Sep 02, 2026

How to Get Merchant Services Leads Without Buying Bad Lists

If you’ve spent any time in the payments industry, you’ve probably seen a good selection of the following ads: For new merchant services sales Agents, buying a list of leads can sound appealing…because it’s a quick way to build a pipeline, right? Unfortunately, those Agents quickly discover that those lists are often outdated, overused, or […]

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Mar 18, 2026

Meet Genie: Your Prospecting Powerhouse

PayCompass was founded by Agents, for Agents. We know what it’s like to be out making rounds without support or resources. We know that the smallest advantage can change an entire outcome. That’s why every question, every concern, and every obstacle our Agents voice is taken into account: how can we make this easier? That […]

Mar 17, 2026

MCC 5511: Car & Truck Dealers (Description, Risk Profile, and Processing Tips)

Each year, more than $1.5 trillion is spent in the United States on vehicles and parts. Due to the high-value transactions, deposits, financing, and refund complexity involved, the MCC 5511 (automobile/cars) designation is considered moderate to elevated risk by payment processors. If your company falls under this code, understanding how to improve your account approval […]

Mar 12, 2026

MCC 4722: Travel Agencies & Tour Operators (Description, Examples, and Processing Impact)

If you run a travel-related business, you will be assigned a specific merchant category code known as MCC 4722. This code represents the specific risks and challenges associated with the travel industry. From how customers receive credit card rewards to the payment processing fees you pay, this code can affect all aspects of your payment […]

Mar 10, 2026

Cascading Payments Explained

No matter what type of business you operate, payment failures are bound to happen. By being strategic about how you approach these failures, you can recuperate lost revenue. Failed transactions can lead to a higher churn rate, so companies need the right retry strategy to process these payments. With cascading payments, transactions can be distributed […]

Mar 08, 2026

Payment Processing Outage Tips

With a standard payment processor, you can expect 99.9% uptime. This works out to 43 minutes of downtime or less each month. However, top-tier payment processors experience just five minutes of downtime each year. Even with the best processors, downtime can still happen. When a payment processor outage does occur, the costs can quickly add […]

Mar 06, 2026

Payment Authorization Optimization

Whenever a payment fails, a decline reason code is created that explains the exact failure reason. These codes can vary between payment processors, although many processors use the same ISO 8583 codes used by Visa and Mastercard.  As a merchant, understanding these codes is essential for authorization optimization. Once you understand why transactions are declined, […]

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