A Very Informative eBook On What A Business Owner Must Know To Get A Fair Deal From A Credit Card Processing Company.

1. 10 Things You
MU$T Know To Get
a Fair Deal From
Your
Credit Card
Processor!
By
Stacey Dewberry
“Senior Relationship Manager”
817-614-7105

2. HELP IS HERE !!
As a business owner/operator who accepts card payments,
you're likely solicited by many competing payment
processors who will promise you almost anything to win
your business. 10 credit card processing tips may seem like
a lot, but the more you know the better equipped you will
be to avoid pitfalls.
ENJOY!

3. Never Ask A Sales Representative
“What's Your Rate?"
#1
It's natural to ask a sales representative for their rates
when comparing offers. After all, it's the rate that matters
the most, right? Wrong. The pricing model on which rates
are based matters more than the actual rate. The first and
most important question to ask is "what's your pricing
model." Once you know that pricing is based on
interchange pass through you can inquire about rates with
confidence..

4. Only The Markup Over Interchange
and Assessments Is Negotiable!
#2
The only portion of credit card processing cost that you
can negotiate is the markup over interchange. When
comparing credit card processors, focus on the
processor's markup portion over cost. The markup is the
only area of expense that will differ from one processor
to the next. Interchange pass through (also called
interchange plus pricing) is the least expensive, most
transparent credit card processing pricing model, and it's
the one you want.

5. Your Local Bank Is Not The Best
Option For Credit Card Processing!
#3
Many local banks outsource credit card processing
services to independent sales agents or organizations that
work for large processors. You may think that by going to
your bank you are going right to the source, when in fact,
you are just adding another hand to the pot. Contact me:
Stacey Dewberry and I’ll guide you to the best one of only
11 wholesale card processors in the United States.

6. Tiered Pricing Is Garbage!
#4
Tiered pricing (sometimes called bundled pricing) is when a
processor quotes three rates, called qualified, mid-qualified, and
non-qualified. Tiered pricing structure is expensive and riddled with
loopholes and hidden fees that result in expensive surcharges and
obscure reporting. Tiered pricing allows credit card processors to
determine what transactions are considered qualified, mid-
qualified, and non-qualified. All they have to do is route more
transactions (interchange categories) to the mid and non-qualified
pricing tiers. This results in higher charges, and it happens
completely behind the scenes. By the time you notice your charges
have increased, you will have been overpaying for months or years!

7. Free Merchant Accounts Do Not Exist!
#5
When processors advertise "free merchant accounts" ,
they are usually referring to equipment or application
fees. Don't shop for a credit card processor based on
whether you can get a free machine. You will pay much
less in the long term by going with a processor that
charges a competitive price for a machine, in addition to
offering competitive interchange pass through rates.

8. Failing To Clear Your Batch Results In
Higher Fees!
#6
Interchange guidelines require authorizations to be settled
within a certain number of days (usually only two days).
Holding authorizations longer will cause them to
downgrade (be charged at a higher rate) to interchange
Standard or EIRF categories. Be sure you clear your batch
every day to avoid this expensive and unnecessary
downgrade. Terminals should be programmed to
auto-batch each night.

9. Take PCI DSS seriously — You Are
Liable For A Breach!
#7
PCI DSS stands for payment card industry data security
standard. PCI DSS is a set of guidelines set by the card
brands to ensure that merchants are taking the proper
steps to safeguard cardholder information. Your business
is liable for any loss of cardholder data, and you are
looking at huge fines if your business experiences a breach
while it is not PCI compliant. Take PCI seriously, and ensure
that your business is compliant. More information on PCI
is available at the PCI Security Standards Council.

10. Failing To Use AVS Costs Money!
#8
AVS stands for address verification service. The card
brands (Visa, MasterCard and Discover) require that a
customer's billing address be entered for any card-not-
present transaction (keyed-in, online, etc.). Failing to
provide AVS information increases costs by causing
transactions to downgrade (run at a higher rate).

11. You Are Supposed To Get Fees
Refunded On Returns!
#9
Businesses are supposed to receive an interchange credit
each time a debit or credit card refund is issued.
Tiered pricing allows processors to intercept this fee
credit, essentially stealing it from businesses.
Getting interchange pass through instead of tiered pricing
will ensure that your business receives interchange fee
credits on refunded transactions.

12. Never Lease A Credit Card Machine!
#10
Reputable processors will never try to lease you a credit
card machine. In fact, most processors will sell you a
machine at or near cost when you open a new merchant
account. Depending on the make and model, machines cost
roughly $100-$500 when purchased with a merchant
account. The cost will be slightly higher if you don't need
processing, but it is still far less than the $2,000 - $3,000
you would pay to lease the same machine.

13. Ignorance is blissfully expensive when it comes to credit card processing. Has
your processor informed you that since the implementation of the “Durbin
Amendment” the debit swipe fee reform from one year ago that your costs
should be lower? “Both business owners and consumers are feeling the relief of
lower debit card swipe fees,” merchants are putting their ‘Durbin Dollars’ to work
in a variety of ways, such as opening new locations, purchasing new equipment,
fixtures and delivery cars, offsetting rising fuel and food costs and more.
Consumers are also benefitting from merchants not raising prices, and from
merchants such as Home Depot, which lowered prices as a result of overall lower
operating costs thanks in part to the regulation. At no cost, I’ll walk you through
your statement, help you uncover hidden fees and show you where you can
reduce waste!
I’ve only worked with companies that have an endorsement from major trade
associations (over 250+) , including publication and academic organizations.

14. If You Need Help Just Contact Me!
Stacey Dewberry
Credit Card Processing Consultant
817-614-7105
or
paymentsystems816@gmail.com
$ee You At The Top!