Credit Card Processing Guidelines for Cruise Lines

Cruise line businesses are considered exceptionally high-risk by Visa and MasterCard and consequently are required to implement specific credit card processing practices that are often quite different from the ones followed by most other types of businesses that take credit cards in lower-risk types of settings.

To remain in compliance with Visa and MasterCard rules and to keep your customers satisfied with your services, you need to follow these procedures:

1. Request an authorization approval for any additional fees that were not initially authorized. To obtain the transaction authorization approval for the additional amount, follow these guidelines:
   
   1. Follow your regular authorization process.
   2. If the issuer declines the additional authorization request, call your customer and request an additional method of payment, like a check or another card.
2. If the issuer declines authorization for the additional amount, settle only the initially approved amount. More particularly, you will need to:
   
   1. Request settlement of the amount that is already authorized, leaving out any of the additional charges, for which the issuer has not given authorization.
   2. Contact your customer and request a different form of payment for the declined amount.
3. Whenever the originally authorized amount is greater than the actual cost of the cruise, submit an authorization reversal for the balance. You can't charge your customer for any amount above the actual cost of the services he used, even if the amount was authorized.
4. Implement the final authorization rule and the 15 percent rule. At the check out at the end of the cruise, an authorization approval is required in the following situations:
   
   1. If, for some reason or other, an authorization approval was not initially obtained. I don't need to elaborate on this requirement, other than to say that you should avoid such circumstances.
   2. You were given an authorization approval initially, but the eventual transaction amount is greater than the initially authorized one. In such instances you will have to use the 15 percent rule to estimate whether or not another authorization approval is necessary. Following is a step-by-step guide on how you can to do this:
      
      1. Begin by adding 15 percent to the initially authorized amount.
      2. Then compare the total received above to the actual transaction amount.
      3. If the actual amount of your service is greater than the total you calculated, you will have to receive an additional authorization approval for the balance.
5. Obtain approval to the terms and conditions of the sale from your customer. It is essential that your customers are given access to all terms and conditions of the service, prior to the reservation. More to the point, the following details will have to be disclosed and accepted:
   
   1. The sale's amount, including all applicable fees.
   2. How any additional fees will be disclosed on the cardholder's monthly card statement and when they will be assessed.
   3. The way your business name will be shown on your customer's statement.

Interchange-Plus Pricing Model for Credit Card Processing

At UniBul we have just introduced a new model to our rapidly expanding line-up of pricing structures, based on the interchange-plus type of models and I wanted to share my views about it. The new pricing model is available to both commercial and non-profit organizations that do their credit card processing in card-present as well as card-not-present environment.

Why Did We Design It?

Most merchants name pricing as the single most important factor they use when selecting a merchant services provider. It is totally understandable, as many of us have done precisely the same when we have selected service providers for whatever we may have needed. Nonetheless, offering low pricing is the only way we can be competitive nowadays and it is the reason why we have launched an interchange-plus credit card processing structure.

How Does It Work?

Our interchange-plus credit card processing model works by adding our mark-up to whatever the interchange fee may be (it is set by Visa and MasterCard for each type of card transaction). By making sure that the mark-up is as low as possible, UniBul guarantees that the business is given the lowest possible processing rate.

UniBul Merchant Services' new pricing structure assesses no fixed monthly fees.

Rates and Fees

Here is a list of all applicable rates and fees:

• Application - $0.
• Payment account set-up - $0.
• Terminal set-up or reprogramming - $0.
• Payment gateway set-up - $0.
• Payment gateway monthly fee - $0.
• Monthly maintenance service - $0.
• UniBul's discount rate – 0.25% + $0.15 above interchange cost.

The card acceptor's ultimate processing rate is the sum of the processor's (e.g. UniBul Merchant Services) fees and whatever Visa or MasterCard charge. With the interchange-plus model, the fee the processor charges is precisely the same for all credit and debit card types, which ensures that the business does not overpay for any transactions that may otherwise have been labelled as "mid-" or "non-qualified." The total processing fee varies by transaction, as the fees charged by Visa and MasterCard vary by card type.

Interchange-Plus Credit Card Processing Pricing Model Benefits

Among the benefits of the new pricing model are:

• Merchant approval rate at 98% of qualified applicants.
• No teaser rates, no hidden fees - all charges are fully disclosed in our pricing agreement.
• Application decision as soon as within hours of submission.
• Processing of all American and the major European and Asian credit and debit card brands.
• Wide range of third party non-cash payment services to accommodate customers who cannot use cards.
• Consolidated, automatic daily ACH deposits for all payment types directly into your bank account.
• Sales reports, trend analyses, chargeback management and much more online with our client center.
• Round-the-clock US-based merchant support.

Unacceptable Businesses for Merchant Credit Card Processing

Businesses and non-profit organizations operating in some types of industries are unqualified to set up merchant credit card processing services in the U.S. Others are severely restricted, but allowed, provided they manage to produce a string of documents and have an acceptable credit profile. The criteria are set by the individual credit card services providers, according to guidelines set out by the Credit Card Networks of Visa and MasterCard. These "black lists" are not set in stone. Rather, they are regularly updated with the inclusion or exclusion of certain business types.

Yet, there are some permanent features of these lists and some industries are unlikely to ever leave them. Mostly the determination of which industry should fall in there is based on the legality of the provided services and the probability of generating unacceptably high levels of chargebacks. The first criterion is self explanatory. As far as the other is concerned, historical data clearly indicate that some industries have simply been unable to cope with chargeback risk.

I should also mention that, even when the merchant credit card processing account is set up, the business' chargeback levels are monitored by the processor on a monthly basis and, if they go over 1% of the total transaction count in any individual month, the merchant will be categorized as high-chargeback one and subjected to very heavy additional requirements. Organizations that are not able to fix their chargeback problem within three months will lose their payment accounts altogether.

Following is a list of business types which will fall into credit the non-qualified merchant credit card processing services category for most merchant account providers.

• Advanced payments greater than 1 year for any product or service.
• Any adult products and services, including but not limited to phone sex, web-based sexually oriented chat, images via the internet, sexually oriented dating services, companion and escort services, prostitution, adult toys, bookstores, strip clubs and other miscellaneous adult entertainment, services or products.
• Bidding fee auctions.
• Cash advances.
• Chain letters.
• Charities without evidence or proof of 501(C) (3) status.
• Check cashing establishments.
• Collection agencies or firms involved in recovering / collecting past due receivables.
• Credit card protection or identity theft service.
• Credit repair or restoration.
• Cruise lines.
• Currency exchanges.
• Debt consolidation or reduction services.
• Drug paraphernalia of any form.
• Essay mills and paper mills.
• Extended warranty companies.
• Foreclosure protection and guarantees.
• Government grants
• How-to books, newsletter, subscription or on line access for any industry shown in the unqualified list.

Go to our website for pricing details.

How to Accept Credit Cards at Hotels

If you own or manage a hotel or another lodging type of business, you will have to accept credit cards in a way slightly different from other businesses. In this article I will offer you a set of best practices to build your payment processing procedures:

1. Get an incremental authorization approval if the hotel stay has been extended by your customer or if additional charges have been incurred. If incremental charges have been incurred, you will need to obtain an authorization approval only for the additional transaction amount that are expected be generated by the extension or by the additional charges. To do this:
   
   1. Follow your regular transaction authorization process for obtain an approval for the additional amount.
   2. In case your authorization request is rejected, do not proceed with the payment and instead request from the customer an alternative payment method for the additional amount.
2. Only submit for settlement the approved authorization amount if your authorization request for the incremental charges was rejected. You should:
   1. Only settle the already authorized amount and do not include any amount for which authorization was rejected.
   2. Contact your customer and request an alternative payment method for the rejected incremental amount.
3. Process an authorization reversal if the initially authorized amount exceeds the actual cost of the hotel stay. If this is the case, you will have to process an authorization reversal request for the difference between the authorization amount and the actual hotel booking agreement.
4. Use the final authorization and the 15% rules. At the checkout, authorization approval is required when:
   
   1. There was no original authorization. If this is the case, authorize the total amount.
   2. There was an initial authorization, but the final amount exceeds it. In this case, apply the 15% rule to estimate whether or not an additional authorization is necessary. Here is how to do this:
      
      1. Add 15 percent to the originally authorized amount.
      2. Compare the calculated total to the actual transaction amount.
      3. If the total amount exceeds the total, request an authorization for the difference between the initial authorization and the final transaction amounts.
5. Disclose and request acceptance of all terms and conditions of the sale. You must tell your customers what the terms and conditions of the sale are before they book a hotel room. In particular, you should disclose the following details:
   1. Your cancellation policy.
   2. Whether a "no-show" fee will be added to the total amount or billed separately.
   3. When the "no show" fee will be charged.
   4. How your name will appear on the cardholder's credit card statement.
   
   The disclosure of the above information will improve the quality of your service and help minimize customer inquiries and disputes which will inevitably minimize chargebacks.
   
   You should require that your customers accept your terms and conditions by clicking on an "Accept" or "Agree" button for the disclosure statement on your website.

Visit our website for pricing details.

Virtual Terminal Payment Processing Facts

Having recently reviewed Authorize.Net, the world's most widely used payment gateway, I thought I should do the same for virtual terminal, which is the primary tool for direct marketers and all other businesses accepting payments over the phone or in the mail. Of course, it is a service that comes as part of each major payment gateway's package, Authorize.Net very much included.

The Virtual Terminal Basics

Virtual terminal is a web-based platform used by MO / TO businesses and non-profit organizations to access their merchant processing services provider's payment system and manually enter transaction information. It works very much like the online payment tools run by utilities, telecoms and other service providers that allow customers to pay their bills online. You have no doubt made such payments. The difference of course is that the virtual terminal enables you to enter your customers' account information, not your own.

Payment Types Supported by Virtual Terminals

All virtual terminals support credit and debit cards, so that is a given. Additionally, just as your cell phone provider allows you to make payments by online checks, so do some virtual terminals. Yet, not all of them support this option, so if you need ACH acceptance, you will have to explicitly verify that with your prospective processor.

Customer Profile Management Features

Some virtual terminals can enable you to set up and manage recurring and installment payment plans, where customer accounts are charged at pre-defined intervals and for pre-defined amounts. This billing is done through managed billing and customer profile management add-on services. The customer profile management allows you to save your customers' credit card account information on your processor's server. The managed billing service then allows you to access the stored customer profiles and manage various operations, including processing regular payments, setting-up recurring, deferred and installment payments, etc. Such features are mostly needed by merchants selling subscriptions, insurance packages, and other services and merchandise that are provided over time.

Pricing Guidelines

When it comes to pricing, your virtual terminal's will be similar, if not identical, to what you'd be paying for a payment gateway. Still, you may be able to get it cheaper at some providers. Then again, if you get a payment gateway, you will also get a virtual terminal by default, so keep that in mind.

Having said that, let me give you some pricing guidelines. First of all, there may be a set-up fee, but you should be able to get a service set up for free. Then you should not be paying a monthly fee in excess of $10.00. Thirdly, there will be a per-transaction authorization fee, which should not be in excess of $0.10. Then you will have the merchant account fees.

Basic Facts About Authorize.Net

Our clients are predominently e-commerce and MO / TO businesses and we are constantly answering inquiries about payment gateways and virtual terminals. To be sure, our free Authorize.Net merchant account is a quite substantial reason for all this interest. But we also learn a lot from these inquiries and the biggest lesson so far has been that there is quite a bit of confusion about what a payment gateway does in the credit card processing chain. In this post I will attempt to disspell at least some of that misunderstanding.

How Does Authorize.Net Compares to a Physical Terminal?

So a payment gateway is a service for collecting and securely transmitting payment information, which is the function also performed by the point of sale (POS) credit card machine. Authorize.Net serves as the link between your e-commerce merchant account and the processor who established it and manages it for you.

As it is to be expected, there are quite a few differences between the functions performed by a POS machine and Authorize.Net and the most conspicuous one is that the former collects the payment data directly from the customer's bank card by "reading" the its magnetic stripe. The gateway, in contrast, collects the information that the customer has manually inputed into the checkout's payment form. Yet, this is actually just a minor technical detail.

Once the information is gathered, both Authorize.Net and the credit card machine encrypt it before transmitting it to the merchant services provider for protection against cyber criminals. The processor then communicates the payment data to the card issuer, who either approves or declines the payment and routes its response back to the merchant through the same channel.

How Much Should You Pay for Authorize.Net?

This is the number one question we get, by far. OK, even though all payment gateways at the end perform the same functions, there can be substantial differences in their pricing. Authorize.Net usually costs roughly $20 per month, but some providers may charge you $10 or less. You may also be charged a set-up fee of up to $100 and there will most likely be a per-transaction authorization fee, usually of $0.10 per transaction.

It is essential that you understand that the payment gateway fees are quite separate from the merchant services fees. To help you understand why this is the case, I will use the POS machine analogy again. You may be charged a monthly fee for the terminal, especially if it has some fancy features for accounting integration or for managing inventory. When looking into pricing proposals, you need to evaluate the whole package, including the merchant services rates and fees. You cannot afford to allow yourself to be blinded by impossibly low headline rates. As usual, if it looks too good to be true, it always is. Authorize.Net and payment processing are certainly no exception to this rule.

Store Card

Store card is a payment financial card associated with a particular retailer or group of retail stores that can be used only for purchases from that retailer or group of stores.

Credit Card Processing Companies Downgrades

An important issue to understand when examining the merchant account agreement you receive from credit card processing companies is that it rarely involves a single transaction rate. In many of these pricing agreements you will find downgrade provisions, which cover transactions that are processed at a less favorable interchange fees for one reason or other. Much like the headline contracted rate, downgrades are based on the interchange rates published by Visa and MasterCard bi-annually. However, as downgrades are typically not reported in relation to the actual interchange, it is often very difficult to determine the exact reason these transactions were downgraded to begin with.

In many instances, retailers find that the number of downgraded transactions is greater than those falling under the lower, headline rate. While most credit card processing companies will report these downgrades in the monthly statements, they are often described in terms that often unique to the processor and unintelligible to most anyone else, with little indication as to the reason for the downgrade. Downgrades are typically reported as "Non-qualified" and "Mid-qualified."

According to the Visa's and MasterCard's publicly available interchange fee documentation, when a retailer issues a refund, the interchange fee it paid to the card issuer is most often reversed. To put it simply, the card issuers pay the credit card processing companies back. In reality, you only need to review the published interchange fee tables on Visa's and MasterCard's websites to get a better idea of what interchange they must be receiving as a result of the refund.

Despite the Associations' rules, retailers do not always receive the reversed fees. This typically happens because these retailers agree to a bundled discount rate as opposed to an interchange-plus based one.

So where did this refunded fee go? The card issuer returned the interchange to the credit card processing companies, which, at least in this case, did not forward it on to the retailer. It instead kept it as an additional fee. This kind of charge is often considered as a hidden fee. While this may be the case from a visibility point of view, you need to keep in mind that in most cases the retailer agreed to this type of rate when it accepted a discount rate based on gross sales. This practice does not run against the Associations' regulations, although it certainly falls into a gray area. Of course, this part of the discount billing affects only retailers with substantial refund levels or high average transaction amounts.

Processing Credit Cards at Restaurants

When it comes to processing credit cards at restaurants, most of your customers are expecting payment flexibility. This is why so many of them accept Visa, MasterCard and the other major brands.

Restaurant managers and personnel also understand the advantages that processing credit cards can bring. Whether it is a full service or a quick service restaurant(QSR), a card swipe at the point-of-sale (POS) terminal can facilitate a faster transaction that is both safe and reliable.

How Processing Credit Cards at Restaurants Is Done

Here are the basic payment processing procedures you need to comply with:

• Make sure you return the right bank card to the right consumer. During your establishment's busiest hours, credit card payments can quickly pile up. This is precisely why it is very important to double- and triple-check the card and transaction receipt information to ensure that they match up prior to returning them to the consumer.
• Do not assess a penalty charge if a customer does not show if they have made a reservation or for a cancellation without adequate disclosure. If you decide to impose some penalty fee for a cancellation of a reservation, you need to clearly and adequately disclose to the consumer your policy for cancellation. That way you would avoid any possible misunderstandings and possible future disputes.
• Take the right action in accordance with the issuer's authorization response, as follows:
  • Approved - ask the consumer to sign the transaction receipt and match the signatures.
  • Declined - return the card to the consumer and ask for another bank card.
  • Call - call your acquirer's authorization center and inform them that you received a "call" response.
  • Call Center - be prepared to answer the issuer's questions who may also ask to speak with the consumer.
  • Call Issuer - if the transaction is approved, write the authorization response code on the receipt. If it is declined, ask for another bank card.
  • Pick Up - retain the card if you can do so by peaceful means.
• Compare and match the card number. If your POS device does not ask you to key enter the last four digits of the account number, compare the number on the card to the one shown on the POS device or the receipt. If the numbers are not identical, you may have an invalid card.

Processing credit cards at restaurants is considered lower risk than at many other environments, but this is only the case if you follow industry-approved best practices.

(Read more here.)

Merchant Credit Card Account Dynamic Currency Conversion

Merchant credit card account Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) is an add-on service, which is offered by a retailer at the point of sale (POS) either through a third party agent or through its processing bank. DCC offers consumers the choice of paying for merchandise or services in their own country's billing currency, or to do so in the retailer's pricing currency.

In a standard DCC payment, the sale's price is converted from the merchant credit card account holder's pricing currency into some other currency, which is the "transaction currency." This is the consumer's own billing currency. This conversion is done at the checkout, before a payment processing services bank submits the transaction to the issuer for authorization. The sale's amount is based on the stated price in the retailer's pricing currency and converted at a rate that was agreed upon between the retailer and the cardholder, as well as any other charges assessed for currency conversion.

When facilitated correctly, DCC offers transparency for consumers. It enables a customer to see the sale's amount in both his or her own billing currency and the retailer's pricing currency. That way, the consumer knows precisely how much the merchandise or services cost, and is able to make value judgments in a quick and straightforward fashion.

DCC eliminates surprises, as the amount that is agreed to and validated by the consumer using either a PIN or signature at the checkout, is precisely the amount billed on his or her monthly card statement.

Merchant credit card account users that offer DCC to consumers typically have a high percentage of foreign customers - especially those in the travel and entertainment (T&E) industries, as well as at tourist destinations. DCC can also be made available in card-present and card-absent transactions. For both environments, a DCC payment must feature all of the following:

• Sale's amount of the merchandise or services sold in the retailer's local currency - including a currency symbol next to the amount.
• Currency exchange rate, adding any commission, if available.
• Final price in the payment currency, including the words "Transaction Currency" - as well as the currency symbol next to the amount.
• A disclaimer statement that:
• is clearly visible to the consumer and
• specifies that the consumer has been given a choice of payment in the merchant credit card account user's local currency, and that the customer understands that the currency choice is final.

(Learn more here.)