CardFellow Credit Card Processing Blog

Accounting and Finance, Business

Recurring Payments and Subscription Billing

by Paul Maplesden

Recurring or subscription billing gives you the confidence of a semi-guaranteed income. It makes managing your finances a little easier, lets you plan for the future, and gives you a cushion against financial shocks. When you understand how many new customers you’re taking on, and how many you’re losing (the “churn” rate), you can also…

There’s nothing quite like guaranteed money for your business. Whether you’re selling software as a service, subscription boxes, retainer agreements, or monthly product deliveries, recurring payments are essential to many businesses.

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Credit Card Processing

Square vs. FreshBooks: Card Readers

by Ellen Cunningham

FreshBooks started as accounting software, a rival to Intuit’s popular QuickBooks brand. In 2016, FreshBooks rolled out a smartphone credit card reader to allow customers to take payments in addition to managing financial information. How do Square and FreshBooks stack up? Let’s take a look. Costs for Accepting Cards Card Readers Customer Service CardFellow’s Experience…

By now, you’ve probably heard of Square, the company behind the small white credit card reader that attaches to smartphones. Since the days when the company paved the way on smartphone processing, it has had many competitors, including the newest: FreshBooks.

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Credit Card Processing, ecommerce

Square Connect: Taking Payments Online

by Gary Bowen

What is Square Connect? What is an API and how does Square’s work? Why is Square offering the API? Who is Square’s API good for and why? What does it cost? Additional Square Services Other Options for Taking Online Payments What is Square Connect? The Square Connect API lets businesses with self-hosted e-commerce websites…

You probably already know Square as one of the most popular choices for taking credit cards using a smartphone. The Square POS system is also an increasingly common choice for in-store payments, especially for businesses with smaller transactions, like coffee shops. But it wasn’t until recently that the company rolled out an e-commerce option, called Square Connect.

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ecommerce

Shopify vs. Volusion vs. BigCommerce: What Should You Use?

by Paul Maplesden

There’s a lot to consider when starting your own ecommerce website, but we’ll help sort it out in this comparison guide. We’ll look at the most cost-effective solutions from the three big providers in the ecommerce space, Shopify, BigCommerce, and Volusion. Continue reading for details about monthly fees, transaction costs, payment solutions, marketplaces, social media…

Ecommerce has fundamentally changed how we act as consumers, with 7.5% of all US retail transactions happening online. It’s an exciting time to be a retailer, and the days of having to setup an ecommerce store from scratch are long behind us.

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Credit Card Processing

POS System Cash Register Replacement

by Brian Penny

However, a POS is more than just a cash register replacement. These systems are part of an integrated business platform that can scan, process, and track transactions, manage inventory, streamline accounting, enable customer marketing, and much more. If you’re looking to update the technology in your business, a simple cash register won’t do. Here are…

The most vital tool for any business is a machine to process sales.

It wasn’t that long ago that the only affordable option available was a basic cash register, which included a cash drawer, receipt printer, and occasionally a card reader. These days, however, advancements in technology have replaced the basic cash register with more advanced point-of-sale systems.

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Credit Card Processing, Security and PCI Compliance

First Data’s TransArmor Security

by Gary Bowen

Owning a business is complicated and it can be difficult to completely protect yourself from data breaches. Whether you have store and distribution center locations that number in the hundreds with tens of thousands of employees or run a two-man shop, constant vigilance over access points and sensitive data is a continuous, ever-changing security obstacle….

Also now called Clover Security, TransArmor is a suite of anti-fraud tools available from credit card processor First Data.

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Credit Card Processing

The 5 Best Tablets for Mobile POS Systems

by Brian Penny

Note that some tablet POS system makers offer bundles that include a tablet and the POS software, but many don’t. If you’re considering using tablet-based POS system that doesn’t include a tablet, you’ll need to buy one separately. For those situations, here are the best tablets for mobile POS systems. Each is best-suited for different…

Mobile point-of-sale systems are becoming more popular, with 54 million units expected to be installed in businesses by 2019. Using a tablet for a POS system provides mobility and a seamless platform for both sales and inventory management. You can take it with you on the go, or use it in a restaurant to take orders or payments tableside.

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Credit Card Processing, Scams and Fraud

The Rise of Friendly Fraud – and What You Can Do to Prevent It

by Jane Meggitt

While credit card theft and other common types of fraud are decreasing because of EMV chip cards and new security technology, low-tech friendly fraud is on the rise. Remember, EMV cards don’t provide any additional protection for you or customers in ecommerce transactions. If you run an ecommerce website, it’s worth knowing about the tools…

There is nothing friendly about fraud – it is criminal. “Friendly fraud” refers to apparently legitimate customers using their own names, addresses and credit card numbers to make an online purchase but later disputing the charge with the credit card company. A more accurate term for this behavior is “cyber-shoplifting.”

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Credit Card Processing exposed