Credit Card Processing & Merchant Services

I’m often asked by clients – is there a way to not pay the credit card fees? YES! There is software for your website, office invoicing and even your retail machine that can help YOU surcharge compliantly. What does that mean, compliant??? You can cover all of the costs of a credit transaction by charging 3.50% BUT you cannot surcharge on a debit card transaction and must pay 1% and 25 cents for those transactions.

To learn more about the rules and compliant options we can offer, send us an email, click the button – help us, help you! (off screen – say it?) no I’m not doing it (say it!) I will not say show me the money….

In the last 2 years you may have heard more using the term – Level 2 and level 3 processing. This is a program run by Visa and MasterCard requiring, you the merchant, to enter more data per transaction. For providing that data, that must be entered correctly, Visa and MasterCard will give you back 0.20% to 0.75% on your processing costs.

This is a great program but it ISN’T easy and not everyone sees a big return. To learn more about this savings and how we can help you, please click on the button to get a quote. Reach out, you know you want to – only thing between you and some savings….

You cannot sell Cannabis and accept a credit or debit card. BUT we do offer a wallet solution. IF you’re a cannabis business and need help taking payments, reach out and learn more about our cashless text to pay option. You’ll be glad you did.

PCI DSS is required and you need  to do it annually – oh ya, Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards. Every business must self-assess and some have to run SAQ scans to show compliance that their processing standards are secure based on the industry standard rules. These standards aren’t just on merchants, but also issuing banks and processors.

PCI compliance is important to us and we offer ways for your business to get compliant with industry leading security solutions. If you want to learn more about how easy it is to get PCI compliant – you know what to do – email, call or request a quote.

We’ve already discussed how the pricing works. But what other fees might you encounter besides Authorization and Percentage?

These are the Fees GMS charges.

• GMS bundles monthly support and PCI fees into a single monthly charge based on the type of account you have. You might pay for these separately on your current statements. And sometimes PCI is billed annually so keep your eyes open.
• Per Occurrence Fees – Bank account change, DBA change for your business
• POS monthly license fees – based on the POS and number of units this fee varies but we pass it along at our cost
• Annual Fee – this is a pass along from any card brand or debit association that they charge based on your use.
• Chargeback and Retrieval fees – these fees are charged when a chargeback comes to your business from a customer dispute. These fees can vary but for more detail – call us!
• Gateway fees – we covered this in what is a gateway but these are specific fees for that gateways usage. If you don’t know if you have a gateway and you’re getting charged this fee – you might want to ask a few questions to your current processor.

These are the fees we don’t charge but you may see on your

• Account Setup or Application Fee – these fees are charged to open the account and should only be charged one time.
• Minimum Fees – Some processors will charge if you don’t process enough volume and meet their minimum revenue expectations for your account. Imagine going on vacation from your business and having to still pay processing fees to make sure the company you work with gets their money.
• Statement fees – are charged so you can get your monthly statement – UM shouldn’t that be free?
• batch fees – are typically charged daily so you can get your money that you just processed. So you give them more to get the money you just earned – that doesn’t sound right.
• Closure or termination fees – you retire, sell your business, close your business or change processors – you may be getting a fee to end your account with whomever you’re currently processing with. This can vary from a flat amount to a calculation based on contract time left and expected revenue – that sounds confusing and predatory because it kinda is. We never have and never will charge these fees. In fact our contract is month to month.
• Shenanigan fees – THESE fees look very legit and almost like a card brand assessment but they’re super fake! They are the hardest fees to spot.

There are probably other fees and if anything on your statement looks weird, confusing or expensive you should call your current processor and ask WHAT IS THIS? If you don’t get a clear confident answer – you should start looking for a new partner. We’re happy to walk you through what your current fees are and how you can do better.