What is a card-not-present transaction?

A card-not-present transaction refers to a checkout process where the cardholder does not physically present their credit or debit card to the merchant at the time of purchase. Instead, they provide their card number, expiration date, and security code by other means, such as entering it into your secure Hosted Payment Page or Checkout Form.

Examples of card-not-present transactions.

There are several types of transactions that qualify as the card-not-present variety. These include the following.

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Ecommerce payments including buy online pickup in store (BOPIS) transactions.

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Remote payments made through the mail or over the phone.

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Recurring payments that use secure card-on-file solutions to process subscriptions.

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Invoices that your customers pay online.

Why can having a large number of card-not-present transactions place you in a specialty merchant category?

There are two common reasons why acquiring banks consider businesses that accept a large number of card-not-present payments to be specialty merchants.

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The higher chargeback ratios that come with operating a predominantly or exclusively online business.

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The increased risk of fraud due to the card-not-present nature of the transactions.

No matter what type of card-not-present business you're running, you'll want to partner with a payment processor that specializes in providing reliable and affordable solutions for remote payments. That way you can accept payments with peace of mind even when a customer's physical card isn't present.

Tips for reducing fraud and chargebacks on card-not-present payments.

When it comes to protecting your business from fraud and chargebacks, you'll want to partner with a payment processor who:

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Enables you to use the Address Verification Service (AVS) to check customers' billing addresses.

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Can help you protect sensitive credit card information from cybercriminals with tools that help you reduce fraud and chargebacks (when a customer disputes a charge).

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Offers a program to simplify the PCI compliance process for you.

How does being in a specialty category affect getting a merchant account?

Just because you accept a large number of card-not-present payments doesn't mean you can't be approved for a merchant services account. Just be aware that you may be asked to provide a little more documentation regarding your financials when applying for your merchant account. That way your payments technology provider can be comfortable with the level of risk they'll be taking on when partnering with you.

What to look for in a card-not-present payments partner.

When it comes to securing reliable and affordable processing for card-not-present payments, you want a payment technology partner that understands the unique challenges that come with running a mostly or exclusively online business. You’ll also want to partner with a provider that:

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Has experience partnering with so-called “hard-to-place” businesses.

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Offers the lowest possible rates for specialty payment processing.

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Can provide the latest payments hardware and ecommerce POS software.

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Provides a high level of customer care and technical support.

Long story short: You must choose a payments partner that specializes in credit card processing solutions for hard-to-place industries. That way they'll be able to leverage their established sponsor bank relationships to approve and service your merchant account.

Why HBMS?

When you choose Humboldt Merchant Services as your partner for card-not-present payments, you get so much more than just a way to sell your products or services online. You're getting a proven partner who knows the unique challenges facing high-volume ecommerce merchants.

Secure the card-not-present merchant account you deserve.

Get approved for your card-not-present merchant account today!

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877.840.1952.