The “do not honor” decline is one of the most common and frustrating payment errors that business owners face. It’s vague, offers no clear explanation, and often leaves both you and your customers wondering what went wrong. Available data shows that as many as 92% of all American Express decline codes are flagged as “do […]

Chargebacks – those annoying, costly, and in many cases, entirely preventable problems that plague many businesses. If you’re a high-risk business, you already know plenty about chargebacks and the chaos they can cause, especially when they all come at once.  You might think that it’s not the end of the world if you lose a […]

You might think that transaction IDs are nothing more than a reference number. Something boring to file under other documents, like endless terms and conditions. Yet, thinking that way is a mistake. The truth is that transaction IDs can actually give you a wealth of information, helping you spot different types of fraud and guiding […]

Unfortunately, not every intended purchase actually ends in cash in your bank account. It would be wonderful if that truly was the case, but a large proportion end up either refunded or voided. It causes a headache in many ways, but having a clear strategy in place can do a lot to reduce the stress.  […]

Have you ever looked at your bank statement after making a few purchases, and noticed a name you don’t recognize? You might panic, and wonder whether you’ve been a victim of fraud. Yet, in most cases, these names are simply merchant of record companies instead.  You might wonder why companies choose to use merchant of […]

Wouldn’t it be easier if every payment happened within seconds from initiation to settlement, without any intermediaries? Well, yes, but we’re certainly nowhere near that point yet!  Instead, behind every single transaction is a complex journey. It’s not as simple as a customer tapping a card and the money ending up on your merchant account. […]

Moving money from one place to another should be simple. And in most cases, it is. Yet, when something goes wrong, be it a rejected payment or money going somewhere it shouldn’t, it causes a world of headaches. As a business owner, you don’t have money to burn, and that’s why understanding each specific ACH […]

Every time a customer swipes their card, a complex financial choreography begins behind the scenes. Payment networks make up an invisible infrastructure that handles billions of payments every year. The global economy brings in $113 trillion annually, much of it through payment processors. However, many business owners are unaware of how these detailed systems work.  […]

As a business owner, you’re already wearing many different hats. You’re handling bank runs, interviewing candidates, and solving supply chain issues. Because of this, it’s easy to overlook merchant statements.  While your merchant processing statement may look like any other bank statement or financial report, its contents are important for your company’s bottom line. This […]

These days, we hear so much on the news and social media about credit card fraud. It’s true that this is also on the rise, with 62 million Americans experiencing fraudulent charges on their debit or credit cards over the last year alone. It’s no wonder that many customers are worried about using websites and […]