Articles by Tina Brandon on ArticleSnatch.com

Payment Processing Systems Simplified

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 02:03:55 -0500

A payment processing system has six basic components. The six parties to a payment processing system are: Customers or cardholders are the first part of a payment processing system. A customer is the holder of a payment card, either a credit or debit card, from an issuer. Issuers are the second participant of a payment processing system. An issuer is a financial institution that provides the customer with a payment card. The issuer is responsible for the cardholder's debt payment. Merchants are the third part of a payment processing system. Merchants are any organization that sells goods or services to the customer. The merchant that accepts payment cards must have a merchant account with an acquirer. Acquirers are the fourth element in a payment processing system. Acquirers are financial institutions that establish an account with a merchant and processes payment card authorizations and payments. The acquirer provides authorization to the merchant that a card account is active and that the proposed purchase does not exceed the customer's credit limit. The acquirer also provides electronic transfer of payments to the merchant's account and is then reimbursed by the issuer via the transfer of electronic funds over a payment network. **End Summary** Topics: payment processing system]]> payment processing gateway]]> inter]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tina Brandon is an expert in international payments solutions designed to increase revenues while mitigating risk. For over 15 years, high volume merchants have relied on her expertise to successfully establish and diversify payment processing accounts with banks and payment processors throughout the world. Please visit http://www.paynetsecure.net for more information and details.

Echecks Are Basic To Ecommerce Success

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:12:57 -0500

For internet merchants, alternative payment options are all the rage. The bottom line is profits. The more ways a customer has to pay, the more sales will occur. Echecks are the most common alternative payment option for US buyers. Companies that accept echecks give customers another convenient way to pay for purchases. Most businesses that add echecks as a payment option experience increased sales of 8-20%. As the US economy continues to nosedive, use of echecks will increase. As credit sources dry up, buyers are moving away from credit card purchases, and echecks will replace credit cards for a certain percentage of electronic transactions. Fees merchants pay for echecks are often significantly lower than credit card rates. Some echecks provides use a flat rate per transaction without any discount rates. Certainly, low risk merchants can expect echecks to be very inexpensive, as low as 25-35 cents per transaction. For higher risk merchants, echecks are still cheaper than credit cards, although most echecks providers add a discount fee for high risk processing. Still, echecks processing will cost half of what credit card fees are for high risk accounts. Echecks function are a direct debit from a customer’s checking or savings account. **End Summary** Topics: echecks]]> electronic checks]]> e check]]> echeck]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tina Brandon is an expert in echecks processing solutions designed to increase revenues while mitigating risk. For over 15 years, high volume merchants have relied on her expertise to successfully establish and diversify payment processing accounts with banks and payment processors throughout the world. Please visit http://www.paynetsecure.net for more information and details.

High Risk Merchant Account Approval in 3 Easy Steps

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:14:10 -0500

High Risk Merchant Account Pre-Application: Easiest Way to Begin. Often a high risk merchant wants to know whether or not a high risk merchant account will be approved before submitting a complete application. Of course, a business will also be interested in finding out what high risk processing rates will be. A quick way to obtain the information is simply to submit a high risk merchant account pre-application form, along with three months of processing statements. The business will be informed of the likelihood of high risk processing approval and will be provided with anticipated rates for high risk processing. Although a pre-approval not a guarantee of acceptance, it is helpful in helping a high risk merchant decide whether or not to move forward with the application process. During this first stage of the high risk merchant accounts process, the most important documents are prior high risk payment processing history through which the underwriters determine chargeback ratios. Low chargebacks generally indicate that a company knows how to correctly manage a high risk merchant account. This will translate into reduced high risk processing rates being offered to the business. **End Summary** Topics: high risk merchant services]]> high risk offshore merchant]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tina Brandon is an expert in high risk merchant processing solutions designed to increase revenues while mitigating risk. For over 15 years, high volume merchants have relied on her expertise to successfully establish and diversify payment processing accounts with banks and payment processors throughout the world. Please visit http://www.paynetsecure.net for more information and details.

Check 21 Technology Improves Echecks

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 06:28:03 -0500

Adding Check21 echecks as a payment option expands market reach to millions of consumers who don't have credit cards or do not want to use them online. Check 21 echecks are the fastest growing alternative payment option offered by internet retailers. Check 21 echecks are used by businesses to accept checks online or take checks by phone. For internet echecks, customers enter echecks information, including routing and account numbers at checkout. For checks by phone, customer echecks data is entered into a virtual terminal for processing. Check 21 echecks are increasing being used to replace ACH payments echecks. New technology offered by echecks is superior to that of ACH payments. Check 21 uses bank-to-bank image transfer to clear echecks rather than the slower, more restrictive ACH payments network. Check 21 echecks are processed through the Federal Reserve either the same day or next business day, depending upon the time the echecks transactions are submitted. As a result, echecks clear faster and merchants get their money quicker. The ACH payments network has become increasing restrictive for merchants. Rules and regulations governing chargebacks and returns make it almost impossible for merchants to realize the potential echecks provide to increase revenues. **End Summary** Topics: echecks]]> electronic checks]]> ach payments]]> ach payment proces]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tina Brandon is an expert in ACH Payment Processing solutions designed to increase revenues while mitigating risk. For over 15 years, high volume merchants have relied on her expertise to successfully establish and diversify payment processing accounts with banks and payment processors throughout the world. Please visit http://www.nationalach.com for more information and details.

Electronic Checks Valuable Payment Option

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:37:51 -0500

Electronic checks are the most popular alternative payment processing option. Merchants offering echecks often experience sales “lifts” of 8-20%. Echecks merchant accounts can be established for standard ecommerce merchants and high risk merchants. Electronic checks are simply a replacement for paper checks. More than 90% of US households have checking or savings accounts. Only 50% of US households have credit cards. Therefore, it is easy to see how echecks are one of the easiest ways to expand market reach and capture sales from customers who don’t have credit cards or simply prefer to pay by electronic checks. Electronic checks or echecks can be processed through the ACH payments network or through Check 21 technology. High risk merchants usually use Check 21 echecks. Lower risk merchants often use ACH payments for echecks. **End Summary** Topics: echecks]]> electronic checks]]> electronic check processing]]> echeck]]> e check]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tina Brandon is an expert in echecks payments processing solutions designed to increase revenues while mitigating risk. For over 15 years, high volume merchants have relied on her expertise to successfully establish and diversify payment processing accounts with banks and payment processors throughout the world. Please visit http://www.paynetsecure.net com for more information and details.

International Bank Transfers Save Money

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:18:43 -0500

Any company sending or receiving money globally will discover international bank transfers are a highly efficient international payment option. Reducing cross-border payment processing expenses increases profit margins, reduces cost of sales, and improves cash flow. International bank transfers provide an easy method to transform international payments into inexpensive local transactions with no risk. International Bank Transfers are a reliable, modern, cost-saving alternative to wire transfers. For years, wire transfers were the default payment mechanism for international payments. While wire transfers are reliable, out-dated technology make them difficult to automate, hard to keep manage and laborious to reconcile. And wire transfers are expensive to send and expensive to receive. International bank transfers work through a unified international banking platform which links together the banking networks of 192 countries into a single system. Businesses receive and send money through the same platform. The system automatically transforms international bank transfers into low-cost local transactions. International bank transfers enable internet merchants to sell globally while allowing customers to pay locally. Consumers located anywhere in the world make online purchases quickly and easily simply by transferring money from the buyer’s local bank account to the seller’s bank account. **End Summary** Topics: international bank transfers]]> payment processing gateway]]> payment processing system]]> international payments]]> merchant account offshore]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tina Brandon is an expert in International Bank Transfers designed to increase revenues while mitigating risk. For over 15 years, high volume merchants have relied on her expertise to successfully establish and diversify payment processing accounts with banks and payment processors throughout the world. Please visit http://www.paynetsecure.net for more information and details.

SaaS Billing, Cloud Computing Monetization and Recurring Billing Payment Processing

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:32:54 -0500

Merrill Lynch predicts the market for SaaS and Cloud Computing is $160B, including $95B in business and productivity applications. Payment processing and billing are necessary components to monetize SaaS and Cloud Computing applications. But, only the right payment processing technology will be effective. The very nature of SaaS and Cloud offerings means recurring payments and subscription billing models are inherent. Consumers of SaaS and Cloud Computing applications don’t buy software. Rather, applications are consumed as needed and are paid for based on usage or billed on a monthly, weekly, daily, or even hourly basis. SaaS billing and Cloud Computing recurring payments have require specialized payment processing solutions. One of the main issues with a recurring payment or subscription billing model is card declines. A decline happens when the card on file is used for the recurring payment transaction and the payment processing authorization comes back declined rather than authorized. Naturally, declined transactions means there is no money generated for the merchant. There are many reasons for a decline. Cards can be upgraded and the bank sends the consumer a new card. Security breaches or ID theft can cause issuing banks to send out millions of new cards. **End Summary** Topics: saas billing]]> recurring payments]]> recurring billing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tina Brandon is an expert in International Payments Processing solutions designed to increase revenues while mitigating risk. For over 15 years, high volume merchants have relied on her expertise to successfully establish and diversify payment processing accounts with banks and payment processors throughout the world. Please visit http://www.paynetsecure.net for more information and details.

How to Select the Right Mobile Payment Processor

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:21:10 -0500

Mobile payments are highly effective for micropayments payments of digital content and virtual goods. Offering mobile payments increases revenues, mitigates payment processing risks, and expands markets world-wide quickly and easily. More importantly, mobile offers a potential for a relationship with customers that no other payment option can provide. The real power of mobile payments goes far beyond selling virtual goods and services. Mobile billing gives business a way to communicate with customers and for customers to communicate with companies and with other customers. Mobile payments expand the power of social networks and communities and provide a unique opportunity for businesses and consumers to be a part of each others’ world. Given the importance of Mobile Payments, how should a company select a mobile payment provider that they can rely on? There are two important elements to consider. First, the mobile payment platform must meet technical standards and conform to standard business operational functions for payment processing. Secondly, closely examine the additional services that the mobile payment company offers that will enhance your customer acquisition, retention, and marketing strategies and build loyalty to your brand. **End Summary** Topics: mobile payment]]> mobile payment processing]]> mobile billing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tina Brandon is an expert in Mobile Payment Processing solutions designed to increase revenues while mitigating risk. For over 15 years, high volume merchants have relied on her expertise to successfully establish and diversify payment processing accounts with banks and payment processors throughout the world. Please visit http://www.paynetsecure.net/mobile-payment-processing.php for more information and details.

International Payments Made Easy with a Single Banking Platform

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 04:58:51 -0400

Using a single international payment processing platform reduces costs, improves cash flow, and streamlines business operations. 1. Save Money. By utilizing a single international banking network international payments are processed as in-country low-value electronic payments. Domestic and international payments are accommodated on a single platform, greatly simplifying day-to-day business operations. 2. Cut Out Intermediary Banks. Get rid of the intermediary banks that act as middlemen and do nothing except add to the cost and complexity of processing international payment transactions. Using a single international payment platform avoids additional fees and reduces the costs of sending and receiving International Payments. Payment tracking is streamlined without worries about payments being routed through intermediary banks. 3. Eliminate the Headaches of Multiple Bank Accounts. Managing multiple bank accounts throughout the world is a never-ending hassle. The need to deal with different time zones, banking regulations, currencies, and maintaining personal interaction with bankers is eliminated. Instead, control all incoming and outgoing banking transactions, including domestic and international payments from a single log-in. Infinitely more productive and cost-effective than juggling bank accounts, logins and administrative tasks from multiple banks. 4. Reduce Manual Labor. Eliminate the time-consuming and expensive errors that can result inputting data manually. **End Summary** Topics: international payments]]> international payment processing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tina Brandon is an expert in International Payment Processing solutions designed to increase revenues while mitigating risk. For over 15 years, high volume merchants have relied on her expertise to successfully establish and diversify payment processing accounts with banks and payment processors throughout the world. Please visit http://www.paynetsecure.net/for more information and details.

Free ACH Payment Processing

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 02:00:30 -0400

A special program now allows property management firms, government entities, utility companies, and non-profit associations take payments online or over the phone at no cost to the merchant. That’s right. No payment processing costs. No monthly fees. No start-up costs, programming fee, or any other expense. Increase cash flow, reduce costs, and satisfy consumer demand with online payments quickly, easily and for free. How is free payment processing possible? Simple. Customers pay for the online bill payment transaction, not merchants. Are consumers willing to pay small convenience fees to make payments online? Millions of transactions have proven the answer is absolutely YES. Consumers say small fees are well worth the time-savings, instant gratification and avoidance of late payment penalties. Property Management Companies Get ACH Payment Processing Free. Every month property management companies exert a great deal of time and effort collecting rent from tenants. By offering ACH payments and credit card payments, property management companies enjoy consistent, predictable streams of revenue and reduced workloads. Tenants like the convenience and peace-of-mind, knowing that their rent will be paid automatically and on-time, thus avoiding late fees and credit report issues. **End Summary** Topics: ACH payments]]> ACH Payment Processing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tina Brandon is an expert in International Payments Processing solutions designed to increase revenues while mitigating risk. For over 15 years, high volume merchants have relied on her expertise to successfully establish and diversify payment processing accounts with banks and payment processors throughout the world. Please visit http://www.nationalach.com for more information and details.

Global Payment Processing

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:49:34 -0400

International ecommerce sites require global payment processing. But donâ€™t assume that the payment methods being used in your country are going to be the same those in your targeted market. Although you need International Payments Processing so you can accept orders from anywhere in the world, international payments are actually quite localized. Merchants sell globally, buyers pay locally. Offering the right local payment option will rapidly accelerate sales. Ignoring local payments options will depress sales and perhaps drive you out of business in a particular territory. Payment infrastructure and local cultures vary. Consumers have preferred methods of payments. Merchants that offer localized payments will capture more sales and help establish long-term trusting relationships with buyers. Global payment processing preferences vary. In the United States, internet buyers prefer to pay by credit cards. In Europe, bank transfers are commonly used. In China, Chinese credit cards and bank transfers are preferred. Throughout the world, mobile payments are used for micropayments of digital content and online entertainment. Certain payment types may require the establishment of a local bank relationship and establishment of a corporate presence in the local country. **End Summary** Topics: ACH payments]]> ACH Payment Processing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tina Brandon is an expert in International Payments Processing solutions designed to increase revenues while mitigating risk. For over 15 years, high volume merchants have relied on her expertise to successfully establish and diversify payment processing accounts with banks and payment processors throughout the world. Please visit http://www.nationalach.com for more information and details.

International Bank Transfers

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 04:55:46 -0400

For years, wire transfers were the default payment mechanism for international payments. While wire transfers were reliable, they were expensive to send and expensive to receive. International banks transfers are a cost effective alternative to wire transfers. Any company that is sending or receiving money globally will find it worthwhile to consider adding international bank transfers as a highly efficient payment option. International Bank Transfers are sometimes referred to as global ACH. However, strictly speaking, the specific term ACH, which stands for the Automated Clearing House network, refers to electronic funds transfers only in the United States and Canada. But, functionality, international bank transfers are analogous to ACH. As with ACH, international bank transfer files are submitted in a specified file format. The file is bank-to-bank through the international bank transfer network for clearing in the country where the payment will be made. As a result, international bank transfers are handled as inexpensive local payments rather than as expensive international money transfers.. International bank transfers streamline the complicated process of handling cross-border and in-country disbursements and collections. Globally, each country has a different clearing system with its own rules and regulations. **End Summary** Topics: International Bank Transfers]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tina Brandon is an expert in International Bank Transfers solutions designed to increase revenues while mitigating risk. For over 15 years, high volume merchants have relied on her expertise to successfully establish and diversify payment processing accounts with banks and payment processors throughout the world. Please visit http://www.nationalach.com for more information and details.

International Ecommerce

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:52:41 -0400

By now, it"s an old story. The internet opened up the entire world to international ecommerce and created a single global marketplace. Yet, many companies stayed focused on national markets. During the boom economic years, companies were making enough money selling within national borders. Even if a business knew that international ecommerce generated significant additional revenues, there was no compelling economic reason to venture into uncharted international markets. The last year of economic meltdown has forced changes to global markets. National markets are tightening as consumers lose jobs and cut spending. Companies are looking for more opportunities and International Ecommerce is seen as a way to generate new sales and increase profitability Online retail growth rates, while still strong, are slowing in the United States. But, international ecommerce is still growing at double-digit rates. As technological advances continue, more tools are available to correctly plan, implement and manage international ecommerce. Europe, through the implementation of SEPA, became the 2nd largest international ecommerce market. The EU has over 350 million relatively prosperous citizens who have been conditioned to globalization though economic consolidation in the Euro Zone. The Europeans are savvy and sophisticated consumers and represent great opportunity for international ecommerce merchants. **End Summary** Topics: International eCommerce]]> International Merchant Account]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tina Brandon is an expert in International Payments Processing solutions designed to increase revenues while mitigating risk. For over 15 years, high volume merchants have relied on her expertise to successfully establish and diversify payment processing accounts with banks and payment processors throughout the world. Please visit http://www.nationalach.com for more information and details.

High Risk Check Processing

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

How can you get a high risk check processing account? The key is to think outside the ACH box. Electronic checks are the most popular alternative payment method chosen by consumers. Merchants in high risk industries increase sales simply by offering electronic checks as a payment option at checkout. In the old days, merchants could rely on the ACH network for high risk check processing. It was an old, slow, reliable batch-oriented system for clearing electronic transactions. But, even in the best of times, it was not designed for the special needs high risk check processing. The ACH network is governed by NACHA operating rules. These rules have always been restrictive for high risk merchants. There are all types of return codes. The operating rules are hundreds of pages long, complex and hard to understand. The ACH network has always been challenging for all but the most mundane merchants such as utility or insurance companies. Deciphering and interpreting the rules took time and sometimes expert (and expensive) professional advice. In the past few years, the NACHA rules have tightened significantly. As a result, High Risk Check Processing through the ACH network is now almost impossible. **End Summary** Topics: High Risk Check Processing]]> High Risk Merchant Account]]> High Risk Credit Card Processing]]> High Risk ACH]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tina Brandon is an expert in High Risk Check Processing and other payment processing solutions designed to increase revenues while mitigating risk. For over 15 years, high volume merchants have relied on her expertise to successfully establish and diversify payment processing accounts with banks and payment processors throughout the world.

International Payment Processing

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The world has become one big interconnected marketplace. International payment processing is a crucial element in capturing orders in today's global market. International payment processing is an indispensible and powerful part of high volume ecommerce businesses. Research shows that international payment processing is a valuable way to protect business operations and save money. Efficient use of international payment processing accounts maximizes revenues, mitigates risk, increases net working capital, and boosts revenues. International Payment Processing simply means that accounts that are established in jurisdictions other than where the company is headquartered or domiciled. The term is actually somewhat of a misnomer because any ecommerce company doing business world-wide will have international payment processing as a matter of course. Merchant accounts are what most business owners think of when considering international payment processing. Whilst trading accounts are important, they are by no means the only method of processing payments internationally. Throughout the world, preferred methods used to buy goods or services online vary from country to country and region to region. In addition to merchant accounts for credit cards, international payment processing options include direct debit, local bank transfers, mobile billing, prepaid cards, e-wallets, and cash vouchers. **End Summary** Topics: International Merchant Account]]> International Payment Processing International Payments Processing]]> payment processing]]> payment processing gateway]]> In]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Tina Brandon is an expert in International Payment Processing solutions designed to increase revenues while mitigating risk. For over 15 years, high volume merchants have relied on her expertise to successfully establish and diversify payment processing accounts with banks and payment processors throughout the world.