breakers now, it’s only a matter of time. In the future, cardholders will be able to login to their bank and view all the companies that are storing their cards. So if you haven’t made the changes needed per new stored card requirements, including the new Unscheduled Credential On File (UCOF) transaction indicator, that creates a problem for the long term goals in financial industry. Compliance enforcement can include penalties and assessments.

I’ve seen demo’s, heard sales pitches, and read the documentation on many payment gateways and virtual terminals. It’s not what’s there, but what’s not there that is most revealing. Before choosing a level 3 processing solution, get a demo. If you’ll be using a virtual terminal, use that for the demo. If you’ll be using an integrated solution, view the integrated solution demo.

The demo:

  • Store a regular card and business card. What methods are used to capture the initial card data? Then charge each card. Note the steps for each.
  • How does the solution manage reversals on preauthorizations?
  • What’s the process to identify and renew an expired authorization?
  • How can buyer complete a transaction with 3-D Secure?
  • Pull report to retrieve transaction.
  • Pull report with level 3 data.
  • Ask if the gateway supports Recurring, Installment, or UCOF depending on your needs; virtually all support Recurring, but not the others.

Note how much of the process is automated, how much relies on people making decisions, and if any items are not available. Take screenshots. On a Mac it’s command + shift+ 4.

Want a payments expert as a silent observer? Ask me to sit in on the call for unbiased feedback.

Call Christine Speedy, PCI Council QIR certified, for simple solutions to complex payment transaction problems, 954-942-0483, 9-5 ET. CenPOS authorized reseller based out of South Florida and NY. CenPOS is an integrated commerce technology platform driving innovative, omnichannel solutions tailored to meet a merchant’s market needs. Providing a single point of integration, the CenPOS platform combines payment, commerce and value-added functionality enabling merchants to transform their commerce experience, eliminate the need to manage complex integrations, reduce the burden of accepting payments and create deeper customer relationships.

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Dynamics AX ERP Credit Card Processing Alternatives 2017

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Need a solution to process credit cards for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012? Whether replacing Microsoft Dynamics ERP Payment Services due to end of life announcement, or looking for an alternative to Red Maple Advanced Credit Cards, Christine Speedy has a solution to delight your customers and make your business more profitable virtually overnight. It’s wrong to thing big name gateways are compliant with your B2B payment processing needs. If that were true, our solutions would not exist.

Dynamics AX Credit Card Processing Critical Features Checklist:

  • Customer managed wallet from the very first sale, including before payment is needed. Must eliminate need for paper or digital credit card authorization forms with card data in the clear!
  • No 3rd party applications needed to get paid from invoice; automate journal entry updates. (Eliminate BillTrust and similar.)
  • Communicate the way your customers want, both text and email.
  • Automate rate qualification. A payment gateway with Level 3 processing is not enough; merchants can only qualify for level 3 (corporate, purchasing, business card) interchange rates if all the rules are met. The two most common rules B2B businesses struggle with are “Settlement within 72 hours” for card not present sales, and “Authorization amount and settlement amount must be equal”. CenPOS automates compliance, most gateways cannot.

    interchange rate qualification

    The same transaction can process at different rates, depending on which rules you follow.

  • Compliance with Visa Stored Credential Transaction framework and mandates effective October 14, 2017. Merchants need record of customers opt-in to storing and use of the stored card terms and conditions, among other items. For example, a checkbox. There are many nuances including identifying merchant initiated vs customer initiated. CenPOS automates compliance, most gateways cannot.
  • 3-D Secure cardholder authentication- increase approvals, shift fraud liability risk, and for some card types qualify for reduced interchange rates.
  • Virtual Encrypted Keypad – segment your network, software and devices from payment processing for reduced PCI Compliance scope and burden.
  • Accept payments wherever you need in AX- free text, sales orders, payment journals and more.

Improve Efficiencies, Cash Flow, Customer Experience:

  • Invoice delivery via text and email
  • 2-clicks to pay for repeat customers
  • Customer managed wallet for payment methods.
  • Invoice portal – on demand access 24/7 to view and pay invoices
  • Automated collections reminders to pay

AX Solution for all payment types:

  • ACH and check, with and without guarantee.
  • Wire- eliminate inefficiencies matching deposits to invoices and returning unidentified wires.
  • Credit card
  • Paypal and more

Depending on your current AX set up, businesses can be live in less than 2 days.

Christine Speedy, CenPOS authorized reseller, 954-942-0483. B2B cloud payments solutions and CenPOS enterprise cloud payment solutions expert. CenPOS is a merchant-centric, end-to-end payments engine that drives enterprise-class solutions for businesses, saving them time and money, while improving their customer engagement. CenPOS secure, cloud-based solution optimizes acceptance for all payment types across multiple channels without disrupting the merchant’s banking relationships.

First Data level 3 processing solutions

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Need a solution for level 3 processing with your First Data merchant account? A payment gateway that supports level 3 processing is required, but that’s not enough. Payment gateway selection and implementation impact whether a transaction actually qualifies for level 3 rates.

The main requirements to qualify for level III interchange rates are:

  1. Submit required extra order detail. This varies by card brand; for example Ship to/from ZIP code, Destination country code,VA/ tax amount, invoice number, order reference number, Discount amount, Freight/shipping amount, Duty amount, Order date, unit of measure and more.
  2. Valid authorization. For example, the authorization and settlement amount must be the same.
  3. Interchange Rate Special Requirements, which may vary by card, industry etc. For example, here are requirements to qualify for MasterCard Data Rate III
    1. U.S. Merchant
    2. Applicable Electronic Authorization Data must be included and match Settlement Data
    3. Valid Banknet Reference Number and Banknet Date in valid date format MMDD
    4. Settlement within 2 days of transaction
    5. Level II & Level III Corporate Card data (Level II Data includes the entry of customer code, card acceptor type, tax ID and sales tax. Level III Data includes Level II data, line item detail, item description, item quantity, item unit of measure, extended item amount, product code, and debit or credit indicator.)
    6. Non-T&E MCC
    7. Card Acceptor Type and Tax ID must be provided

Visa Stored Credential Framework Impacts Authorization Validity

For business, corporate and purchasing card transactions to qualify for Level 3 interchange rates, a valid authorization is required. New rules change requirements for card not present transactions using stored cards. US businesses must comply with Visa Stored Credential Transaction framework effective October 14, 2017. Without getting into too much detail, payment gateways must update to comply, and merchants will also need to make some changes going forward.

Merchant requirements include:

  • When capturing a stored credential for the first time, complete special requirements, including cardholder authentication as applicable (Managed by payment gateway or integrated solution.)
  • Send correct transaction type on subsequent transactions: Installment Payments, Recurring Payments, or Unscheduled Credential On File. (Managed by payment gateway or integrated solution.)
  • Authorization and settlement amount must match. (Managed by payment gateway or integrated solution.)
  • Obtain cardholder consent and disclosure agreement. (Most likely managed by payment gateway or merchant.)

For years, authorization and settlement amount mismatch has been a common problem for merchants to qualify for level III rates. Even if a gateway solves this problem, an integration may limit the capability. This is easily identified by EIRF, STD/ standard, level I and level II rates present in the “pending interchange” section on merchant statements.

To solve all of the above problems, merchants can use a third party payment gateway with their merchant account, that manages authorization validity and continual changes within the gateway, including integrated solutions. Below image shows before and after interchange rates from actual merchant statements; same merchant account, just changed the payment gateway.level 3 gatewayContact Christine for a level 3 payment gateway that works with your First Data Merchant Account, as well as other acquirers.

Christine Speedy, CenPOS authorized reseller, 954-942-0483 is based out of South Florida and NY. CenPOS is a merchant-centric, end-to-end payments engine that drives enterprise-class solutions for businesses, saving them time and money, while improving their customer engagement. CenPOS secure, cloud-based solution optimizes acceptance for all payment types across multiple channels without disrupting the merchant’s banking relationships.

Volusion for B2B? No way!

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Volusion for B2B ecommerce shopping cart is unacceptable. B2B companies are going omnichannel, yet Volusion lacks critical tools distribution companies need to maximize profits, security, and efficiency.

  1. Payment gateways and level III data– Wholesalers average 30% premium in merchant fees because NO Volusion payment gateways help businesses properly qualify for level 3 interchange rates across ALL sales channels, from ecommerce to retail. They have continually ignored requests to support, instead adding dozens and dozens of ‘me too’  gateways that are pretty much all alike.
  2. Retail – B2B retailers need US EMV options that support their needs. Whether it’s signature capture terminals like the Verifone MX915, or mobile terminals. None of their gateways has ever supported level 3 processing for retail, and is there even an US EMV terminal with P2P encryption certified for any processor today that works with Volusion?
  3. Omnichannel flexibility and PCI Compliance – How many business to business companies have a sales force taking phone orders? What is Volusion doing to help secure that transaction and help prevent fraud? Not nearly enough.

Over the decade that I owned a Volusion B2B ecommerce store, I recommended them over and over again. So much that their product development reached out to me to ask if there was anything I needed. It’s been seven years and the one thing I wanted, a modern payment gateway that meets business to business needs, they still haven’t done, even though the work is minimal. Why not? Well I’m tired of waiting and if someone finds my positive reviews online, I want everyone to know, there are many compelling reasons why I do not recommend Volusion for B2B ecommerce.

Steps to Reduce Credit Card Fraud For Distribution Industry

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dealer fraud credit card processingCredit card fraud is still rampant in the US, even after US EMV liability shift convinced many merchants to purchase terminals to support chip cards. Marine, auto, and other high value parts dealers have long had a problem mitigating fraud risk with local and international parts.

  1. For card not present orders, require self-pay with cardholder authentication. Taking cards over the phone, and or requiring a credit card authorization form, will not protect against all forms of counterfeit card fraud. However, consumer authentication shifts liability back to the issuer; the issuer guarantees payment, and because it’s lower risk, dealers can qualify for lower interchange rates, the bulk of merchant fees. Online payment, ecommerce payment, and electronic bill presentment and payment are the 3 methods dealers can use to enable self-payment.
  2. For retail orders, EMV is mandatory. Not by regulation, but by necessity. If a chip card is presented, and merchant supports, they’re 100% protected from counterfeit card fraud, and sometimes lost or stolen cards; if not supported by the merchant, the merchant can be automatically charged back at the issuers discretion and there’s no dispute process for merchants.
  3. Check guarantee. Whether in person or via echeck, check guarantee services are only good if they don’t reject your checks later on. Surprisingly (or maybe not), some services seem to look for ways not to approve your claim, such as information is missing from checks. This can be avoided with technology that forces users to collect the right data, including for remote self-payers.

If all of the above are implemented, dealers are protected from virtually any type of credit card fraud. The following tips will help prevent other types of lost disputes, or serve as supporting documentation if not all the above are implemented.

  1. Get a signed sales order. This can reduce non-fraud claims related to disputes about what was expected. The sales order should clearly state what was sold, refund policy, and cancellation policy, or refer to another document that specifies the information, but is initialed acceptance on the sales order.
  2. Ship to cardholder billing address. If not possible, then get cardholder approval that states bill to and ship to address are different, and they’re approval.
  3. Require all communications to cardholder business email address if selling wholesale. Free email like gmail is not OK.
  4. Require cardholder respond from business email address approving transaction receipt. This is a strong document in the case of a dispute for “I didn’t approve it”, especially when a third party is picking up the part from the dealer.
  5. The marine, automotive and other distribution companies are hit particularly hard with non-qualified transaction penalties when shifting between retail, key entered, and online payments. It’s critical that transactions are presented properly not only to qualify for lower rates, but to protect against lost disputes that require specific evidence for each type of transaction.

Not related to security, but critical for interchange rate qualification, the bulk of credit card processing fees, all services (retail, MOTO, ecommerce) should support level III processing.

In summary, dealers need US EMV and cardholder authentication to maximize risk mitigation from credit card fraud. US EMV requires terminal certification, and gateway certification* to your merchant account provider. Cardholder authentication requires a payment gateway certified for the service.  There are very few companies that meet all these requirements so if your credit card processing salesperson gives you a blank stare when you ask, it’s time to explore other options.

*A payment gateway certified for level III retail to your acquirer is required; countertop terminals are incapable of sending level III data.