Credit Card Processing
All Credit Card Processing Articles
Expert guides, reviews, and comparisons
Card-Not-Present vs Card-Present: The Real Rate Difference
Card-not-present transactions cost more than in-person at both the interchange and markup layers. Here's why, what...
Settlement Timing: Why Your Deposits Vary
Credit card settlement time isn't a single event. It's a four-stage pipeline shaped by batch cutoffs, ACH windows,...
The Acquirer-Processor-ISO-Agent Chain
Most merchants don't know who they actually signed with. The four-layer chain of acquirer, processor, ISO, and agent...
Account Updater Services: Fighting Subscription Churn
An account updater service automatically refreshes expired or reissued card data for subscription businesses. It...
EMV Liability Shift: Who Pays for Fraud at the Terminal
The 2015 EMV liability shift moved counterfeit card fraud loss to whichever party hasn't adopted chip technology....
3D Secure 2: When It Helps Conversion and When It Hurts
3D Secure 2 helps merchants when fraud chargebacks threaten margin and hurts when challenge flow drains conversion. The...
Tokenization vs Encryption: What Actually Protects Card Data
Tokenization replaces card numbers with reference values that have no exploitable meaning. Encryption scrambles the...
Level 2 and Level 3 Data: How B2B Merchants Unlock Lower Rates
Level 2 and Level 3 data cuts interchange on commercial cards by up to 130 basis points. Learn what fields are required...
Interchange Rate Categories: Qualified, Mid-Qualified, and Non-Qualified
Qualified, mid-qualified, and non-qualified rates are a processor pricing layer, not actual Visa or Mastercard...
Scaling From 100 to 10,000 Monthly Transactions: What Changes
At 100 monthly transactions, you're a small merchant on flat-rate pricing. At 10,000, almost everything about your...
Your First Month Accepting Online Payments: What to Expect
Your first 30 days accepting online payments will run slower and more frictional than expected. Here's what new...
A Chargeback Dispute Timeline: Week by Week
Chargebacks move through six stages over 60 to 120 days. Knowing each deadline and the evidence that wins decides...