A Brief History of Credit Cards
It's easy to mistake the concept of credit cards as relatively new; they're actually older than money — maybe as old as writing. Let's go back in time and trace the origins of the credit card.
The Perfect Customer Service Response to Chargebacks
Chargebacks are commonly considered to be a friction point between merchants and customers. But it doesn't have to be. Merchants that take the initiative can put chargebacks into the win column with a few easy steps taken before, during and [...]
A Closer Look at Processors
Today we do a deeper dive into the world of processors. They handle the money — they're very important, so it's important for merchants to have some insider knowledge about them and the merchant services they provide. WHO ARE THE [...]
Five Common Chargeback Myths Destroyed
Below are the five most common myths surrounding chargebacks and chargeback management, that we'll gladly blow up for merchants...
How to Win at Subscription Billing
Recurring or subscription billing has taken e-commerce by storm. This is where products and services are provided and billed for regularly over time. Many merchants in the high-risk verticals have been doing it since before it was cool, but the [...]
The Cost of Chargebacks
"How much?" is perhaps the most-asked question of all time. Unfortunately, in the payments industry at least, it's also the most difficult to answer. That's especially true when it comes to how much do chargebacks cost for merchants. So many [...]
Arbitration is Not Your Friend
Arbitration chargebacks are the "ugly divorce" of transaction disputes. It means you have exhausted all reasonable recourse to resolve a dispute between you, the cardholder, and the banks, and you have to "go to court". Arbitration is expensive, time-consuming, and [...]
How to Win at Chargeback Reversals
Lots of our competitors out there say you can reverse a chargeback through representment, but that's fake news. The truth is, even if you can "reverse" a chargeback and snatch your revenue back from the jaws of friendly fraud, that chargeback stays on your record.
Merchant Risk and How to Manage It
High-risk merchants have superior access to global markets and unlimited processing. If we look at what makes you high-risk, you can see where to mitigate the drawbacks and maximize the benefits of that designation.
Merchant IDs for High-Risk Verticals
Our handy-dandy glossary of payments terms defines a merchant account as: "A bank account which the merchant holds with an acquiring bank to process credit card transactions." A "merchant ID" or "MID" is the number that identifies one or more [...]
Chargeback vs Refund: What’s the Difference?
This quick read is dedicated to showing you the key differences between a chargeback and a refund, and how to use them to your advantage.
Getting Paid: The Wild Ride of Authorizations
Compared to cash purchases, the authorization of credit card transactions is almost comically complicated. To really understand it, you have to read this in the voice of a sports announcer... "Cardholder takes out their card to make a purchase. Merchant [...]