Are you worried about fraud or PCI Compliance issues? Looking for ways to decrease your workload? Harnessing the power of CenPOS, a universal payment gateway, stored payment options will save you hours and hours of time, reduce the scope for PCI Compliance, and mitigate risks associated with Card Not Present (CNP) Transactions.

WEBINAR DETAILS:

Are you worried about fraud or PCI Compliance issues? Looking for ways to decrease your workload? Harnessing the power of CenPOS, a universal payment gateway, stored payment options will save you hours and hours of time, reduce the scope for PCI Compliance, and mitigate risks associated with Card Not Present (CNP) Transactions.

WEBINAR DETAILS: 5 Specific Solutions to Recurring Billing Problems (click to reserve your seat)

When: April 17, 11:00 a.m-noon EST.

Who Should Attend: If your company stores credit card or check information for any type of recurring billing, you should attend if you:

• Accept credit card or check payment information via phone or fax
• Key enter transactions
• Set up or modify scheduled payments for customers
• Supervise any of the above
• Reconcile, review or create related financial reports

What You’ll Learn:

1. Four Rebilling Options: Repeat sale, Recurring, Installment, and Variable Installment. Best practices to save time, improve collections and manage your payment charge schedule for any situation!
2. Fraud check: How to validate a customers credit card before securely storing for recurring sales.
3. Authorizaton Forms: How to create customer credit card authorization forms, without storing exposed credit card numbers, that meets newer card association requirements to protect against disputes.
4. Encrypt Payment Data: Two ways to create secure ‘tokens’, unique alpha numeric payment ID’s that drastically reduce keystrokes needed to bill your repeat customer again.
5. Rebilling Customers: How to easily retrieve tokens.

Interact:

• Send questions in advance
• Chat- ask questions during the conference
• Live Q&A
• This is a live demo, not a slideshow.

For Paypal Virtual Terminal and Paypal Payments Pro users it may be time to change vendors. According to Paypal, key entered fees will be increasing to 3.5% April 15. Ecommerce fees will be the same. The only time 2.7% applies is for swiped transactions.

I stand by my earlier comments here http://tinyurl.com/6np9tac . ACH, check, credit all good. So here are some of the negatives regarding the Paypal here release for non-SOHO.
1. Fees. Anyone with sizable volume (let’s just use $1M annually for convenient $ amt) has an effective rate far less than 2.7% all in, even for card NOT present, and we’re talking about retail swipe with this.
2. It’s not actually ready yet. Get on the list.
3. Funding- Paypal transfer to your bank account is currently an inconvenient manual process that takes 3 business days, plus fees are netted per transaction; up to 6 days for checks. Compare to standard merchant account with 1-2 days automatic ACH deposit and fees paid monthly.

No information yet on how this will impact non-profits.

For businesses over $1M in annual processing, contact us for alternative solutions.

CenPOS is easy to implement and this overview is for  ’card not present’, or CNP, where the customer is not in the office to make a payment.  Three popular CNP uses are reviewed, including getting started with the virtual terminal, the hub of all payment activity. Additionally, setting up a web pay page and EBPP are included. This overview assumes CenPOS is connecting to your current merchant account.

NEEDS REVIEW: How will you use the many tools available? Who will be the key users?

PAPERWORK:

• Complete the application. Like a merchant account application, CenPOS requires ownership information to meet US Patriot Act requirements.
• IRS W9 form
• Copy of Voided check or bank letter
• Credit card processing is standard. Ask your processor “what front-end are you using for my merchant account?”.  The ‘front end’ is basically a network pipe to communicate.  The answer will be something like– First Data North, First Data South, Paymentech Tampa, Tsys etc.
• Check processing services: Do you need remote deposit capture, check guarantee, check 21, or ACH/echeck? Advise of existing processor & services or new needs.

SET-UP: 1-5 days

• CENPOS: Based on your ‘front-end’ we’ll provide you with a TID (terminal identification) request for your processor and a key contact for your account set up.
•  MERCHANT: Call your agent or the number on your merchant statement for the TID request. TID’s are normally free to set up and your processor will give you a response in 1-3 business days that it’s ready. It may be as simple as an email-  ”TID002 is ready”.
• MERCHANT: Inform CenPOS when TID is ready and forward response sheet if they send you one.
• MERCHANT: contact your bank to have ACH block released for CenPOS monthly  fees.
• CENPOS: Account boarding is completed. Email generated for master administrator. Self-paced training checklist delivered (Exclusively from Christine)
• MERCHANT: Obtain an SSL certificate* if you do not have one and will be using a webpayment page.

MERCHANT FINAL STEPS BEFORE FULL LAUNCH:

• MERCHANT: Process 1 transaction and validate through deposit to bank
• CENPOS: Remotely review (webex or similar) risk management tools with merchant (covers current gap not in online help, but coming soon). Recommended immediately if multiple people will be processing transactions, otherwise can be deferred to a later date.
• MERCHANT: Add additional users to the platform, assign permissions
• MERCHANT: Confirm users have completed training checklist

MERCHANT POWER CENPOS  USERS:

• Login to Dashboard on regular schedule
• Create custom Key Metric Indicator (KEI) reports, with automated email distribution
• Create automated real time alerts for various transaction types (risk management, customer satisfaction/dissatisfaction)

 

CenPOS launched a virtual terminal update last week that includes a change how to research historical data. Use the reprint feature for all transactions within 90 days. Reprint includes every attempted transaction, whether it was approved or not. Use the new Historic Inquiry for transactions between 90 days old and 7 years old. This report applies to credit card processing only, not check processing.

About CenPOS : “Creating efficiencies through payment innovation”

Founded in 2009, Miami-based CenPOS is a payment technology provider committed to providing its customers and partners with innovative solutions for today’s rapidly evolving consumer payment choices. CenPOS is an intelligent payment-processing network that streamlines the payment experience for businesses and consumers by using state-of-the-art technology to replace inefficient, outdated payment systems.

CenPOS sales: Christine Speedy direct (954) 942-0483
CenPOS Sales Contact

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Here’s a sneak preview of two innovations that will improve your EBITDA in 2012 with very little effort by your legal staff. The first improves billable time data capture and the second enhances payment acceptance with a flexible PCI Compliant solution, while mitigating risk.

Capture more billable time with a new innovative mobile time tracker that enables you to capture and assign billable time by matter code and client. A key feature is the pop-up on incoming calls; when you hang up, you can immediately assign the call to a client for billing and even enter notes. The length of call is prefilled for you. This data is all accessible back in the office via a web based dashboard.

Our  innovative payment gateway works with your existing payment processors, creating numerous efficiencies, increasing cash flow, and reducing the cost of payment acceptance. Partners will have unprecedented access to client billing and payment data based on permissions granted. Clients will have new ways to receive invoices and make payments. Finance staff will have tools to automate processes and control payment processing costs. You’re in control of the most flexible, scalable payment solution available today.

We’ve been too busy bringing clients on board to create comprehensive marketing materials; technology is ready for immediate implementation. Payment Modules include: virtual terminal, batch upload, Electronic Bill Presentment & Payment (EBPP), Dashboard Reporting, report writer, shopping cart and pay page.

Legal Payment Brochure (pdf Download) . This one page document will be updated in the future.

Join clients listed in the 2011 U.S. News – Best Lawyers ‘Best Law Firm’ Rankings. Contact us now to find out why they chose our technology.

 

Accept payments via mobile, internet, and at fundraising events all with a single gateway solution that provides optimum security and cost containment. Fundraising solutions for any candidate must include a variety of payment methods, cost controls, reporting tools, and be simple to implement. This article explores how our solution achieves this.

Just like a business, accepting funds via credit card can be expensive when running for Congress, Senate, President or other offices. However, thanks to debit legislation under the Durbin Amendment that went into effect October 2011,  it’s not nearly as much as it used to be. With a wholesale cost of .05% and $.21 per transaction for non-exempt debit cards, the overall cost of credit card processing has been greatly reduced. With a wholesale merchant account, you’ll pay interchange fees at all levels plus a small merchant discount.

Understanding merchant accounts.

1. You can apply for an ecommerce merchant account, MOTO (mail order/phone order), or Retail (card present /swipe). It’s against card association rules to process ecommerce transactions on a MOTO or Retail merchant account. But if you have an ecommerce merchant account, you’ll pay higher card not present rates on swiped transactions. The solution? Our CenPOS gateway  automatically identifies the transaction method and sends the appropriate data so that the transaction will qualify for retail. The CenPOS patent pending switching technology is not available from other vendors and saves big money. For example, save .3% on Visa Rewards cards- the difference between retail and card not present.
2.  Fees are made up of fixed non-negotiable interchange fees, network fees, card association fees, fees that vary by vendor (some hard costs vendors incur may vary), and negotiable merchant discount fees. Altogether when you divide your total fees by the net transactions we call this your effective rate. With a wholesale merchant account, an estimated effective rate for political fundraising campaigns is 2.2%, or 3.5% for very small campaigns. If you’re not paying any where near that, contact us for alternatives.
3. Different payment acceptance points can result in disparate reporting, which is never a problem until you’re trying to research something and then it becomes a nightmare.
4. A gateway is required to accept payments online. You need both a merchant account and a gateway. CenPOS is a universal gateway, compatible with all major processors.

Campaign Fundraising Concerns and how we solve them with the CenPOS gateway:

• Need to accept payments via many methods:  At the core of CenPOS is a Virtual Terminal for card swipe, online payments, mobile payments and any other method. CenPOS automatically switches payment routing for least cost.
• Need to accept multiple payment types: Check and credit/debit cards are currently accepted, and more options will be available in 2012.
• Large volunteer base may assist in payment collection. This creates potential liability for data security, but also a need for simple solution. Have you ever handed out donation cards at a fundraising event that requests credit card information to be written down? Identity theft is a major threat. Instead, use smart phones with the free CenPOS app and get cards swiped at the table or door, or add a card reader to any laptop. Micro manage user permissions and shut them down on demand. CenPOS prompts both the user and the donor for the appropriate actions. “Dummy proof” your payment collection to reduce costs and improve record keeping.
• Donor Management: An API (application interface) is available to exchange data with your donor management software. CenPOS supports recurring billing and can send the appropriate secure token to your software as well. CenPOS stores 7 years of data storage vs the typical 18 months of merchant services providers and gateways.
• Finance scrutiny and Fraud protection: CenPOS mitigates risk of fraudulent cards and also offers advanced protection to block certain payment types including anonymous and foreign issued cards. You’re in control of how tight you want to control donations.

 

 

“My client is currently using CenPos as their virtual terminal and I honestly have not heard of them before. I am wondering if this can be integrated with the Ecommerce Template without too much trouble.”

The CenPOS API can be integrated with Ecommerce Templates and many other shopping carts.  There are multiple implementation options so the amount of time depends on your specific needs and your skill level. We can provide a payment object that you can apply in 10 minutes. Or you can use our API. Integration can be done in 1-8 hours in most cases, usually less than 4.

The current API can only be obtained from authorized personnel.  Do not attempt to use any file from any other source as there is no guarantee of file reliability, accuracy, or security.

Why haven’t you heard of CenPOS? Quite simply, we’ve been quietly building market-share without any promotion as part of our marketing strategy. CenPOS users now include:

• 5 of the top 30 Auto Dealers in the US (2010 Wards)
• 1 of the top 10 cellular providers
• Clients at 5 of the top 5 US Acquirers

CenPOS has been built from the ground up to be multi-platform and processor agnostic. There has been nothing on this level in the marketplace before for the mid-size business, our core target market.

Key differentiators from the other well known gateways, including authorize.net, Payflow Pro and Orbital:

• Interchange optimization automatically optimizes for lowest cost to process any credit card type. This is crucial and entirely unique.
• Payment acceptance flexibility: Payments accepted via retail, ecommerce, MOTO, mobile, web page, EBPP, batch and just about any way you can imagine.
• Mitigates risk of internal and external fraud with built-in micro management tools and alerts.

So we can focus on our core business of continually developing the worlds most advanced payment processing gateway, we’re actively seeking developers and VARS to create integrations. With our exploding growth, your experience as a CenPOS integrator will help you attract new customers.

Please contact us for the current API, integration questions, or for more information. Please note, we offer both a referral program and an reseller program.

 

I received a cold call from a representative of HostedPCI so I decided to review what they offer. HostedPCI sales pitch is to offer an quick and easy way to become PCI DSS compliant by offering an interface to your existing applications. Basically, their ‘vault’ receives the payment information, tokenizes it, and from that point, only the token is used for processing payments., regardless of the connection interface such as authorize.net.

The core services are currently call center and checkout express. The call center application changes the customer over to a secure payment call session where the consumer enters their card information. Then the operator gets a pop up on the screen with the token ID which can then be used for processing. This removes the operator from hearing the card information, improving security, and also making it easier to comply with regulations regarding recording payment information over the phone. Is this a one time use token? Is the customer told their card data is being stored? How long is it stored for? Whether they exist now or later, there are certain to be new regulations coming regarding the rules for storing, even with a secure token.

The company 2138617 Ontario Inc., dba HostedPCI appears to be Canadian, though it’s not entirely transparent since there is no address on the web site.

It is not a gateway and the salesperson said you’d still need one to accept payments online. I have to wonder, what is the real value of this application vs our Smart Virtual Terminal?

Tokenization – Yes, they both have it. HostedPCI tokenizes every transaction.  Our Smart VT only tokenizes data if there is a need for a repeat sale, and the merchant can issue an approval form for signature, perfect for B2B needs. There are so many other benefits for ours vs theirs (see our token billing page), there is really no comparison. Winner: Smart Virtual Terminal.

Call center - HostedPCI wins hands down because we don’t offer any voice related services. However, you can explore 3rd party options that already exist and if it makes business sense, we’ll integrate.

Gateway- HostedPCI integrates with gateways, ours Smart VT replaces them, eliminating gateway fees. Winner- open to interpretation.

Shopping cart integration- Hosted PCI Checkout Express uses an iFrame and also offers an API, same as our Smart VT. Hosted PCI has ready made API’s for Drupal and Magento;  We’ve never had a customer ask for this so we haven’t made one specifically for this purpose yet. Winner: open to interpretation.

Reporting: HostedPCI doesn’t mention any and our Smart Vt is more robust than anything else on the market. There is no comparison. Winner: Smart Virtual Terminal.

Flexibility: HostedPCI is developing new applications. Smart Virtual Terminal is ready today for Kiosk, EBPP, ecommerce, web payments, mobile, and retail POS and accepts loyalty, credit/debit, check, check guarantee, ACH and other payment methods. Numerous ground breaking features are in the works. Winner” Smart Virtual Terminal.

With prices that start at $.30 per transaction for HostedPCI, if you have an ecommerce PCI Compliance problem and spend less than $100 per month in gateway fees now,  then HostedPCI may be a viable option for you. If you have a call center, check the legal requirements in your state on what’s allowed, including phone script requirements. Smart Virtual Terminal provides significantly more value for mid size merchants at competitive prices (non-published).