Ellen has a degree in English, which she puts to work every day researching and writing articles, processor reviews, and social media posts. She enjoys the challenge of explaining complex topics - making her a perfect fit for credit card processing - and strongly believes in CardFellow's mission of empowering business owners through education.When she's not busy following the latest industry news, Ellen can be found cycling the beautiful trails of southern New England, narrowly losing at pub quizzes, or practicing her trapeze skills in aerial circus class.
Credit Card Processing The worst thing you can do for your business is call a processor and ask, “What are your rates?” or choose a company based on their inclusion in a “best processing rates” table. But that doesn’t mean we can’t show you how to find the most competitive pricing. In this article, we’ll discuss the role…
When looking for the best merchant services rates, most business owners mean that they want the lowest possible pricing to take credit cards. For lowest total cost, “rates” isn’t the full picture.
Credit Card Processing If you’ve browsed CardFellow’s blog, you’ll know we’re not big fans of equipment leasing. In most cases, leases are expensive and come with non-cancellable contracts separate from your processing agreement. Unfortunately, that holds true for FDGL. What is FDGL? Machines and POS Systems Are leases required? FDGL Costs Are leases ever a good idea? Alternatives…
First Data Global Leasing, or FDGL, is the equipment leasing arm of processing giant First Data.
Credit Card Processing Mastercard plans to phase in MDRI over a 2 year period that began in 2018 and will be fully completed in 2020. Specific dates and what will be involved in each phase of the rollout may change over time, and we’ll add details as Mastercard makes them available. Understanding disputes Mastercard Dispute Resolution Initiative Phase…
In October 2018, Mastercard began a phased revamp to its chargeback process, calling it the Mastercard Dispute Resolution Initiative (MDRI).
Credit Card Processing There are a few situations where this can happen, which we’ll take a look at in this article. While occasional fallback transactions are okay, too many can bring fines and other penalties. Additionally, magnetic stripe transactions are not as secure as chip transactions, so you’re opening yourself up to greater liability if you don’t properly…
EMV fallback refers to a transaction where a customer uses an EMV (chip) card in a chip-capable terminal, but the transaction doesn’t go through as a chip transaction. Instead it “falls back” on magnetic strip technology.
Credit Card Processing VCR may result in some new fees if you incur a chargeback. In late 2018 or early 2019, you may have seen a notice on your processing statement about upcoming VCR charges. For example, some businesses saw this explanation: Visa recently announced they are delaying the time-based dispute response and acceptance fees associated with Visa…
Visa Claims Resolution (VCR) is a chargeback management system that Visa rolled out in 2018. It’s designed to streamline Visa’s chargeback process.
Case Studies What he hadn’t seen was low pricing that stays low, with excellent customer service. Enter CardFellow. Starting a Business More than two decades ago, George started out mowing lawns with a lawnmower he hauled around in the back of his beat up car. That turned into providing landscaping services, then pond installation, and finally retailing…
In 20+ years of running his landscaping and pond business, George Ruiz had seen it all when it comes to credit card processing. High rates? Check. Negotiating lower pricing only to see it rise again? Check. Good reviews that seemed questionable? Check.
Credit Card Processing It seems to include a lot of different things, so what is “merchant services” or “merchant processing?” If you’re starting a business or looking to get better rates on credit card processing at your existing business, it’s a good idea to understand what’s involved in merchant services and how to choose the right provider. Let’s…
Both new and seasoned business owners may come across confusing terms when it comes to credit card processing. One such term is “merchant services.”
Credit Card Processing There are many factors to consider: price, features, processor compatibility, hardware and accessories and more. In this article, we’ll cover common features, popular brands, and other variables to take into account when choosing the right system for your business. We’ll address both retail POS systems and restaurant POS systems. Need a specialty system for a…
Point of sale (POS) systems enable everything from payment processing to inventory management. But which system is right for you?