A common misconception by many small businesses is that they are too small to have to worry about PCI compliance. This couldn't be further from the truth. If you accept credit cards online, you are required to be PCI compliant. If you are not, your business can face very steep fines.

You are solely responsible for securing your customer cardholder data to meet Payment Card Industry rules.

Small merchants are prime targets for data thieves ... in fact, they are some of the biggest targets because they are the easiest targets. It’s your job to protect cardholder data at the point-of-sale. If cardholder data is stolen (and it’s your fault) you could incur fines, penalties, even termination of the right to accept payment cards, which could be catastrophic for your business.

Why Does PCI Compliance Matter for a Small Business?

According to the PCI Security Standards websute, more than 340 million computer records containing sensitive personal information have been involved in security breaches in the U.S. since 2005. Criminals target small merchants because most have minimal security for cardholder data. More than 80% of attacks target small merchants.

If you are at fault for a card holder security breach, your small business can face:

• Fines and penalties
• Loss of the ability to accept payment cards
• Cost of reissuing new payment cards
• Legal costs
• Fraud losses
• Loss of the business

What to Secure

Focus first on protecting the cardholder data under your control.

You are responsible for protecting cardholder data at the point of sale, and as it flows into your credit card payment system. The single best step you can take is to not store any cardholder data.

PCI compliance includes protecting:

• Card readers
• Point of sale systems
• Store networks & wireless access routers
• Payment card data storage and transmission
• Payment card data stored in paper-based records

Small Businesses May Evaluate with a Self-Assessment Questionnaire

Most small merchants can use a self-validation tool to assess their security for cardholder data, which includes a short list of yes-or-no questions for compliance. You can access self-assessment questionnaires on the PCI Security Standards website.

How to Meet the PCI Security Standards

The PCI Security Standards website is an invaluable resource for small businesses working to be PCI compliant. Their suggestions include:

• Buy and use only approved PIN entry devices at your points-of-sale. 
• Buy and use only validated payment software at your POS or website shopping cart. 
• Do not store any sensitive cardholder data in computers or on paper.
• Use a firewall on your network and PCs.
• Make sure your wireless router is password-protected and uses encryption.
• Use strong passwords.
• Regularly check PIN entry devices and PCs to make sure no one has installed rogue software or “skimming” devices.
• Teach your employees about security and protecting cardholder data.
• Follow the PCI standard ongoing 3-step process (below)

PCI Compliance: Ongoing 3-step process

• Assess
  This includes identifying cardholder data, taking an inventory of your IT assets and business processes for payment card processing, and analyzing them for vulnerabilities.
• Remediate
  Includes fixing vulnerabilities and not storing cardholder data unless you need it.
• Report
  Includes compiling and submitting required reports to the acquiring bank and card brands you do business with.

The bottom line is that PCI compliance DOES MATTER no matter what the size of your business. We understand that it can seem cumberson for small businesses, but that's no reason to put it off or ignore it. The livelihood of your business may be at stake if you suffer a data breach.

The Novera Payment Solutions team works with small businesses to help alleviate the burden of meeting the PCI compliance standards. Our PIN entry devices and POS systems are PCI compliant, so you don't have to worry. We can also assist you with the PCI compliance self-evaluation and answer an questions you might have.

Don't take the risk. Find out if you are PCI compliant TODAY, and let us help you take the necessary steps to get there if you are not.

CONTACT NOVERA PAYMENT SOLUTIONS for a no obligation PCI compliance review.

Is Your Business Website Mobile? 

Most Popular Devices

Some interesting statistics on the most popular devices that people are now using to search the internet: 

Google Comes in to Play April 21

What does this mean for your business?

Having a stand-alone mobile website enables you to get in front of the huige mobile marketplace and display your important business information clearly and quickly to a mobile users.  This can lead to better sales conversions for your business. Plus, with Google's recent announcement, it may also mean that you website will rank better than it was without a mobile-friendly version.

About Novera Payment Solutions

In 2014 there were many changes in social media, and we expect that trend to continue in 2015. Companies will continue to build their internet marketing strategies and continue to rely on social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+. For 2015, however, video and video sharing will be the growing content of choice.  Who would have though that video sharing on Facebook would overcome Youtube as the most common sharing platform?  But it has!

Consider these video marketing statistics from BrainShark:

1.  74% of all internet traffic in 2017 will be video - See more at: http://www.brainshark.com/Ideas-Blog/2014/March/ten-video-marketing-statistics-and-what-they-mean-to-you.aspx#sthash.MDXVpPxn.dpuf

    74% of all internet traffic in 2017 will be video  - See more at: http://www.brainshark.com/Ideas-Blog/2014/March/ten-video-marketing-statistics-and-what-they-mean-to-you.aspx#sthash.MDXVpPxn.dpuf
   74% of all internet traffic in 2017 will be video
   
   74% of all internet traffic will be video by 2017
2. 52% of marketers report that video content produces the best return on investment
3. Video in email can boost open rates 20%
4. 65% of video viewers watch over 2/3 of a video
5. 33% of tablet owners watch more than one hour of video on their tablets each day

Pretty powerful stuff when considering how to best market your company!

What does this mean for your business?

You should develop a plan for video ... create great, targeted, high-definition video content that can be shared across your entire range of social media channels.  Videos should include targeted calls to action to drive viewers back to your website and social channels.

Creating video for your business is easier than you think!

People get stifled by the misconception that business videos must be professionally produced. Nothing could be further from the truth. It's called social media because consumers want you to be SOCIAL ... when it comes to small business, people buy from people, not from companies.

The businesses that have the most success with social media and video are those that keep it real and build social relationships with their fans and followers. That means if you have a smart phone, there's no excuse not to have video on your social channels. You can record your best customers giving you a testimonial (social proof), build a video FAQ library where you answer common questions from prospective customers, take video of your team and let your customers get to know them ... the possiblities are endless. 

Free basic tools link Animoto.com allow you to use royalty free music tracks, import your photos and video clips, and click a button to produce a beautiful business marketing piece. Add video to your business marketing plan for 2015. You won't regret it!

Some additional trends that we see in 2015:

1. Mobile Marketing will be a crucial element of your marketing strategy. The major social networks now have a worldwide mobile penetration of 93%

2. Paid Ads on social websites will become increasingly unavoidable, requiring fees to market your business.

3. When searching locally, Google searches will expand over to Google+ profiles and pages to include these results. Something to think about if you do not have a Google+ profile.

4. Paid media will be necessary to distribute your content at the right time and to the right audience. Paid media will allow for more conversions to your website than will organic outreach such as “Likes.”

5. Republishing your top posts will allow you to capitalize on your most engaging content. You will reach additional audiences that you did not reach with the first post.

6. Personal interaction with your followers will continue to be very important. Building trust with your potential clients in responding to their feedback and comments will continue to be critical.

7. Facebook is still king, but a combination of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Blog, and other social media will allow you to reach the largest audience while positively affecting your search engine ranking!

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 how you can accept credit cards for your business!

Cybercrime is a serious and ongoing threat to businesses. Your business files may be at great risk if a hacker gains access to your PC or network. Keeping a computer free of viruses and your network protected should be a number one priority. Not only is it important to protect your personal and business data, it's essential for PCI compliance.

Here are 11 ways that you can protect yourself and business data stored on your computer:

1. It is critical you have an up-to-date antivirus software and anti-malware software. While this will not protect you from everything, it's better than having nothing at all.
    
2. Make sure you have all of the latest updates for your computer's operating system. You can set Windows to automatically download and install updates.
   
   
3. Be mindful of the websites you are browsing. Generally, if it looks suspicious, it is.
   
   
4. Do not save your passwords list as a file on your computer. Keep this handy elsewhere. Also, do not use the same password for each website. For very important accounts, create a randomly generated password as this greatly increases its security.
   
   
5. You can set your computer to password lock itself when it goes to sleep. This is important to keep others from accessing your account if you step away.
   
   
6. Backup your data often. There are many ways you can backup data whether it be on a thumb drive, an external hard drive, or a cloud based solution such as Dropbox or Google Drive.
   
   
7. Keep your personal data off of your work computer. If you want to have access to these files, leave them on a thumb drive or external hard drive.
   
   
8. If using a laptop, never leave it in a location where it’s easily visible. This increases the risk for it to be stolen. 
   
   
9. When browsing email, be careful of the links and attachments you open. Unless they are from a known source, it's better to not open them until you are able to scan the email for threats.
   
   
10. Clear your internet cookies regularly. These files are generally where web-based viruses are stored. This can be done weekly or monthly and will typically prevent any malicious files or programs from infecting your computer.
    
    
11. Limit access to files to ONLY those who need it. This can prevent unauthorized access and keep your data safe.

How PCI Compliance Fits In

Merchants who are PCI Compliant have 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 extremely costly for business owners if they ever fall victim to a breach on their system.

The standards are set by PCI Security Standard Council. Their website is extensive and has more information than you could ever want to know about becoming PCI Compliant and maintaining the standard for your business.  https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/

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 can we possibly 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, you know it's essential in this day and age that you not only accept credit cards, but that you also accept debit cards, e-checks, and mobile payments. It's simply expected by your consumers.

Unfortunately, there is a wealth of bad and misleading information online today. Business owners can easily comparison shop for the best merchant account rates using Google, however there are so many nefarious companies pitching credit card processing solutions with bait and switch tactics, it's easy to be lured into a merchant processing contract that ends up costing you more than you ever expected and doesn't deliver all the service promised.

Novera Payment Solution Offers a Refreshing Approach to Credit Card Processing

Novera Solutions takes a completely different approach to merchant processing solutions. You won't get a bait and switch scheme here. Some of the things that make us different, heads and shoulders above the rest, in fact, include:

• We offer straight talk about why a merchant account including our “flat fee advantage” can be one of the best business decisions you’ll ever make.
• We offer complete payment integration with major accounting software applications (including QuickBooks credit card payment integration). Our API will allow you to support every type of transaction you could ask for.
• We take the mystery out of PCI compliance, and help ensure that you meet all requirements to keep your customer card holder data secure.
• We offer many levels of reporting for your convenience. If you are looking for drill down reporting on a specific merchant transaction or high level residual reporting for your agent or reseller business, we have got you covered.
• Our marketing department designs and delivers high quality marketing slicks so you can inform your customers about payment options.
• We provide complete support and guidance from merchant account conversion and boarding all the way through 24/7 365 WorldPay customer support.
• Novera can provide you with the ability to accept credit card payments online. Our Virtual terminal can allow you to set up recurring payments, one time charges... this even includes check or ACH.
• We have a programs that make sure your profits really are going to the bottom line. Including our Gift & Loyalty program that can be used to cross brand and promote additional locations. 

Learn Everything You Need to Know About In's & Out's of Credit Card Processing

Please join us in a FREE educational webinar  designed to help you understand the in's and out's of the credit card processing industry. We offer these webinars quarterly! 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 around for processing services.

As an attendee of this webinar you will gain the following:

• Ability to understand Visa/MC/Disc. true underlying cost which in turn will help you negotiate better pricing
• Knowledge on 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 processing costs down
• Best practices for keeping cardholder data secure and maintaining PCI compliance

Get the Date of Our Next FREE Webinar and Register Online

Small Business Saturday is on November 29, this year ... is your business ready to participate?  The goal of Small Business Saturday is to help small businesses do more business!

Founded in 2010 by American Express, Small Business Saturday was started to help businesses get more customers. The day is meant to encourage people to shop at local small businesses on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, instead of the Big Box stores. The day has grown into a powerful movement, and more people are taking part than ever before.

American Express is asking small businesses to join a movement that's made history and help make the fifth year of Small Business Saturday the biggest one yet.  There are three ways you can help!

1. Rally Your Neighborhood

   Organize a celebration to get your community to Shop Small on the day. American Express has created a great resource with event ideas that you can download. These are events that other communities have successfully run on Small Business Saturday to get local businesses to participate. Ideas include passsport runs, family days, fun runs, and kick off breakfasts!  Download your free copy here.

2. Promote Your Business

   Invite customers to shop at your business by creating free, personalized marketing materials. Get a digital banner, signage, and more to help attract a crowd of customers. American Express makes these available to you via their website. You can list your business as a participant on the Small Business Saturday website, create branded printable signage to remind people Small Business Satuday is coming, and drive traffic to your website using free online ads from American Express. All of these resources are available here.

3. Shop Small On The Day

   You are a business owner, but you are also a consumer.  American Express encourages you to check out events and small businesses in your neighborhood that you can visit on the day. They have several recommendations for fun things you can do to support your local businesses.  When you visit a business on Small Business Saturday, take a photo at the business and post it on social media ... tie it to the movement by using hashtag #shopsmall. You can visit the American Express website to see a list of businesses who have signed up to participate, but keep in mind, if they aren't on the website, they might not even know about it!  It's up to all of us to spread the word!

Everyone loves Black Friday and they flock to big box stores for the incredible deals they can get. The idea of Small Business Saturday is to raise awareness of the importance of local small businesses, support them, and ultimately drive business to the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  #SHOPSMALL

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 and trasparent flat fee merchant account pricing models. We are confident we can save your business money on credit card processing fees!

Save money on your credit card processing fees this holiday season.  
Contact us today for a free quote!

'Tis the season ... and if you are a retailer, it's time to get your holiday shopping game plan together!  Start by recognizing essential dates during the holiday season and planning your deals and discounts accordingly.

Here are 6 holiday shopping dates that every retailer must know:

1. National Shopping Reminder Day (Nov 25)
   As if we needed a reminder!  National Shopping Reminder Day is there to remind us that the countdown has started to get your Christmas list in order and get busy! As a retailer, you can take advantage of this national day by promoting early specials or discounts on your website and social media channels.
   
   
2. Thanksgiving Day (Nov 27)
   This is controversial shopping day. With many retailers suffering negative publicity for being open on Thanksgiving Day, consider proceeding with caution if you intend to promote Thanksgiving Day as a shopping day for your business.  That said, there are plenty of people who DO shop on Thanksgiving Day.  How not to miss out? Promote online only specials! That way you aren't encouraging people to ditch their families on this day of tradition, but you are giving them a great opportunity to pick up some deals online while the guys are sleeping on the couch.
   
   
3. Black Friday (Nov 28)
   The most well known of ALL shopping days ... the earlier you open the better! Retailers offer steep discounts in limited quantities and profit from the multitudes of people with open wallets coming through the doors. In recent years, Black Friday has become more of a weekend than a single day. Why not take advantage and tier multiple offers that last Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday?
   
   
4. Cyber Monday (Dec 1)
   Still in the shopping spirit, people head to work the Monday after Thanksgiving and spend their time looking for great discounts online. According to Channelnomics, "55 percent of businesses predict their employees will spend two to four hours a week throughout the holiday shopping season starting Cyber Monday -- and 63 percent expect a greater decrease in productivity compared with last year." Their loss is your gain ... make sure you take advantage of Cyber Monday by promoting your specials and discounts on your website and across all of your social media channels.
   
   
5. Free Shipping Day (Dec 18)
   Not a favorite day for retailers, but HUGELY popular with consumers, Free Shipping Day is not to be overlooked. The idea behind free shipping day is that you don't set a minimum order amount for free shipping. All shipping is free that day and the items being ordered are guaranteed by Christmas. Many consumers WAIT to shop just for this day, so make sure you are in the game. Avoid huge losses by minimizing other discounts and deals ... let your free shipping be the deal.
6. The Weekend Before Christmas (Dec 20 & 21)
   Procrastinators are your best friend. Shoppers who have waited until the weekend before Christmas to get their shopping done tend to price compare less and impulse buy more. You can profit by running specials this weekend, and you can even scale those specials back a touch. Instead of 15% or 20% off, try 12% (for the 12 days of Christmas)!

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 and trasparent flat fee merchant account pricing models. We are confident we can save your business money on credit card processing fees!

Save money on your credit card processing fees this holiday season. 
Contact us today for a free quote!

"Chargeback" is a term  used to describe when a customer disputes a charge on his or her bill. This typically happens when a customer doesn't recognize a charge, the customer is double-billed or charged the wrong amount, or the customer is dissatisfied with the merchandise or service.

Chargebacks can be costly for merchants, so it's important to minimize them as much as possible. We thought we'd share 5 steps you can take NOW to help prevent chargebacks over the busy holiday shopping season. These chargeback prevention tips can be classified in two categories: 1) proactive; and 2) reactive. We recommend the proactive steps first so you can prevent the customer from initiating the chargeback in the first place.

1. Post Your Return Policy and Make it Easy to Find
   
   Your return policy is your best friend when it comes to preventing chargebacks. Make sure it is very clear and it is easy to find on your website and in your store. Your return policy is also part of your defense when you have to dispute a chargeback claim, so if you don't already have something in writing, make sure you create one before the holiday shopping season starts.
   
   
2. Provide Excellent Customer Service
   
   Holiday shopping can be frantic for both merchants and consumers. Merchants are busy beyond capacity at times. Consumers are in a hurry, purchasing products/gifts they wouldn't normally buy, and making lots of impulse buys. Both scenarios can lead to customer service issues and chargebacks.
   
   Most consumers will contact the merchant to resolve a dispute first, then initiate a chargeback if he or she doesn't receive assistance or a refund from the merchant. When contacted by one of your customers regarding dissatifaction with a product, be prompt in responding to the customer and attemp to resolve the dispute. Refunding a customer's money up front could actually cost you less than losing a chargeback dispute down the road.
   
   
3. Communicate with Customers
   
   This is especially important for online merchants. Let your customer know when his or her order is expected to ship and how long the shipping will take. If you have an item out of stock or on back-order, let the customer know immediately.
   
   
4. Practice Truth in Advertising
   
   If you are running deep holiday deals and specials, make sure the terms are clear so you don't surprise your customer. If you run out of a particular item that was on sale, do not substitute another item in its place without the consent of your customer. Surprises lead to chargebacks. Avoid surprises at all costs.
   
   
5. Use Best Practices When Processing Credit Cards
   
   This means swipe the card when possible, get a signature, and verify the signature. If you are online merchant, use address verification and CVV/CVC codes. A short training session with your employees ahead of the holiday shopping rush can help you avoid unnecessary chargebacks.

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 and trasparent flat fee merchant account pricing models. We are confident we can save your business money on credit card processing fees!

Novera Payment Solutions enables merchants to accept credit card payments anywhere. Whether you are on a job-site, on delivery routes, at the office, or even at home, Novera offers business on the go at a very affordable rate!

Our WorldPay Mobile card reader is now available, making accepting credit card payments from ANYWHERE inexpensive and easy to get started.

A few of the benefits of accepting mobile credit card payments include:

• Convenience
  Merchants can accept payments from virtually any location
• Easy to Use
  Simply plug the card reader into the headphone jack of a compatible smartphone
• Faster Checkout
  Use the mobile reader as an additional checkout terminal during peak hours
• Direct Link to the Portal
  Direct link to our http://my.worldpay.us portal
• Security
  Card readers are encrypted with WorldPay's advanced encryption technology
• Next-Day Funding
  Eligible merchants can get the funds they earn as soon as the next day!

Our mobile payments card reader is compatible with the following devices:

• Apple Devices

• iPad Mini (1st Generation)

• iPad Mini 2

• iPad Mini (3rd & 4th Generation)

• iPhone 4/4S/5

• iTouch (5th Generation)

Best when used with iOS 5,6, and 7
iOS 8 is not compatible at this time (release date targeting late October)

• Android
• Samsung Tablet - Lite OS v10.1
• Samsung Galaxy Note II (phone)
• SAmsung Galaxy 4S (phone)
• Google Nexus 10 Tablet
  
  Operating Systems:
  Ice Cream Sandwich (v4.0 and above)
  Jelly Bean

 For more information about about our mobile card reader, contact us!

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 and trasparent flat fee merchant account pricing models. We are confident we can save your business money on credit card processing fees!

There seems to be several myths surrounding credit cards, their use, and how they may (or may not) impact your credit score as a consumer. We thought we would debunk some of the more common misconceptions.

Myth #1. Applying for multiple credit cards will hurt your credit score.

When you apply for a credit card it does result in a "hard" inquiry which can cause a temporary dip in your credit score. However, for most people, opening a new credit card card can actually help your credit score (over time) because it helps you establish more credit history and reduces your debt-to-credit ratio.  Of course, the exception is when someone applies for multiple cards in a very short period of time and has limited credit history. The dip in credit score from the multiple hard inquiries may not be so temporary.

Myth #2. If you need to improve your credit score, cancelling credit cards helps.

Cancelling credit cards can actually HURT your credit score. The reason is, when you cancel a card you are reducing the amount of credit available to you. This can increase your debt-to-credit ratio (the amount of debt you have compared to the amount of credit available) and thus have a negative impact on your credit score. It's better to pay off the cards, but leave the accounts open if you are trying to improve your credit score.

Myth #3. My card has no spending limit ... cha-ching!

Many of the "exclusive" credit cards (Platinum, Signature, Black, etc.) appear on the consumer side not to have spending limits. Don't be fooled if have one of these cards ... you do not have cart blanc to spend whatever you'd like. Every credit card has a spending limit, some higher than others. What the credit card companies aren't telling you is that non-disclosure of their NPSL (Non-Preset Spending Limit), is how they attract consumers and make them think their card is more "exclusive" than other cards.

Myth #4. Ordering a credit report will hurt my credit score.

There are two types of inquiries associated with your credit report, "hard" and "soft". A hard inquiry is generated when you are applying for credit, seeking pre-approval for a loan, or an inquiry used to determine rates you will pay (e.g. insurance). Hard inquiries require your signature authorization and can ding your credit score temporarily by a few points. Soft inquiries are generated by credit report requests, "pre-approved" credit card offers, employer inquiries, etc. Soft inquiries do not impact your credit score.

Myth #5. People who use credit cards all the time must have a lot of debt.

While it's possible that someone who uses credit cards all the time may have a lot of debt, this should not be your immediate assumption. There are a large number of people who use credit cards for practically everything and pay them off in full each month.

Myth #6. I pay my bill in full each month, so I pay no interest. That means my credit card company probably doesn't like me very much.

This is not true at all. While they may not be earning monthly interest fees from your account (good for you), the credit card company earns a fee from the merchant each and every time you use your credit card. Trust us, you are a valued customer to your credit card company ... whether you pay your bill in full each month or not.

About Novera Payment Solutions

Novera Payment Solutions is a leader in the credit card payments industry.

Why do we care about credit card myths?  Because while you may be a business owner, you are also a consumer who uses credit cards. We care about the success of our clients and strive to provide information and content which can be useful not only in their business but in their personal lives, as well!

We are committed to helping businesses improve their bottom line by providing significant savings on credit card processing fees through our innovative and trasparent flat fee merchant account pricing models.