Novera Payment Solutions

Your customers should feel confident about the security of your website every time they pay online. As a merchant, it's your responsiblity to understand the fundamentals of online credit card payments and security. At the root of online security is SSL, or secure sockets layer. 

Here's what you need to know about SSL and Online Credit Card Payments for merchant account security.

What is SSL protection?

When SSL is enabled on a website, it helps the consumer’s web browser scramble their personal information before it gets sent to you (the merchant) to complete the transaction. Once sent, SSL allows only your software to unscramble the data sent. With SSL, you can complete transactions with the assurance that others cannot access the personal information (i.e. credit card numbers) as it travels across the Internet, from the consumers computer to your website eCommerce software.

How to Tell if a Website has SSL

To find out if your online credit card payments are protected by SSL, look for the picture of the unbroken key or closed lock in your browser window. Either indicator confirms SSL is activated.

Another way to verify if SSL is protecting your online credit card payments is to check the URL of the website you are on. You should see it change from "http" to "https" when processing secure transactions.

How to Get SSL on Your Website

There are four basic steps involved in getting SSL on your website.

1. Purchase SSL Certificate
2. Generate a CSR (Certificate Signing Request)
   
3. Enroll for a SSL server certificate
   
4. Install the SSL server cerificate

It sounds pretty technical, but typically your website hosting provider guides you through this process as you setup your online storefront and merchant account credit card payments capability.

SSL is Just the Beginning of Your Security Requirements

SSL is only the beginning of your responsibility for protecting card holder data transacted through your website. PCI Compliance is an absolute must. According to the PCI Security Standards Council, more than 340 million computer records containing sensitive personal information have been involved in security breaches in the U.S. since 2005, and more than 80% of the attacks targeted small merchants. If you are at fault for a security breach involving card holder data, the fallout and penalties can be severe for your business. For more on PCI Compliance, read our recent blog article: 7 Reasons Why You Should Care About Protecting Card Holder Data

At Novera Payment Solutions we work hard to take to take the headache out of PCI Compliance for you.  Give us a call ... not only will we save you money over your current credit card processing solution with our flat fee merchant account, but we will guide you through PCI Compliance maze and make it simple to get up and running!

Did you get a GREAT deal on your credit card processing rates and receive a statement from your merchant processor with surprise added extra fees? 

Unfortunately, you are not alone.

It's common in the credit card processing industry for merchants to be lured into attractive credit card processing rate deals, only to find out later they have been misled. Reading the fine print could have prevented it, but really ... who reads the fine print?

Three terms in the merchant processing industry that you should make yourself familiar with as  a business owner are:  Qualified, Non-Qualified, and Mid-Qualified.

These are common in tiered credit card processing rates and are very easily manipulated by merchant processors to the disadvantage of the merchant.

Let's take a close look at each.

Qualified Credit Card Processing Rate

The qualified rate in tiered pricing structure merchant accounts is the lowest rate a business will pay. Obviously, this is the rate that is advertised by the processor because it is lowest, yet depending on your business type a low number of your transactions could actually be categorized into this fee bucket.

Here are a couple of additional things that they don't tell you:

1. Typically, only non-reward consumer credit cards and debit are included in this rate bucket. You know all the TV commercials advertising "reward" cards and "cash back" on purchases? If a consumer uses one of these cards during the purchase, you will not get the "qualified" rate on your fees.
2. Worse yet, some processors use bait and switch tactics where they advertise the Qualified rate lower than Mastercard and Visa's lowest credit card interchange rate. When this happens, they only route debit card transactions to this bucket. That means credit card transaction (non-reward or not) go to the higher rate Mid-Qualified and Non-Qualified automatically, regardless of the type of credit card used in the transaction.

Non-Qualified Credit Card Processing Rate

This is the most expensive rate bucket and can be the most common, hence the surprise added cost to your credit card processing fees. Typically, all transactions using high-end rewards program cards are routed here.

What else they don't tell you:

1. Business card purchases are typically routed here.  Are you a business-to-business company? If so, there's a good chance that most of your credit card transactions are being routed to the highest fee bucket, the non-qualified rate!
2. Do you hand key in transactions through a virtual terminal? If you do, and if the complete billing information isn't entered, your processor likely pushes that transaction to the non-qualified rate bucket and you are paying a higher fee.

Mid-Qualified Credit Card Processing Rate

This is the most nebulous credit card processing tier (or fee bucket). Typically any consumer credit card with a basic rewards program will find its way to the Mid-Qualified bucket. 

What else they don't tell you:

1. Do you swipe credit cards in your retail location? Typically, swiped reward credit cards, as well as consumer transactions that are manually keyed-in (both credit and debit) hit the mid-qualified rate bucket.
2. Additionally, the merchant processor can change what makes a transaction qualified without notice. That means a transaction that was qualified when you signed the contract for your credit card processing, may not be qualified 6-months down the road.

The Novera Approach

Novera Payment Solutions has developed a unique flat fee credit card pricing format that passes along all the direct transactional costs:

1. Interchange
2. The processor costs
3. A small “flat fixed fee” per month depending on the monthly merchant volume (usually between $19.95 and $99.95 per month).  This amount is essentially the gross margin on the account.

Since everyone knows we are in business to make a profit, we are not hesitant to let our merchant clients know what a reasonable profit margin will be instead of hiding it within inflated rate buckets.

In most cases, Novera Payment Solutions also offers the option of either “Next Day” or “Weekend Funding,” and always with “Gross Deposits.”  Unlike many processors who deduct their rates/fees daily from your deposits, fees for our services are not collected until the month after the month you have been processing.  This means you get your money faster and it’s easier to reconcile with your bank statements.

Are you ready to stop paying too much for your credit card processing?

Request a free quote from Novera Payment Solutions.  The question is not, can we save you money" ... rather how MUCH money can we save your business!

Sys2K has teamed up with Novera Payment Solutions, LLC (Novera). Novera is a partner for integrated credit card payment processing services and debit card payment processing to Sys2K clients. Novera was selected to help guide you through the complicated world of credit & debit card acceptance. Novera delivers a unique combination of value, integrity and price transparency to Sys2K clients that is unparalleled throughout the payment processing industry.

Who is Novera Payment Solutions?

Novera Payment Solutions is well known as a leader in the credit card payments industry and is committed to helping auto dealerships and other businesses improve their bottom line by providing significant savings on credit card processing fees through our innovative and transparent pricing models.

Contact Novera to learn more about how we work with small businesses, auto dealers and auto dealer associations to provide the most fair and transparent pricing structure available on the market today for credit card processing.

It sure felt like you got a great deal on your credit card processing when you signed up, but suddenly you noticed your rates seem higher, you are receiving confusing statements, and it looks like you are paying much more than you thought you would be.

Sadly, this is not uncommon for business owners.

It's not uncommon in payment processing industry for companies to pull bait and switch tactics to get your business. Their advertisements can lead you into believing you are getting a great low rate for your credit card processing. After you sign up and as you review your statements over the first few months, you notice that you are paying much more in fees than you ever expected. Suddenly there are additional fees tacked on that you weren't aware of.

When you are comparison shopping for a credit card processing company to trust, it's important to be an informed consumer. When you understand how rates are structured and where additional fees can be hidden, it arms you with the right questions to ask the provider.

Download our free white paper that outlines (in everyday language) five reasons why your current processor is more expensive than you thought. 

We even give you a solution to resolve it!

5 REASONS YOUR CURRENT CREDIT CARD PROCESSOR IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN YOU
THOUGHT (AND HOW TO FIX IT!)

WebRezPro cloud property management system offers US customers integrated PCI-compliant payment processing through a new interface with Novera Payment Solutions, LLC.

WebRezPro™, a complete, cloud-based property management system (PMS) for independent hotels, hotel groups and chains, vacation rentals and inns, is pleased to announce a partnership with Novera Payment Solutions, LLC. The Novera interface allows US customers to securely process credit card payments directly through WebRezPro PMS.  

As part of this partnership, Novera provides its integrated payment and credit card processing solution to WebRezPro customers utilizing a transparent flat fixed monthly fee structure; all additional fees normally associated with payment processing integration — gateway fees and interface setup and maintenance fees— have been absorbed into one bundled package.

“The partnership between Novera and World Web Technologies Inc. is exactly the type of relationship we look for with Integrated Software Vendors or (ISV’s)….. The collaborative effort between World Web Technologies, Inc. and Novera has definitely produced a great offering for the WebRezPro clients, and we are extremely pleased to be partnered with them” said John Wisniewski, Director of Business Development for Novera Payment Solutions, LLC.

 “With Novera, we are pleased to offer our clients a straightforward, secure and robust integrated credit card processing solution that will save them time and money,” said Frank Verhagen, President of World Web Technologies Inc., the company behind WebRezPro.

About WebRezPro

WebRezPro™ is a powerful and cost-effective cloud property management system designed to meet all front- and back-office needs of independent hotels, hotel groups and chains, vacation rental management, and inns. WebRezPro offers all the features of a traditional PMS such as integrated accounting, GDS connectivity and multiple interfaces, as well as advantages unique to cloud-based systems, including remote accessibility, integrated Web and mobile reservations and automatic data back-up. Serving hundreds of clients in 20 countries, WebRezPro is a product of World Web Technologies Inc., a pioneering Internet marketing and software company for the tourism and hospitality industries since 1994.

About Novera Payment Solutions

Novera specializes in partnerships with Integrated Software Vendors or (ISV’s) for payment acceptance.  These partnership programs include the initial design plan, including optimization for maximum adoption of uses and the ongoing management of the program. Novera is one of the largest registered Member Service Providers (MSP’s) for WorldPay and offers optimal flexibility in accepting payments, and virtual terminal solutions through PCI-compliant payment processing and transparent flat-fee pricing plans.

What is Malware?

Many people believe that malware is used to hack a computer system, but this in inaccurate.  Malware is a tool that hackers use to steal data from a system that has already been compromised.  In other words, the system has to be hacked first, then malware is installed and data from that system is collected and removed.

When a system is compromised, hackers typically get in through a security misconfiguration or by exploiting a securty bug in an application installed on the system. This is why it's important to stay current on security updates and patches for all software that you run on your system.

Malware comes in several forms:

1. It can be installed on a payment server to collect cardholder data
2. It can be run as a piece of software that crawls files on the system to detect, locate, and steal card holder data
3. It can capture keystrokes from computer keyboard or register and capture account numbers

There are several tools available that can prevent and detect malware, including local anti-virus and anti-malware programs, file integrity monitoring (FIM), and outbound internet filtering.

File integrity monitoring tools, do just that ... they monitor sensitive systems and look for irregularities and changes. This could signify a system breach or a malware install and action can immediately be taken.

Outbound internet filtering has to do with firewalls and proxies that can be setup on systems to monitor activity between the system and Internet. Merchant use outbound internet filtering to restrict access to only authorized sites.

Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware programs scan the local system looking for suspicious downloads, trojans, and other malware that may have been injected on the system. It important to have these tools installed on every system and to run virus definition updates daily.

How PCI Compliance Fits In

Merchants who are PCI Compliant have layered security controls to prevent, detect, and react to breaches. PCI Compliance is not optional for merchants ... it's a requirement for all businesses who accept credit cards. Failure to meet the requirements can be catastrophic for business owners if they ever fall victim to a breach on their system.

The standards are set by PCI Security Standard Council. The council is an open global forum, launched in 2006, responsible for the development, management, education, and awareness of the PCI Security Standards, including the Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS), and PIN Transaction Security (PTS) requirements.

Their website is extensive and has more information than you could ever want to know about becoming PCI Compliant and maintaining the standard. Full PCI requirements are detailed and outlined here: https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/

Granted, most merchants who read through these requirements have their eyes crossed within minutes. It can be complicated, but it's essential that you don't ignore it.

At Novera Payment Solutions we work hard to take to take the headache out of PCI Compliance for you.  Give us a call ... not only will we save you money over your current credit card processing solution with our flat fee merchant account, but we will guide you through PCI Compliance maze and make it simple to get up and running!

As a business owner who accepts credit cards, it's imperative that you not only protect customer credit card numbers, but you also must protect all sensitive information around their accounts and transactions. PCI Compliance can be complex, and we've written several blog posts about it. We'll address it more in future posts.

This article focuses on the most basic security step you need to take in protecting sensitive information for your customers and your business ... creating  secure passwords.

Here are 8 tips for making your passwords more secure

1. Use a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers and symbols

Hacking software uses a brute force attack process by running all possible combinations of letters, numbers, and symbols (typically at around 6 million passwords per second). Using a combination of all four (including upper and lower case characters) makes your passwords far more complex because it increases the number possibilities per digit exponentially.

2. Make sure the password is long enough

According to several security sites online, a 5 or 6 character password can be cracked by hacking software in under 3 minutes. Step it up to 7 characters and it takes about 1 week, get to 9 characters and it's over 70 years! Are you feeling the sudden urge to go change your passwords now?

3. Avoid common passwords

While it may be obvious that you shouldn't do it, people do it any way. AVOID the most commonly used passwords. According to CBS News, these are the top ten common passwords from 2013.

1.  123456

2.  password

3.  12345678

4.  qwerty

5.  abc123

6.  123456789

7.  111111

8.  1234567

9.  iloveyou

10.  adobe123 

Get the full top 25 here!

4. Change your passwords regularly

You should change your passwords every 4-6 months. And DO NOT recycle passwords. For exmaple, if you use one password for your bank account now and change it in 6 months, don't reuse that password on your QuickBooks login down the road. If you do, it leaves your accounts vulnerable to hackers.

5. Use a different password for EVERY account

Are you guilty of using the same password for every online account you have?  Stop!  The danger here is if ONE of your accounts gets compromised, they can all be compromised.  It's a hassle to use different passwords for sure, but if your business and personal financial accounts are breached, it quickly becomes more than a hassle.  If client data is breached, it can be catastrophic.

6. Use a password generator

It can be difficult to think of complex passwords, so use a password generator to assist if you need to! It will create a random complex password with the right combination of numbers, symbols, upper and lowercase letters. Norton has free password generator anyone can use ... and it's a trusted site. 
https://identitysafe.norton.com/password-generator

7. Do not share your passwords

Password ".txt" files, note pads with password lists, and post-it notes stuck to your monitor are not secure. If you must share a password with someone, NEVER email it to them.  Email is not secure. Be certain you change your password after they have used your account and are done with their work. Even though the person you are sharing the password with may be trustworthy, the system they are logging in from could easily be infected with a virus or malware that can steal information and you would never know it until it is too late.

8. Consider using a password manager

It's no secret that changing your passwords every six months, not recycling them, having at least 9 characters with a combination of upper and lower case letters, number & symbols, and not writing it down on a post-it or recording it in a notebook makes it virtually impossible to manage and remember. Fortunately, there are solutions out there to assist you. They are called password managers. There are several on the market available at a variety of price points. Just google "password manager"  and you'll have plenty of options to choose from.

We all fall victim to creating simple, easy to remember passwords, but it's a dangerous practice. Security breaches don't just happen to the "other guy" ... one day it WILL happen to you if you are not taking the proper precautions, especially with passwords.

Want to learn more about keeping your customer card holder data secure and how to ensure you are PCI compliant with your merchant account?  Contact Novera Payment Solutions ... we can help (and save your business money on credit card processing fees at the same time)!

As you are browsing the internet for resources on how to accept credit cards for your business, you may stumble upon an ad that looks something like this:

Regardless of how many times you have seen an ad like this on Google, these “Free” credit card merchant accounts don’t exist.  When processors advertise “free merchant accounts,” they are usually referring to equipment or application fees.  All businesses have to pay interchange fees to card-issuing banks, assessments to the card brands and a markup of some sort to the processor.  Therefore, it can’t be entirely free.  Don’t waste your time looking for a completely free merchant account; instead use Novera Payment Solutions which offers a unique transparent pricing model unparalleled in the merchant services industry.

Understanding Credit Card Fees

Most processors still prefer to use tiered or a form of cost plus pricing in order to preserve the highest profit margins on merchant accounts.  Understanding these pricing forms is key in determining if your paying more than you should be for your merchant account.  Twice a year, the credit card brands review and adjust their transactional costs and pass them along to the processors.  In turn, the processors use this as an opportunity to raise the entire expense for the merchant.  Ultimately, this is what causes the merchant fee to creep upwards over time.  It’s not simple, it’s not transparent and it’s not fair pricing.  

The Novera Approach

Novera Payment Solutions has developed a unique flat fee credit card pricing format that passes along all the direct transactional costs:

1. Interchange
2. The processor costs
3. A small “flat fixed fee” per month depending on the monthly merchant volume (usually between $19.95 and $99.95 per month).  This amount is essentially the gross margin on the account.

Since everyone knows we are in business to make a profit, we are not hesitant to let our merchant clients know what a reasonable profit margin will be.

Over time, the savings can actually increase because unlike the “tiered” and/or other forms of cost plus pricing structures, our program only raises the one line item that is affected rather than increasing each tier when the credit card brands change their rates.  This is the only true transparent way of offering merchant processing. 

In most cases, Novera Payment Solutions also offers the option of either “Next Day” or “Weekend Funding,” and always with “Gross Deposits.”  Unlike many processors who deduct their rates/fees daily from your deposits, fees for our services are not collected until the month after the month you have been processing.  This means you get your money faster and it’s easier to reconcile with your bank statements.

Join the Novera Payment Solutions team for a free webinar focusing on what you need to know about credit card processing.

The webinar is April 15, 2014 @ 2:00 PM EST and is designed to help you understand the in's and out's of the credit card processing industry. This valuable free webinar will be 45 minutes or less and we guarantee you will learn practical information to help you make better choices when shopping for credit card processing services.

As a participant in this webinar you will learn the following:

• Understand Visa/MC/Disc. true underlying cost which in turn will help you negotiate better pricing
• How to make sure you are getting a truly fair deal for payment processing services
• Awareness of the latest in technology available in the market place today
• Tips for keeping credit card processing costs down
• Best practices for keeping cardholder data secure and maintaining PCI compliance

You can register for this free webinar using the link below.

About Novera Payment Solutions

Novera Payment Solutions is a leader in the credit card payments industry. We are committed to helping businesses improve their bottom line by providing significant savings on credit card processing fees through our innovative flat fee merchant account pricing model.

Contact Novera to learn more about how we work with businesses  to provide the most fair and transparent pricing structure available on the market today!

SPACE IS LIMITED!

FREE WEBINAR : WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CREDIT CARD PROCESSING

APRIL 15, 2014

2:00 PM EST

Facebook is rolling out a new look to business pages in April 2014. The new look not only allows visitors to view your business information more easily, but it also helps your page administrators better navigate through the available Facebook business tools. 

Key Changes to Facebook Company Page Layout

1. Timeline Design

No more jumping from the left to the right to read the most recent posts on a business page.  The new timeline design for business pages will be similar to the news feed and current personal profile timelines.  Now you will see the most recent posts on the right side of the page, while the left side of the page is filled with your business information.  All of the information that is currently horizontal along the top of your business page will be moved to the left-hand column on the timeline.  This information includes a map, your business hours, phone number and website URL. Your videos, photos and apps will also be featured in the left-hand column.  Below that information you will find your reviews and posts by others on your page.  Now your posts will be the first thing visitors see on the right instead of who likes the page and posts by others.   

2. Access to Admin Tools

Wherever you are on your page, you will always have access to the most important information for business administrators: page likes, post reach, notifications and messages.  A box on the right-hand side will display these numbers for you to easily view at anytime as it moves along with you while you scroll down the page.  Instead of the current admin panel you have at the top of your business page, the new layout features a navigation bar where you can easily access the specific information that you want.  These tabs include Activity, Insights, Settings, Build Audience and Help.  On the Insights page, you can access the statistics on your likes, reach, engagement, visits, people and posts.  The Build Audience tab will provide access to your Ads manager.   

3. Pages to Watch

Currently, there is a spot in your admin panel where you can add pages to watch such as your competitors or other pages related to yours.  This feature has been moved to Insights tab in the new admin navigation bar.  In the Overview section, you can see some key statistics about the pages you are watching and compare them to your own page.  You can view more detailed information on what posts are working for them and their engagement over the past week under the Pages tab of the Insights.  This feature allows you to stay on top on your competition! 

4. Relocation of Facebook Tabs

The Facebook tabs for photos, events, apps and more that were customizable with photos and text will no longer appear horizontally under your cover photo.  These are now available under the more tab and in the left-hand column of the newly designed timeline layout under your business information. 

5. Encouragement to “Like” Page

Visitors to your business page (who have not already) will be encouraged to “like” your page.  As they are scrolling through your timeline looking at the content, a white bar prompt will pop –up that says “Get updates from Your Business in your News Feed” with a call to action button to “Like” your page.  As the visitor scrolls down, the bar floats along with them so it is always in front of them while they are on your page. 

Administrators should watch for a notice as Facebook gradually rolls out this new look.  Once you have clicked to reserve your spot on the waiting list, give it a few days for the new version of your page to appear.  As with other updates, Facebook is known to reset your page settings to a default setting.  This can actually cause some of your posts to be hidden which will result in a “Facebook Oops” graphic on your page instead of the content you intended to be shown.  Once you receive the new 2014 Facebook page layout, be sure to check and reconfigure your settings where needed. 

For more information:

https://www.facebook.com/business/news/A-Streamlined-Look-for-Pages

http://www.steamfeed.com/new-facebook-page-layout-2014-expect/

About Novera Payment Solutions

Novera Payment Solutions is a leader in the credit card payments industry. We are committed to helping businesses improve their bottom line by providing significant savings on credit card processing fees through our innovative flat fee merchant account pricing model.

Contact Novera to learn more about how we work with businesses  to provide the most fair and transparent pricing structure available on the market today!