Retail Merchant

The following steps should be taken to avoid additional transaction expenses and/or reduce potentially disputed sales.

Always swipe the Credit Card through your POS Terminal, have the cardholder sign the receipt and compare the signature on the receipt to the signature on the back of the credit card. Do not accept a signature from anyone other then the name signed on the card. If the card is not signed, have the cardholder provide an id and have them sign the back of the credit card.

If a Credit Card will not swipe, due to a worn or unreadable magnetic strip……manually enter the card number, your terminal will call for an authorization. Once the authorization is received, you must take a manual imprint of the credit card and have the cardholder sign that receipt. Attach to the terminal receipt and save these. In the event of a dispute, only an imprint will be considered a valid receipt. Manually entered transactions are subject to higher fees.

Always obtain a proper authorization. Keep in mind, an authorization only means that at that time the credit card has an available limit to cover the purchase to your business and is not a guarantee of payment.

If you are suspicious of a transaction, call the voice authorization center and request a “CODE 10”.

Properly disclose your return policy. This should be listed near the cardholders signature on the receipt. Such as “NO REFUND”, under the signature.

Do not issue cash or check refunds against VISA®/MasterCard Transactions. Refunds may only be processed against an original sale on the same credit card.