Credit Card Processing and Merchant Services

BankCard Central is your full-service merchant service provider.

Since 1992, thousands of businesses have chosen us for credit card processing solutions, ecommerce services and business capital. We have built our company on long-term customer relationships and countless referrals. When you choose BankCard Central, you’re assured the very best service and the most competitive pricing available. We Guarantee It.

Address Verification System (AVS)

Credit card information has been stolen since credit cards were invented.  But, now, with so many people making online purchases, credit card theft is more prevalent now than ever.  The lack of security protection creates many losers in a fraudulent transaction – the merchant, the bank, and even other consumers who pay higher interest rates due to credit card thieves.

What can a merchant, who accepts online, phone, or mail transactions, do to as a means of security protection to prevent themselves from falling victims to accepting stolen credit cards or fake credit card numbers? Merchants can help secure payment gateways by using the Address Verification System (AVS).

The Address Verification System was originally used in the case of in person purchases where merchants could verify cards because they had embedded holograms or on-card photo ids. However, this does not help with online, phone, or mail transactions. But, AVS can provide secure payment gateways by having the merchant verify credit card data, such as billing address and zip code, against the VISA®/MasterCard® billing information of the cardholder. This layer of security protection allows merchants to further investigate a transaction if the billing information provided by the Address Verification System does not match that the customer provides.

It benefits the merchant to use the Address Verification System because they are fully liable for all transactions they take that are performed without the person being in front of them. So if they accept a fraudulent transaction, they experience what is known as a chargeback. A chargeback refunds the customer from the merchant’s bank account. In addition, the merchant must pay a fine to the bank and credit card associations penalize them.

By using the Address Verification System, a merchant can protect both the customer and himself from counterfeit charges.