Processing Guidelines For Internet Payment Gateways
When you are using internet payment gateways to process your credit card transactions there are certain guidelines that you should follow in order to ensure the smoothest transaction that is possible. While your business is free to develop its own specific policies these guidelines are recommended by the credit card companies to ensure you are adequately protected.
1. Ensure that you have the Visa/MasterCard logos readily displayed for customers to see. This means if you are using a virtual online store, you should ensure the logos are displayed in a location where all customers will see them. If cannot hurt to have them in several places in your store as long as it looks tasteful. Additionally, if you have a traditional brick and mortar store you should ensure that you have the logos displayed by the cash register and also consider placing the logos on the door.
2. Always check the expiration dates on the card before accepting it. If the card is out of date, even by only one day do not accept it. Instead ask for an alternate form of payment and nicely explain to the customer that the card has expired. It is likely just an honest mistake the cardholder has made.
3. If you suspect that a card is a fraud, or that the cardholder is acting very suspicious and you do not feel comfortable with the transaction then call the authorization center and tell them you have a Code 10. The center personnel will then give you detailed instructions.
4. Ensure for all online sales you request the code on the back of the card. This should be a 3-digit number; this must be included for payment processing.
5. Ensure that all cardholder information as well as copies of all receipts for credit card transactions are on file for at least 3 years. Once the 3-year period is over, you can feel free to destroy safely all of the documents. Use of a shredder or a document destroying service is best for this purpose.
Just as there are some things, you should do when using internet payment gateways there are also some things you should not do.
1. Do not charge the credit card for any unauthorized transactions without the cardholders’ permission. Ensure that you have written permission for all transactions before the card is ever charged.
2. Do not reauthorize or attempt to reauthorize the same card after it has been declined. Instead, nicely ask the customer for an alternative form of payment to ensure there are no questions later on.
Ronnie Muse owns and operates http://www.one-payment-gateway.com What Is A Payment Gateway
Tags: ecommerce, Merchant account, online credit cards, online payments, payment gateways, small