• Home
  • About
  • Services
    • Dual Pricing Program
    • Point of Sale Systems >
      • Lavu
      • Clover
      • Exatouch >
        • DeliverMe Demo Form
    • Terminals
    • Credit Card Processing
    • High Risk Accounts
    • Special Offer
    • Fees of a Merchant Account
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Quote
  • Blog
  • Contact
FIRST COAST PAYMENTS
  • Home
  • About
  • Services
    • Dual Pricing Program
    • Point of Sale Systems >
      • Lavu
      • Clover
      • Exatouch >
        • DeliverMe Demo Form
    • Terminals
    • Credit Card Processing
    • High Risk Accounts
    • Special Offer
    • Fees of a Merchant Account
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Quote
  • Blog
  • Contact

First Coast Payments Blog

Click to Call

Why Choose a CPP for Your Payment Processing Needs?

5/1/2025

0 Comments

 
Picture
When you partner with an ETA Certified Payments Professional (CPP), you’re choosing more than just a payments provider — you're choosing someone who is qualified, ethical, and committed to helping your business thrive.

A CPP is recognized by the Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) as a professional who:
✅ Has a minimum of 1–3 years of experience in the payments industry
✅ Has passed a rigorous, third-party exam developed by industry experts
✅ Has been recommended by a supervisor or industry leader
✅ Abides by a strict code of conduct
✅ Completes continuing education to stay up to date every 3 years

What That Means for You
By working with a CPP, you can trust that you're getting expert advice, transparent solutions, and a long-term partner who puts your business first.

Ray is here to help your business. Call First Coast Payments at 904-638-8804 today!
0 Comments

DISPUTES & CHARGE BACKS – A GROWING THREAT

3/6/2025

0 Comments

 
Picture
A charge back / dispute is when a card holder contacts their bank to file a claim to have their funds returned on a credit card or debit card transactions.

Why might a customer dispute a charge? Fraudulent activity, Dissatisfaction with a product or service, Errors made by the business, Unauthorized transactions, and Nondelivered of goods or services. 

What are the consequences for businesses?
Chargebacks can result in financial losses, damage to reputation, and higher fees from payment processors. 

Have you had a charge back yet? If not, statistically it a matter of time. According to data found in Chargebacks911’s annual Cardholder Dispute Index, in the United States alone, cardholders on average disputed about six transactions throughout 2023. This means an astounding $65.21 billion worth of transactions were overturned through chargebacks.

When you factor in Visa’s report that up to 75 percent of all chargebacks are a form of chargeback abuse or misuse—commonly known as “friendly fraud”—and that each dollar lost to friendly fraud costs merchants more than three times the transaction value in fees, fines and lost merchandise, according to LexisNexis, this means that U.S. merchants lost more than $183 billion last year to illegitimate chargebacks.
​

Also, the Merchant Risk Council issued a critical alert regarding a surge in organized chargeback abuse, meaning that methods to game the chargeback system are becoming widespread and more malicious. With retailers only winning 18 percent of their chargeback representation cases and cardholders facing essentially zero consequences, the problem is approaching uncontrollable levels.
A business cannot stop a cardholder from initiating a charge back / dispute. What you can do is always keep good records of all transactions, invoices and the terms of your sale. In other words what records do you have if you need to “defend” the transaction? Make it your standard operating procedure that every transaction will be disputed and you have the records available.

A good resource to refer to is: Dispute Best Practices Guide October 2024
​

We are here to help your business by helping you flight disputes. In addition, by giving you competitive rates and great service. Give us a call at First Coast Payments 904-638-8804
dispute_best_practices_guide_october_2024.pdf
File Size: 4526 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

0 Comments

5 Million US Credit Cards Leaked Online

2/5/2025

0 Comments

 
Picture
​5 million US Credit Cards Leaked Online
 
https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2024/12/5-million-payment-card-details-stolen-in-painful-reminder-to-monitor-christmas-spending?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=b2c_pro_oth_20241223_decemberweeklynewsletter_paid_v4_1_173452521105&utm_content=Card_details_stolen
 
I read headlines like this and I see it from a different perspective. Most read these headlines and think, as a consumer, how their cards might be exposed in a data breach. That is not a problem for consumers as most fraudulent charges on a credit card is covered by the bank or issuer.  Any fraudulent charges taken by a merchant may be liable in most situation.  This is why as a merchant it is so important not to let your guard down. The fraudster is looking for cash and always searching for the weak link in the system.
 
Here are few things to be aware of:
 
If you are a retail business and need to manually enter a card there are certain rules you must follow.
 
If your account is a card not present account, always input the billing address, zip card, and the CVV at the time of sale. Look for the response to see if all the info matches. This helps to prevent fraud and helps should there be a dispute due to fraud.
 
Be suspicious of large orders that are shipped to an out-of-town address. Many times, it could be fraud and a stolen credit card involved. Just because there is an approval is no guarantee it is legit.
 
For a retail business that accepts cards in person, if a CHIP Card will not read, ask the customer for another form of payment.
 
There is more info. Now is a good time to revisit this post about protecting your business against disputes.  Click the link:

https://www.firstcoastpayments.com/blog/chargebacks-disputes-rising
 
We are here to help you should you have questions about disputes/chargebacks and anything related to Point Of Sale systems or credit card processing solutions. Give us a call at 904-638-8804.
0 Comments

Why do gas prices have a fraction?

11/6/2024

0 Comments

 
Picture
Ever wonder why gas stations list prices with a "point" typically ending in 9/10 of a cent?  It is a practice that goes back to the early 1900s when adding even a single penny to the price of gas seemed like a significant increase due to lower overall gas costs at the time.  It's a marketing tactic that makes prices appear slightly cheaper to consumers, creating a psychological perception of a better deal compared to a whole number price.
 
How does this relate to credit card processing cost?  There are many companies in this industry that may only tell you what you want to hear, instead of giving you the truth. They might mention a very low rate of 1.25% cost to accept credit cards, however not mention the other fees.  Like, transaction fees, annual fees and termination fees, just to name a few. To really see ALL of the cost you need to look at the monthly processing statement.  To see the statement can take a lot of effort by requesting a login to a portal and the effort of login monthly.  Many time the statements can be hard to understand.  Just like gas stations marketing tactic, this is a way to keep the info difficult hard to view.  As it is stated, “Out of sight, out of mind”.

We are here to help your business and earn your business and keep your business! By giving you great rates and service, you win and we win. We are here for the long haul. If you want transparent info and at your finger tips every month, give us a call at First Coast Payments! 904-638-8804
0 Comments

DON’T RISK LOSING YOUR PROCESSING ACCOUNT

6/26/2024

0 Comments

 
It is important to know the severity about using your account to process a transaction for a friend. What do I mean by this? So, let's say you have a friend John that owns a roofing business. John does not have his own merchant account; he calls you up you and ask if you can take a credit card payment for him as a favor. Seems like a win / win situation. You help your friend out and your friend John can take a card from his customer. We all want to be good people in general and want to help our friends out when we can.

Not every situation will be exactly like how I'm describing but you must know that this is considered a form of money laundering. You can lose your services per the card brands and any future processing services you may inquire about in the future with another company. It could also cause issues with the IRS; these are just some of the worst-case scenarios and we want you to be informed. 

At First Coast Payments we are here to help you should you have questions about this post or anything related to Point-of-Sale systems or credit card processing solutions. Give us a call at 904-638-8804!
0 Comments

New Visa Card Rules April 2023 Are You In Compliance?

2/2/2024

0 Comments

 
Picture
Although I work in the payment industry, I too am a consumer of goods and services like everyone else. Since I work in the payments industry, I notice things that the average consumer may not notice.

I am beginning to notice is many businesses have not adapted to the new Visa Rules when a fee is added to a card transaction.

In April 2023, Visa made changes to their compliant Surcharging regulations. Non complaint programs using the non-cash adjustment, service fee or some other line-item fee on the credit card receipt will be considered non- compliant Surcharging and may cause a business to be subject to fines by Visa and Mastercard.

  1. Surcharging:
    • Definition: Surcharging refers to the practice of adding an additional fee to the total transaction amount when a customer uses a credit card for payment.
    • Fees: Merchants implementing surcharging typically pass on the cost of credit card processing to the customers, charging a percentage of the transaction amount.
    • Regulations: As of April 15th, 2023 Visa prohibits surcharging on debit and prepaid card transactions and have reduced the cap to 3%.
    • Violations: Failure to adhere to regulations result in a 1st time fine up to $5,000, and additional penalties starting at $25,000 including termination of your merchant account.
 
  1. Dual Pricing:
    • Definition: Dual pricing involves setting different prices for the same product or service based on the customer's chosen payment method (e.g., cash or credit card).
    • Fees: Merchants employing dual pricing may offer a discounted price for customers using cash and the higher price for those using credit cards.
    • Regulations: Merchants must display the two prices of a “Cash Price” and a “List Price”. This does not add a fee to the receipts.
  2. Non-Compliance with Visa Regulations:
    • Penalties: Failing to adhere to Visa regulations can result in penalties and consequences for merchants. These may include fines, increased scrutiny, or even termination of the merchant account.
    • Consumer Perception: Non-compliance can also affect the perception of your business among consumers, potentially leading to a loss of trust and loyalty.

​If your business charges a cardholder a fee to use a credit card or debit card and your terminal receipts show a fee you may not be compliant with the new rules. Visa is being very aggressive in seeking out businesses that are not in compliant and assessing penalties. This is being accomplished with secret shopper programs and consumer complaints. If your current company has not updated your terminal or your Point of Sale to adhere to the new rules, you should give us a call so we can help you become and stay in are in compliance.

At First Coast Payments we are here to help you should you have questions this post or anything related to Point-of-Sale systems or credit card processing solutions. Give us a call at 904-638-8804
0 Comments

Credit Card Flow — The Path of Data from Card Swipe to Payment

12/19/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
You press the 'pay' button, and within a couple of seconds, you receive an order confirmation. It’s a success! That’s the typical way most consumers perceive credit card transactions — essentially, they don’t really think about them at all. Whether it's an in-store, online, unattended, or embedded payment, the behind-the-scenes operations are inconsequential as long as it's simple and functional.

Here is an insight of the journey that a customer's card information, personal data, and funds traverse every time a purchase is made. In the end you will have a better understanding of how credit card payments function and how to enhance the purchasing experience for your customers.


The General Path of a Credit Card Payment
We'll commence with a broad overview of the processing steps and gradually delve into the details as we progress through the process.

Every credit card transaction generally undergoes five primary steps: submission, authorization, authentication, clearing, and settlement.

The interface for most consumers is a terminal, point of sale or a payment gateway is like a secret helper during card transactions, handling sensitive card information and sending it to banks for approval. It's crucial for both online and in-store payments.

The interface doesn’t just send data—it also protects it. It uses encryption to secure the information. Sometimes, extra security steps like 3DSecure are required before the transaction goes through.

Once secured, the interface sends the data to the acquiring bank, the card network, and the customer’s issuing bank. The acquiring bank is the merchant's link, the card network helps with rules and authorization, and the issuing bank evaluates and approves the transaction. It is worth noting that just because there is an approval does not guarantee the card is not fraudulent.

Finally, the issuing bank checks for available credit and approves or denies the transaction. The decision is then sent back through the network, and the process, from submission to approval, usually takes seconds. However, for the merchant and the banks, approval isn't the final step.


Clearing: Initiating the Movement of Funds
The initial stages determine if a transaction can proceed without any exchange of money occurring yet. The movement of funds happens in a separate process, starting when the merchant sends the accepted transaction for clearance.

Clearing involves the three parties—acquiring bank, card network, and issuing bank. It begins with merchants batching transactions together for submission. Typically, they send these batches once a day after business hours.

These batches are sent to the acquiring bank or payment processors. They can contain hundreds or thousands of transactions, which need to reach the right issuing banks for settlement. To manage this, the acquirer sends the batch to the card network, which sorts and routes each transaction to the respective bank for the final settlement.


Settlement: Funds Deposited in the Bank
Settlement involves the issuing bank deducting the amount from the cardholder's available credit and sending it to the card network, which transfers the funds to the acquirer. The acquirer then deposits the funds into the seller's merchant account, known as funding or settlement.

Unlike authorization that happens in seconds, clearing and funding usually take longer—around two to three business days. This delay, a standard hold in the industry, serves as an extra safety measure to prevent fraud and ensure financial security.

While a standard two-day delay is common, some payment processors offer faster funding services, granting brief credit to merchants until the settlement is complete.


In Summary
The entire payment process involves numerous intricate steps, often without a second thought by most consumers. However, when examined in detail, it's fascinating to comprehend the complexities behind the scenes of processing transactions when one realizes this takes place around 1.86 billion credit card transactions daily.

At First Coast Payments , our dedication lies in ensuring that a business will take payments quickly and smoothly so they can focus on their customers. We provide with seamless, cost-effective, and transparent payments, while the business will maximize payment revenues.

We are here to help you should you have questions this post or anything related to Point-of-Sale systems or credit card processing solutions. Call First Coast Payments at 904-638-8804!
0 Comments

Reminders & Best Practices

8/30/2022

1 Comment

 
Picture
  • Only use your account for the product and services it was approved for. For example, you have a retail shop, you are not allowed to run a credit card for a used car you are selling.
  • It is not allowed for you to use your personal or business credit card to put funds in your checking account.*
  • Don't "loan" your account to another business. For example, the roofing business next door needs to run one transaction thru your account.*
  • If you need to refund a purchase and a credit card was used, refund back to the same credit card. Store credit is OK, however must be a written policy disclosed to the cardholder at the time of purchase. Do not give cash or a check.*
  • If you move and have a new business address, let us know so we can maintain the correct info with the card brands. Also, we might need to update the header of the receipt.*
  • If you are selling your business, let us know BEFORE the closing so we can have a new account set up with the new owner and properly close your account. 
  • If you closing your business, let us know. Any billing will continue until the account is closed.
  • If you are a retail business and need to manually enter a card there are certain rules you must follow.* Let us know if you are not sure.
  • If your account is a card not present account, always input the billing address, zip card, and the CVV at the time of sale. Look for the response to see if all the info matches. This helps to prevent fraud and helps should there be a dispute due to fraud.
  • Be suspicious of large orders that are shipped to an out-of-town address. Many times it could be a fraud and a stolen credit card involved. Just because there is an approval is no guarantee it is legit.

 
*Per requirements of the card brands.

We are here to help you should you have questions about Best Practices or anything related to Point Of Sale systems or credit card processing solutions. Give us a call at 904-638-8804​
1 Comment

Chargebacks & Disputes Rising

4/11/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
We posted back in January 2021 “Protect Your Business Against Disputes and Charge Backs” Click here to view previous post. 

Since then we continue to see chargebacks / disputes increasing for all types of merchants. While it’s impossible to avoid charge chargebacks / disputes entirely, the good news is there are simple steps you can take to reduce the number of chargebacks / disputes your business receives and protect your profits. We outline what to do if you receive a chargeback / disputes and the actions you can take to reduce their occurrence.

Read More
0 Comments

White Glove Service

10/26/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Have you ever noticed it seems like most companies don’t want you to call them? When you go to their website the phone number is almost impossible to find! It would seem that they don’t want their contact number to be located easily. After several maneuvers of verification and hold you finally reach a live customer service individual, only to then be transferred to yet another. The whole endeavor can be most frustrating!⠀
⠀
With our service we are your dedicated contact.  We offer white glove service! After your business has been boarded, we continue to support you. We can help you with bank changes, address changes, credit card dispute and more.  If you need to talk about your statement we are here to help you and answer your questions. Best of all there are no phone tree to go through. We are available, by phone, email and text. It’s called SERVICE after the sale and we mean it!⠀
0 Comments
<<Previous

    First Coast PAYMENTS BLOG

    We eliminate the junk fees others charge.

    Archives

    May 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    November 2024
    June 2024
    February 2024
    December 2023
    August 2022
    April 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    August 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    August 2015

    Categories

    All
    Contactless Payments
    Disputes
    Equipment
    Fees
    Fraud
    Interchange Fees
    Software

    RSS Feed

Get Our Newsletter
Picture
Picture
Credit Card Processing for small to mid-size businesses. We eliminate the junk fees.
Serving Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Fernandina Beach, Yulee, and beyond.

Admin | ​Privacy
Site powered by eCoalitions.net
​First Coast Payments is a registered agent office for several ISO/MSP. Disclosure.
© 2024 First Coast Payments. All Rights Reserved.
Photos from wuestenigel (CC BY 2.0), kuhnmi
  • Home
  • About
  • Services
    • Dual Pricing Program
    • Point of Sale Systems >
      • Lavu
      • Clover
      • Exatouch >
        • DeliverMe Demo Form
    • Terminals
    • Credit Card Processing
    • High Risk Accounts
    • Special Offer
    • Fees of a Merchant Account
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Quote
  • Blog
  • Contact