A. For a minimum of three (3) years. Keeping your transaction copies will help if you are assessed chargeback fees, due to dissatisfied customers.

Q. What kind of return, refund and/or exchange policy should I have?

A. Maintain the same policy for these as you do for cash transactions. If you do not permit refunds, you must mark your sales drafts with a NO REFUND statement. However, a no-refund policy does not exclude the transaction from possible chargebacks under VISA/MasterCard rules and regulations.

Q. As a merchant who accepts credit cards, are there are certain precautions I should take to minimize potential risk and insure maximum profitability?

A. Yes. See below:

• Authorize ALL transactions
• Do not draft launder/factor (processing sales drafts from another merchant or business, even if you own (in whole or part) another company). Only transactions for the business approved can be run through your terminal and account.
• Do not sell, purchase, provide, exchange or otherwise use any bankcard account numbers or cardholder information in any way.
• Do not process cash advances in any form.
• Do not process transactions using your own personal or business cards, those of your employees, spouse, etc.— as these are considered "cash advances" and against VISA/MasterCard regulations.
• Do not process multiple transactions against the same card—it could be considered a "split sale" which is subject to chargebacks. A split sale is processing two or more sales slips for a single sale.
• Do not process any transaction that represents repayment of an existing cardholder obligation such as return of a personal check or payment of an outstanding loan, etc.

Q. How can I protect my business from fraud?

A. Identifying counterfeit cards and understanding the telltale signs of suspicious customers is key to protecting your company from possible fraud.

• Be wary of customers who make indiscriminate purchases.
• Be suspicious of anyone asking you for a customer's credit card number.
• Be watchful of cards that appear to be physically altered.
• Be conscientious about keeping detailed records of all credit card transactions.
• Check the signature on the draft against the signature on the card.
• Be sure to verify all information on the draft or printer receipt carefully if a card cannot be swiped and the card number is entered manually.
• Make sure to imprint a draft copy if a sale is entered manually. A printer receipt alone with a hand-keyed sale will not prevent a chargeback.
• Check all dates on the card to make sure they are valid before processing any transaction.
• Compare the card number on the receipt to the embossed number on the face of the card.
• Personal contact information can be requested and recorded on an invoice, but not on a sales draft (for large or suspect transactions).

Q. What does it mean to void an order - is it different than a refund?

A. Yes. A void is an action that you take after the money has been authorized but prior to it being settled. Once an order has been settled, you must do a refund.

Q. How can I change the bank account for my deposits?

A. Contact our office at 1-800-365-7270 and we will fax you a form for you to complete and fax back. In addition to the completed form, we will need a voided check.

Q. What do I do if I need to close my account?

A. Fax a letter, signed by the individual(s) who originally applied for the account, indicating your desire to close your account to 1-952-922-7629. Include your Merchant ID Number on the letter.

Q. How can I order supplies?

A. Supplies for all of your processing needs are available by calling the Help Desk at 1-800-654-9256, anytime, day or night.

Q. What if I’m unable to obtain an authorization from my POS terminal?

A. If you are unable to get a voice authorization from your POS terminal, you must call the Voice Authorization Center at 1-800-207-7634. You will be required to supply information about the sale to receive your authorization number that you write on the sales draft.

Q. What is Recovered Card Procedure?

A. You may occasionally be instructed by a voice operator or by the terminal to "pick up" a credit card. When a card is returned and is validated as an unacceptable card by the card issuing bank involved, a reward ranging from $50 to $100 will be mailed to the individual who recovered the card.