Plain-English breakdowns of fees, pricing models, and industry practices so you can make smarter decisions for your business.
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CardConnect problems all start the same way — a merchant who needs help and can’t get anyone on the phone. Rachel runs a welding shop outside Nashville. Custom fabrication, structural work, some commercial contracts. She processes about $40,000 a month. She’s been doing this for eleven years and until recently, her payment processor was the […]
Read Article →Risk & Fraud Prevention Your Money Is in Your Account. You Just Can’t Have It Yet. A merchant account reserve is money your processor withholds from your deposits — legally, and often without warning. Fund holds can freeze thousands of dollars for 90 to 180 days with little explanation and no clear timeline for release. […]
Read Article →Payment Technology You’re Probably Paying a Fine Right Now for Something That Takes an Hour to Fix Most small merchants have a line item on their monthly processing statement they’ve never looked at closely. It’s labeled something like “PCI non-compliance fee” or “data security fee” or sometimes just “monthly compliance fee.” The amount varies by […]
Read Article →High risk merchant account explained — what makes a business high risk, how processors determine risk, what to expect from a high risk merchant account including reserves and higher rates, and how to find the right processor for your business. Risk & Fraud Prevention A high risk merchant account is not a punishment. It is […]
Read Article →Payment Technology A payment gateway is the technology that connects your business to the card networks. Every card transaction you accept — in person, online, or by phone — passes through one. Most merchants have never heard of it until something breaks. The Basics What Is a Payment Gateway — Definition A payment gateway is […]
Read Article →Merchant account setup explained — what to expect from the application, underwriting, and approval process before you apply. Payment Processing — Real Talk Setting up a merchant account is not complicated — but it is not instant either. Most business owners are surprised by at least one thing in the process. Here is what to […]
Read Article →Risk & Fraud Prevention MATCH list payment processing is one of the few mechanisms in the merchant services industry that can end a business owner’s ability to accept credit cards for five years. The MATCH list is a shared blacklist maintained by Mastercard and consulted by every processor in the industry before approving a new […]
Read Article →Risk & Fraud Prevention The Difference A PayPal chargeback dispute is handled very differently than a traditional card network chargeback. Claire spent years working in back-office accounting at a payment processing company. Not on the sales floor, not in customer service — in the room where disputes actually get resolved. She saw the paperwork, the […]
Read Article →The Short Answer Yes — most HOAs can charge an HOA convenience fee on card payments, and most are leaving money on the table by not doing it. Every month, homeowners pay their dues. A significant portion of them pay by credit card. And every month, without a convenience fee program in place, your HOA […]
Read Article →The Question Do I need a merchant account? Most small business owners have been processing cards for years without ever thinking about it. They signed up for Square or Stripe in ten minutes, plugged in a reader, and started taking payments. It worked. So why would you need to know more? The answer is cost […]
Read Article →Risk & Fraud Prevention A Square account freeze can happen overnight — and when it does, your business stops accepting cards until Square decides otherwise. No warning. No timeline. No one on the phone who can actually help. This post covers why Square freezes accounts, what triggers a hold, how long it typically lasts, and […]
Read Article →Payment Technology The Payment Method That Skips the Card Networks Entirely A property management company I work with collects rent from about 140 units every month. For years, they were processing those payments by card — either through an online portal or by running cards manually over the phone. At an average rent of $1,800 […]
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