If your therapy practice accepts credit cards, you may think you already know everything that you need to know. But here are 5 extremely important facts that you may not be aware of. Being armed with this information will save your practice money and improve your bottom line.

5 Little-Known Facts About Credit Card Processing That Could be Costing Your Practice More Than It Should Be Paying

1.  Credit card processing fees are tax deductible and it's typically a sizable deduction for businesses that accept cards. As tax season approaches, don't forget to take this deduction!

Get some straight talk and learn why a merchant account including our “flat fee advantage” can be one of the best business decisions you’ll ever make. This is just one of the many reasons that Therabill has teamed with Novera Payment Solutions for their integrated payment solution.

We are happy to offer a FREE savings analysis to show you how Novera Payment Solutions can save you significant money on your credit card processing fees.

Merchants can breathe easy with the WorldPay API. Our merchant account risk settings allow you to reduce fraudulent orders on your website, and thereby save money. Because fraud risks are constantly changing, Novera Payment Solutions and Worldpay put significant resources into staying ahead of the trends in fraud management. This saves our clients the large expenses associated with managing fraudulent transactions.

How We Do It

The Worldpay API verifies every single transaction against a minimum of 200 validation tests in less than a second. This helps reduces false sales and chargebacks.

For merchants, this aspect of the Worldpay API is preset to values which we know work well for the majority of businesses. There are two settings that merchants can change, however: 1) the Card Security Code check; and 2) address verification.

Address Verification

Address verification (AVS) checks the numeric values of the address provided by your customer against the information that this customer's bank has on file, producing either a full, partial or mis-match. AVS is used by all UK and USA card issuers and by certain issuers in other countries.

If AVS is switched on, Worldpay will decline all transactions which produce an AVS mis-match. Partial matches will not automatically be declined due to this check alone, and the same for transactions where AVS is not available from the customer's bank, in order to avoid creating too many missed orders for you.  However this means that AVS cannot be your only defense against fraud, and for this reason, Worldpay strongly recommends that you also switch on the Card Security Code check.

Card Security Code Check

The Card Security Code is the 3-digit number on the back of the card (unless it's an AMEX card, then is the 4-digit code on the front). The Card Security Code check ensures that the number provided by your customer matches that on file at their bank. If there is a mismatch WorldPay will automatically decline transactions.

The address verification check and Card Security Code check settings are both turned on by default in the Worldpay API when you sign up with Novera Payment Solutions.

Enhancing Risk Effectiveness

The risk checking feature is most effective when more information is provided about an order.

WorldPay recommends that the following details are included with every order:

• Full Name
• Billing Address of Card
• Payment Method
• Delivery / Shipping Address
• Shopper IP Address
• Shopper's session ID on your site

We understand that merchant accounts and risk assessment can seem cumbersome for small businesses, but that's no reason to ignore it. The livelihood of your business can suffer if you experience too many fraudulent transactions.

The Novera Payment Solutions team works with small businesses to help alleviate the burden of credit card processing risk assessment and mitigation.  We can also assist you with PCI compliance and answer any questions you might have.

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 processingfees through our innovative flat fee merchant account pricing model.

Contact Novera to learn how you can accept credit cards for your business!

Novera Payment Solutions is very excited to offer a new multifaceted API for software developers with WorldPay’s new Link Gateway feature. The Link Gateway allows you to easily integrate credit card payments into mobile, P.O.S., and even QuickBooks® processing solutions, it can even utilize multiple processor platforms. This new gateway makes it easy for merchants to accept payments anywhere they do business.

The Worldpay Link Gateway makes it easy to provide your clients with flexibility to choose the payments provider that fits their needs best.

Easy Integration

Worldpays “Develop Once” approach is committed to reducing development time and allowing you to get to market quicker, plus it helps lower your overall program maintenance costs.

Security

The WorldPay Link Gateway is PA-DSS compliant as required by PCI rules. This will put your clients at ease and allow them to focus on their business.

Gateway Features

From all major credit and debit cards to ACH/check protocols, the WorldPay Link Gateway provides consolidated, flexible options for virtually every US payment transaction type and method. 

Accept Payments Anywhere, Anytime

• Novera and WorldPay work hard to understand our customers' needs. Whether your clients sell face-to-face, online, on-the-go or even by MOTO (Mail Order Telephone Order), our flexible services enable your clients to securely accept payments anywhere, anytime.

  
  
• Your clients will have the ability to accept a wide range of payment types, from VISA®, MasterCard®, Discover®, American Express®, debit and gift cards to loyalty cards, checks, Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) and ACH (direct debit).


Greater Peace of Mind

• We understand protecting your business and your customers is very important. You will be provided the tools and support you need to help simplify your PCI obligations and reduce the risk of fraud.

• Our customers span local retailers, restaurants and corner stores to dentists, plumbers and eCommerce merchants—and every one of them can rely on the 24/7 live, US-based support staff who are highly trained to answer questions and resolve any issues that may arise.

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

EMV is coming to the USA and it's time to plan for the EMV transition.

17-20 million EMV cards were in use in the USA as of May 2014, according to the EMV Migration Forum. A report by the Aite Group projects up to 70% of US credit cards will have EMV chips by 2015.

As a result of the EMV transition, some fraud liability will shift to merchants beginning on October 1st, 2015, which is right around the corner.  The Novera team wants to ease your transition to EMV with important information that you need to know. 

We'll be publishing a series of blogs over the coming months to help you with the transition, and we thought the logical place to being is with a basic timeline of the EMV transition.

EMV Transition Timeline for Merchant Liability

APRIL 1, 2014

The transition actually started in early 2014 with these two items for VISA merchants:

• VISA : Card issuer liable for all unattended, online chip card terminals that support transactions without a signature or PIN
• VISA : New, unattended, online chip-enabled terminals must support transactions without a signature or PIN

JULY 1, 2015

VISA : All new and existing unattended, online chip-enabled terminals, except ATMs, must support transactions without a signature or PIN hardware upgrades are recommended by this date.

OCTOBER 1, 2015

ALL CARDS
Counterfeit liability shifts to merchants if a Non-EMV-enabled POS device is used for a card-present EMV chip transaction, except for automated fuel transactions and ATMs (excluding previous liability shift for International Maestro ATM transactions)

AMERICAN EXPRESS & MASTERCARD
Liability for lost or stolen cards shifts to merchants using Non-EMV-enabled POS device
for a card-present EMV chip transaction, except for automated fuel transactions.

DISCOVER & PULSE
Liability for lost or stolen cards shifts to merchants using, 1) Non-EMV-enabled
POS device or, 2) EMV-enabled POS device that does not support PIN for a card-present EMV chip transaction, except for automated fuel transactions.

OCTOBER 1, 2017

ALL CARDS
Counterfeit liability shifts to merchants using Non-EMV-enabled POS device for a card-
present EMV chip transaction for automated fuel transactions.

MASTERCARD & DISCOVER
Liability for lost or stolen cards shifts to merchants for automated fuel transactions using Non-EMV-enabled POS device for a card-present EMV chip transaction for automated fuel transactions

As a Business Who Accepts Credit Cards, Here's What you Need to Know About EMV Now

In a nutshell, the USA credit cand debit card payments industry has been chugging along on old technology while the rest of the world has implemented EMV card technology for more than a decade.

As recent data breach headlines suggest, criminals focus on the easiest targets and right now, that is the USA. But not for much longer.

In order to avoid potential liability while ensuring customer transaction security, many merchants plan to implement EMV technology. As a country, the USA is moving toward the EMV standard as a direct result of the payment networks shifting specific fraud liability to merchants starting on October 1, 2015.

The bottom line is that you need to understand what your liability is as a merchant and how to protect yourself.  This is where the Novera Payment Solutions team comes in. If you are aren't sure where to start, or even what questions to ask, please take the time to contact us. Our goal is to make your transition as easy as possible. Our hands-on, consultative approach to the credit card payments industry, not only saves our clients money in credit card processing fees, it also saves them in lost time trying to weave through the complicated maze of credit card processing liability.  Novera Payment Solutions is a team you can count on for all aspects of your credit card processing needs.

If your business accepts credit cards, you may think you already know everything that you need to know. But here are 10 facts that you may not be aware of. Being armed with this information can save your business money and improve your bottom line.

1. You can now require a $10 minimum purchase for credit card use. Visa and MasterCard used to prohibit this, but the Durbin Amendment now allows it. This is NOT true for debit cards, however.
   
   
2. Credit card processing fees are tax deductible and it's typically a sizable deduction for businesses that accept cards. As tax season approaches, don't forget to take this deduction!
   
   
3. Using your local bank does not save you money on credit card processing. Most local banks outsource credit card processing services to third party sales teams who work for larger processors. By using your local bank you are likely paying more than if you went direct to the processor since it's adding another layer to the pot.
   
   
4. There is only one part of your credit card processing cost that is negotiable and that is the processor's markup over interchange and assessments. Interchange and assessment are the same for all credit card processors. This is why Novera's fixed flat fee merchant account pricing structure is so attractive to businesses. It saves them money and there are no surprises.
   
   
5. You can now pass credit card processing fees through to customers. This change occured in 2013. Whether you SHOULD, however, is another topic altogether.
   
   
6. Make sure you don't find yourself on the "TMF". The terminated merchant file is essentially the credit card processing blacklist. A credit card processor can add you to the TMF if they suspect you of misusing your merchant account for fraudulent purposes. If your business or name is on this list, it can cause you to have to pay higher rates or make it difficult for you to get a merchant account in the future.
   
   
7. Credit card processors monitor your chargeback ratio closely. Pay attention to the number of chargebacks you receive ... if your percentage of chargebacks to total transactions is too high, your merchant account can be cancelled or unsettled funds withheld.
   
   
8. Not using AVS (address verification service) can cost you money. Visa, MasterCard and Discover require the customer's billing address be entered for all card-not-present transactions. If you don't provide it, it will result in a downgraded transaction (resulting in higher fees).
   
   
9. Business owners foot the bill for cardholder reward programs. The banks pass the cost of their cardholder reward programs to businesses through higher interchange fees on reward-based cards.
   
   
10. Tiered merchant account pricing costs you more. You know you have a tiered pricing structure when your processor quotes three different rates: qualified, mid-qualified, and non-qualified. They suck you in with a super low "qualified" rate ... but what they fail to tell you is that most of your transactions will actually fall into the non-qualified higher rate. Novera Payment Solutions' fixed flat fee merchant program takes the mystery out tiered pricing by offering a single flat rate to save you money.

Get some straight talk and learn why a merchant account including our “flat fee advantage” can be one of the best business decisions you’ll ever make. We are happy to offer a FREE savings analysis to show you how Novera Payment Solutions can save you significant money on your credit card processing fees.

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!

If you are looking for a new payments processor as a partner for your merchant account reseller business, look no further! Novera Payment Solutions offers the cadillac of partnerships through our World Expresspay ISO / MSP and Agent program.

ISO & AGENT PROGRAM

Our unique approach to merchant account sales allows us to partner with one of the most respected clients in the world (WorldPay) . Today our WorldPay ISO and Agent Program provides all the tools necessary to create your own path for the future.

Residual ownership is included with the most aggressive compensation plan available, remarkable agent & merchant support. Let’s not forget the technology you would expect from a world class organization. All our ISO and Agents are trained by a dedicated expert to quickly interact with WorldPay’s MSP support team for the fastest turn arouind available.

WorldPay Revenue Enhancing Programs

• Debit, Credit, Check Service, Gift, Loyalty

• Interchange Pass Thru Pricing
• 80% Plus residual sharing
• 3.5 Cent I.P.
• 5.0 Cent Dial Up

• 1.0 Cent High Volume Merchant I.P.

• 2.0 Cent High Volume Merchant Dial Up
• Amex OPT Blue Direct Settlement Program
• Monthly & Quarterly Upfront incentive Dollars

Supported Product Groups

• Over 1600 Certified VAR/Gateway Options
• Dedicated ISV Software Vendor Program
• Integrated POS & Terminal Products
• Mobile Payments

• E-Comm

• Direct API & Gateway Capability
• Quickbooks Integration

Additional Services & Support

• No Liability or Risk
• 24/7 Merchant Support
• Dedicated ISO/Agent Relationship Team
• Web Based Order Entry and Tracking
• Residual Reporting/CRM Portal
• Inbound Marketing Support & Lead Generation
• Online Resource and Training Materials
• Use Your Own Leasing Program
• Use Your Own Cash Advance Program

We also offer two additional opportunities through our software vendors program and our referral partners program.