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The average customer might think that the second they complete a credit or debit card transaction, the funds from the purchase go directly into the merchant’s bank account – but they’d be wrong. In reality, most merchants have to wait two or even three business days to access their funds due to the standard holds […]

Point-of-sale systems are mission-critical tools for retailers and restaurants, providing the system through which sales are made, and inventory is controlled. But POS systems can do a lot more than just process transactions if a merchant has the right integrations. Integrations allow merchants to squeeze extra value out of their POS systems, simplifying tasks, leveraging […]

Apple is arguably the biggest name in consumer tech, and with so many people around the world using their devices, the advent of digital wallets made it clear they’d be a dominant player in payments as well. The success of Apple’s digital wallet, Apple Pay, proved that its users were ready for Apple-branded mobile digital […]

Clover is a popular small business point of sale system, offering retailers and restaurants intuitive POS software and a wide variety of hardware choices. But one of Clover’s most standout features is its well-stocked third-party app market, which enables Clover users to expand and refine the capabilities of their systems, as needed, in a matter […]

Toast POS is one of the most popular point-of-sale systems in the restaurant industry. It’s known for feature-rich and easy-to-use software and a wide variety of hardware options. But while Toast POS is both highly capable and user-friendly, it does have some notable drawbacks, including the cost of payment processing and dependence on proprietary hardware. […]

Choosing a new payment processor is an important task, as payments are at the core of all businesses. But with so many options on the market, it can be hard for merchants to know how to differentiate one processor from another. When requesting a merchant services quote, many business owners will focus on price and […]

Next day funding is a service provided by some payment processors that gives merchants access to the money from their sales in a single business day – in some cases, as little as ten to twelve hours after transactions are submitted. Next day funding stands in contrast to the industry standard practice of holding funds […]

Payment gateways are software tools that enable transaction processing by acting as the bridge between the end customer and a merchant’s payment processor. Every transaction – both online and off – goes through some type of payment gateway. In ecommerce, payment gateways provide everything from payment data encryption to two-way communication to fraud protection and […]

Merchants can fight chargebacks and, while many don’t, all should whenever possible because chargebacks matter. Chargebacks cost merchants money in the form of lost revenues and, in many cases, lost inventory. They also raise red flags when they start to rack up, causing potential strains in relationships with payment processors and the major card companies […]

An ecommerce merchant is a business that sells online and utilizes payment processing services to collect card payments. In a terminology-heavy industry like payment processing, it can be easy for confusion to arise about what certain terms mean and don’t mean. “Merchant” is one of those terms, and many people incorrectly assume that all businesses […]

Amex OptBlue is a program designed to make American Express payments more accessible to small businesses. Traditionally, the high barriers to entry on the network and the extremely high transaction fees made American Express more trouble than it was worth for smaller merchants. To remedy that problem, the company created the Amex OptBlue program, which […]

A merchant account is a mission-critical piece of the payments puzzle for most full-time business owners doing any kind of significant sales volume. But for new and experienced merchants alike, the process of getting set up with a new account can seem opaque and even difficult. Independent sales organizations (ISO) – sales companies that work […]

Next day funding is a feature offered by certain payment processors that allows merchants to access the money from their batched transactions in a single day – in some cases, as little as ten hours after a transaction is submitted. Most merchants on standard funding plans don’t get access to their funds nearly as quickly, […]

Payment processing is a complex industry with a lot of moving parts, a lot of tech, and a lot of security rules. But, for the end merchant, all that complexity represents a needless source of headaches and potential business interruptions. The best payment processors offer simple merchant services that allow businesses to focus solely on […]

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, or PCI-DSS, is a security standard that must be met by all companies that handle, store, or transmit credit card data from the major card brands. It exists to protect consumers and minimize the potential damage associated with payment-related data breaches.  PCI compliance refers to a company’s ongoing […]

A retail POS, or point-of-sale system, is a combination of hardware and software designed to facilitate purchases at a checkout counter in retail and dining. A POS effectively automates most of the functions of an old cash register. Rather than having to punch in a product’s information and price and manually apply taxes, a POS […]

Having a payment gateway that accepts credit cards on-site is important for most modern businesses, and it’s an absolute must for retail businesses, where cash-only sales are all but extinct. But how do you go about getting a credit card reader? The good news is that getting set up with a reader isn’t that hard, […]

As a small business owner, you should always be on the lookout for ways to improve your customer offerings to drive customer loyalty and satisfaction. There are a few things that have historically benefited small businesses such as loyalty programs, customer reviews, and community engagement. The bottom line is that without satisfied customers, your business […]