What is 3D Secure (2.0 Edition)?
The Three Domains Secure authentication protocol had a rough launch and a chilly reception. Version 2.0 is changing all that. Time to climb aboard and incorporate this new technology into your transaction stream.
How the US Congress Created Chargebacks
Chargebacks were created almost fifty years ago by the Fair Credit Billing Act to protect consumers from abuse. Unfortunately, little has been done to adapt the chargeback to today's eCommerce landscape, making it into a tremendous burden for merchants.
Processing Explained, Simply
Nowadays, you're selling goods and services across an array of banks, currencies and regulations that require multiple third parties to facilitate transactions between you and your customer. This is the world of payment processing.
Issuer, Acquirer, or Network? The Banks Explained
Here’s a deeper look at the different roles banks play in a transaction. It’s also important to know how the card networks fit into this process. There’s the issuing bank, which issues the payment card to the consumer. There’s the [...]
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.
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 [...]
Customer Disputes: What happens?
Let's pull back the curtain on what happens when a cardholder disputes a purchase. For many merchants, their understanding of this process begins and ends with receiving a chargeback. That's the most expensive perspective you can have. However, a deeper [...]
How to Win at Transaction Descriptors
Descriptors are the line items you see on your bank statement that describe each transaction. Merchants must navigate several factors to deliver concise descriptors that their customers will easily recognize. Unclear, complicated descriptors are a leading cause of chargebacks and [...]
How to Win at High-Risk Merchant Services
We can guide merchants through the troubled waters of high-risk credit card processing, starting with five pro tips to smooth sailing with merchant services.