Apple Pay EMV Ready Terminal Ad Review

applepay emv terminal

Apple Pay EMV terminal advertisement.

I received this attractive ad today in an email. At first glance, it looks like an Apple offer, but the fine print below says “Apple does not sponsor, endorse or promote this offer. 
Apple Pay is currently available only in the United States.” Let’s review the ad and the landing page at http://link.emlservices2.net/u.d?bYGu4iinutyt1X88jzB=1.

The merchant fees advertised by Total Merchant Services, a First Data ISO, are 1.59% plus $.19 per transaction. The fine print of the offer is not shown. However, this type of offer is for ‘bundled’ pricing. That means it starts at a low retail swipe rate for certain cards, but other types of cards and key entered transactions will be at a much higher rate to achieve the desired profit margins. Nothing wrong with making a profit, but this type of plan is only suitable for certain small retail businesses because bundled pricing always costs more than interchange plus pricing. Additionally, they’ll need to recoup the cost of the free terminal either through a long term contract or high profit margins or both.

The ad message is clear that your business needs to be ready for EMV Compliance and buying this terminal will get you there.  While the terminal is EMV ready, as of today, the unit has not been EMV certified on First Data. Since they’re promoting it, someone is probably working on the certification, but for now, the terminal is EMV capable, or in their words “EMV Compliant”.

“YOU will be RESPONSIBLE for CREDIT CARD FRAUD if you do not have an EMV-compliant terminal by October 2015.” Beginning October 2015, either the issuer or merchant that is the cause of a contact chip transaction not occurring will be financially liable for any resulting card present counterfeit fraud losses. Lost and stolen card use is not applicable for Visa, but is applicable for MasterCard. The card brands also have differing exceptions and extra incentives to encourage adoption of EMV. Refer to EMV deadline misinformation is rampant for more information.

apple payIs it an Apple Pay Terminal? That’s just sales jargon. The terminal supports NFC or ‘contactless’ payments, including Apple Pay and Google Wallet.

Ingenico iCT250 emv terminal

Ingenico iCT250 emv capable countertop terminal.

Note, the iPhone and iWatch are not included and it’s not a mobile terminal. The Apple products shown are items that consumers can use to make payments with Apple Pay.

In summary, nice ad, and easy way for small businesses to update their terminal with a quality brand. If you like their deal, I’ll match any offer they make – and offer an additional incentive- because I know it’s going to be profitable!

My core customers process over one million annually; They’re not required to change processors and this isn’t the solution I’d recommend for them.

 

 

CenPOS certifies with Apple Pay and Google Wallet

cenpos payments logoCenPOS certifies with Apple Pay and Google Wallet, supporting the mobile payment technology on select multi-lane devices. Miami, FL (PRWEB) February 23, 2015.

CenPOS, a payment technology provider, today announced that it has certified Apple Pay and Google Wallet to its payment-processing platform. This new certification marks another milestone for CenPOS in its quest to provide their customer base around the globe with a rich payment acceptance offering. The Apple Pay and Google Wallet payment options are supported by CenPOS on the Verifone and Equinox multi-lane devices. Apple Pay and Google Wallet are transforming the mobile payment space for consumers and businesses alike by making it easy and secure for all parties.

The adoption of mobile payments continues to grow in record numbers. There are only 1.3 billion active credit and debit accounts globally, but considering that there are more than 5 billion active mobile phone accounts, there is potential for widespread application of mobile payments, according to Omlis, a global mobile payments solutions provider. Mobile transactions have almost doubled since last year, now accounting for 17% of transactions made. Juniper Research predicts that this trend will continue to rise and will reach 450 million mobile payment consumers by 2017. The global adoption of mobile payments is on an upward curve, but traction is dependent on consumers’ access to technologies, varying lifestyle choices, and economic factors.
“We are delighted to bring these new services to our clients and enable them to offer their consumers with new and innovative payment options” commented German Gonzalez CenPOS’s Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer. “Today we are one of the very few payment processors in the US that is both EMV and 3D Secure certified. We continue to drive our products, services and solutions to meet merchant, consumer and partner needs. Our entire team is passionate about delivering value and value add services to our clients; more importantly, always being on the leading edge of technology”, added Gonzalez.
About CenPOS
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. For additional information please call 877.630.7960.

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For CenPOS sales and software integrations, contact Christine Speedy, authorized CenPOS global reseller. 954-942-0483