As we look around at all the rising cost from gasoline to coffee and everything in between, it only seems appropriate this month to share tips on reducing your credit card processing expenses.
Card present transactions will always be the lowest costs from the card brands so whenever possible swipe/dip or tap the card on your processing device. It’s equally important to answer all prompts from sales tax to PO or invoice number if prompted. If you must key enter the card number as in mail or phone order, you will need to answer all prompts. Make sure the device asks you for both address and zip code (if it doesn’t, call your processing company and let them know so they can update your device) and enter the customer’s billing address and zip code for the card they are using. If you do not have any of this information then do not bypass it, enter the business address and maybe the last four digits of the card number if you do not have an invoice number or the customer doesn’t have a PO number.
I have spoken with owners who understand this but unfortunately their employees do not, or they get busy and skip over this information. Please make sure you train your employees to always enter this information and not just press enter and bypass it.
If you are looking to reduce your costs even further, you may want to revisit a surcharge or non-cash adjustment program. These types of programs are gaining in popularity amongst businesses today, and training your employees on presentation is the key to customer satisfaction with this type of program. A surcharge program will allow you to offset some of your costs, while the non-cash adjustment program will eliminate most all the processing costs for your business.
If you think the time is right to implement a surcharge, FRF Bankcard is here to assist. We can help you find the best solution for your business type and guide you on the compliance requirements needed and best practices for communicating this change with your customers.
Crystal Laake holds the Certified Payments Professional (CPP) designation and has been an FRF team member for 17 years. Contact Crystal with any payment processing questions at crystal@frf.org.