Join us at the ISAA Annual Convention

You are invited to stop by the TRI/CardDog booth at the Intermountain Ski Area Association's upcoming  

Annual Convention
June 4-6, 2012
Sun Valley, ID

to see why ski areas like Deer Valley® Resort, Alta Ski Area, and Bridger Bowl have made their marketing dreams a reality with CardDog Gift & Loyalty programs powered by Transaction Resources, Inc.  

Visa Raises "No Signature" Limit to $50 to Increase Merchant Efficiency & Consumer Convenience

Visa Also Streamlines Dispute Resolution Process to Reduce 
Merchant Fraud Management Costs 

SAN FRANCISCO, May 7, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Visa Inc. today announced plans to raise its Visa Easy Payment Service "no signature required" limit from $25 to $50 for two key U.S. merchant categories. Starting in October 2012, discount stores and grocery stores/supermarkets in the U.S. can accept Visa cards for transactions up to $50 without requiring a cardholder signature or PIN, or providing a customer receipt unless requested by the cardholder.[1] This change is designed to increase speed at the point-of-sale, cardholder convenience and operational efficiencies for a large number of merchants.

Previously known as the No Signature Required program in the U.S., Visa Easy Payment Service allows merchants to eliminate cardholder verification and receipts on qualifying smaller value transactions. This helps make the payment process easier and more convenient for both merchants and cardholders. The program has been available to the majority of merchant categories in the U.S. since July 2010, for purchases up to $25.

As the $50 limit is introduced, Visa will review merchant, cardholder and card issuer feedback and may expand this higher transaction limit to additional merchant categories in the near future. Approximately 80 percent of face-to-face Visa consumer transactions in the U.S. are under $50.

"Visa is committed to delivering solutions to help our merchant and financial institution partners better serve their customers, reduce costs and grow their businesses," said William M. Sheedy, Group President, Americas, Visa Inc. "Visa Easy Payment Service has been extremely popular with merchants and cardholders in busy retail environments. As a result, merchants have asked us to expand the program to purchases up to $50, so that they can more efficiently support consumers' growing preference to use cards instead of cash or checks for everyday purchases."

Streamlined Dispute Resolution Process 

Visa also announced changes to its dispute resolution process to reduce unnecessary chargebacks and merchant documentation requirements and promote faster, more efficient dispute resolution for all participants in its payments system.

Starting in April 2013, merchants will be protected from fraud chargebacks on transactions that have been electronically read (i.e., swiped or dipped in, or waved past, a card reader), helping to reduce merchant fraud management costs when appropriate acceptance procedures have been followed at the point of sale. In addition, Visa will eliminate the requirement for its card issuers to ask merchants for a copy of the receipt when a cardholder disputes a transaction, resulting in back office operational savings for everyone. There is no change to existing fraud liability associated with these changes.

The changes to Visa's Easy Payment Service and dispute resolution process will help its merchant and financial institution partners to better serve their customers and grow their respective businesses.

Applies to Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) 5310 (Discount Stores) and 5411 (Grocery Stores & Supermarkets) Visa Inc. Data 2011

SOURCE Visa Inc.
Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

Credit and Debit Spending Continues to Grow

First Data Releases April 2012 SpendTrend®

Reprinted from www.firstdata.com 

April Sales Impacted by Tough Easter Comp, Earlier Start to Spring Spending Season

ATLANTA, May 9, 2012 – First Data Corporation, a global leader in electronic commerce and payment processing, today released its First Data SpendTrend® analysis for the full month of April 2012 compared to April 2011. SpendTrend tracks same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT cards and checks at U.S. merchant locations.

Overall year-over-year dollar volume growth was 5.7% in April, down from March’s 8.7% growth. Transaction growth slowed to 5.8% in April, down from 9.3% in March. Despite the slowdown in overall year-over-year dollar volume and transaction growth, discretionary spending was healthy in April.

“April’s card spending was impacted by an earlier Easter, plus the unseasonably warm weather in February and March, which pulled forward seasonal demand,” said Silvio Tavares, SVP and division manager of First Data Global Information and Analytics Solutions, which publishes SpendTrend. 

PIN debit remained the leading payment type among consumers, although its upward growth trend moderated in April. PIN debit dollar volume growth was up 7.4% in April, while PIN debit transaction growth increased 7.5%.

April Dollar Volume Growth     CHANGE                     

Credit                                             +5.8%

Signature Debit                              +3.9%

PIN Debit                                       +7.4%

Check                                             -6.7%                          

Note: All transactions are same-store growth.

Designing a Restaurant Loyalty Program

Restaurateurs are discovering a great way to keep their seats filled as the economy bounces back. By adding a customer loyalty program, smart dining establishments can leverage their existing customer base and attract new patrons in a way that helps them stand out from their competition. CardDog, a revolutionary system developed by Transaction Resources Inc. (TRI), is uniquely designed to help you implement a customized loyalty program. What makes CardDog such a strong service provider?

CardDog brings the TRI credit card processing know-how, and combines it with niche expertise in best-in-breed loyalty card program implementation. Simply put, many CardDog clients have found that no other service provider even exists that can provide the technical expertise, seamless integration, and advanced reporting that CardDog does. And CardDog’s extraordinary personalized customer service is the cherry on top!

Designing your CardDog restaurant loyalty program offers endless possibilities for forging and growing relationships with all your patrons. It could start with budget-savvy customers who will now seek out your establishment because you offer dining-out reward points. Those that then become “regulars” will love the special treatment they receive for being top customers. Birthdays and other holidays are another great opportunity to offer loyalty incentives. Slow times of the day, week, or even season are a great time to offer “double points.” Surprising regular customers with an unexpected freebie for X number of visits goes a long way toward creating an emotional bond with your establishment. And CardDog’s detailed reporting gives restaurant owners the ability to create individualized incentive offers based on each patron’s purchasing history.

Isn’t it time to truly engage your patrons and give them what they want by developing a sizzling customer loyalty program? Take it from many happy,successful CardDog clients--you will keep them coming back for more. Call or email us today to get cooking.

Fighting fraud in every transaction

Reprinted from Visa.com

If you are a card-present merchant, take the following steps to ensure the legitimacy of every credit card, cardholder and transaction. Merchants or their sales associates should check the card security features, request an authorization and obtain the cardholder’s signature.

Quick steps to credit card acceptance

1.     Check the card security features. Make sure that the card has not been altered.

2.     Swipe the stripe. Swipe the card through the terminal in one direction only to obtain authorization.

3.     Check the authorization response. Take appropriate action for the specific response:

Response	Action
Approved	Ask the customer to sign the sales receipt.
Declined	Return the card to customer and ask for another credit card.
Call or Call Center	Call your voice authorization center and tell the operator that you have a "Call" or "Call Center" response. Follow the operator instructions. Note: In most cases, a "Call" or "Call Center" message just means the card Issuer needs some additional information before the transaction can be approved.
Pick Up	Keep the card if you can do so peacefully.
No Match	Swipe the card and re-key the last four digits. If "no match" response appears again, keep the card if you can do so peacefully. Request a Code 10 authorization.

4.     Match the numbers. Check the embossed number on the card against the four digits of the account number displayed on the terminal.

5.     Request a signature. Have the cardholder sign the transaction receipt.

6.     Check the signature. Be sure that the signature on the card matches the one the transaction receipt.

If you suspect fraud, immediately make a Code 10 call to your voice authorization center.

Handling key-entered transactions

If a credit card cannot be swiped, you must key-enter the card account data into your POS terminal. When you key-enter a transaction, you run the risk of accepting a counterfeit card because the magnetic stripe information is unavailable.

1.     Check the terminal. Be sure your terminal is working properly. If the terminal is okay and the problem appears to be with the magnetic stripe, continue to step 2.

2.     Match the account number. Check to see that the embossed account number on the front of the card matches the number indent-printed on the back.

3.     Check the expiration date. Look at the "good thru" or "valid thru" date to be sure the card hasn't expired. If the card has a "valid from" date, be sure the card isn't being used before it is valid.

4.     Make an imprint. Get a manual imprint of the card.

5.     Get a signature. Ask the customer to sign the imprinted sales draft.

6.     Check the signature. Be sure that the signature on the card matches the one on the sales draft. Do not accept an unsigned card.

If you suspect fraud, immediately make a Code 10 call to your voice authorization center.

Six warning signs of fraud

Certain customer behavior could point to card fraud, but it doesn't necessarily indicate criminal activity. You know your customers, so let your instincts steer you in the right direction.

Watch out for customers who:

1.     Purchase a large amount of merchandise without regard to size, style, color, or price.

2.     Ask no questions on major purchases.

3.     Try to distract or rush you during the sale.

4.     Make purchases and leave the store, but then return to make more purchases.

5.     Make large purchases just after the store’s opening, or as the store is closing.

6.     Refuse free delivery for large items.

If you have any questions about these procedures call TRI Customer Service at 888-494-9988 x2 or email customerservice@transactionresources.com

CardDog Innovation Leads to a Better Bottom Line. Just ask Schweitzer Mountain Resort

Once CardDog became Schweitzer’s valued loyalty card program advisor, the resort was empowered to say goodbye to a number of business practices that were not serving it well.

Schweitzer Mountain Resort, like many ski resorts, employs multiple POS systems--for everything from ticketing and rentals, to food and beverage, to e-commerce and lodging.  This situation causes inefficiencies can hit a resort’s bottom line hard. Fortunately for Schweitzer, one of Idaho’s ski destinations of choice, their vision for strategic partnerships is as big as their phenomenal 3,000-acre setting. Schweitzer saw that TRI’s CardDog team was uniquely qualified to solve this inherent multi-platform dilemma in a way that other vendors simply could not. By seamlessly integrating Schweitzer’s varied POS systems, CardDog achieved several top-level operational goals for the firm: jumpstarting its loyalty card program, and optimizing its internal card transaction and accounting functions.

Once CardDog became Schweitzer’s valued loyalty card program advisor, the resort was empowered to say goodbye to a number of business practices that were not serving it well. According to Schweitzer’s Chief Financial Officer, Rod Engel: “First, we needed to consolidate our multiple vendors for each POS system. CardDog’s ability to leverage their existing business relationships with ‘sister’ providers for our needs has worked well. Second, management wanted our retail staff to be focusing on resort work, not the kind of IT troubleshooting that had become a daily occurrence with drawn-out and cumbersome card transactions. Third, we were looking to be freed from the transaction fees and bank-reserve requirements that had started creeping in.”

With CardDog onboard, the Schweitzer team has been able to ramp up its loyalty card program benefits, while minimizing card transaction times and fees and making staff at all levels happier and more productive. With the new infrastructure in place, the leadership team could then offer loyalty cards for everybody from season pass holders to employees. Season pass cardholders enjoy a ten percent discount, and employees a fifty percent match on every dollar for their meals. Both Schweitzer loyalty programs have been met with resounding raves.

An equally beneficial aspect of the CardDog implementation has been at the staff accountant level, according to CFO Engel. He credits the CardDog team’s enhanced and user-friendly reporting as the right solution for Schweitzer’s previously challenged accounting processes. Engel also cites CardDog’s abilities as subject-matter experts in the ski resort market, and their outstanding, personalized service as factors that made the partnership so compelling initially, and so valuable going forward.

“The upgrade in reporting capabilities using CardDog’s solution is pretty radical,” reports Engel. “And the CardDog customer service is eighty percent better than we’d been getting previously,” he says.

In short, CardDog’s clean reporting interface makes the often-difficult process of credit card-style reconciliation very precise and effective now. Schweitzer’s accounting staff has really seen the benefits, with a savings of at least a full day’s staffing time on each month’s reconciliation process.

As the Schweitzer brand continues to gain traction in the regional and national ski destination markets, its leadership team looks forward to leveraging the scalability of the CardDog solution. Scot Folino, CardDog’s Technical Relationship Manager, agrees that this is a real benefit of the CardDog relationship. “The ski resort industry is so niche. We always strive to be that organization that understands its clients’ needs better, and can then help differentiate them in important ways from the rest of the pack.”

Visit the TRI/Card Dog Booth at the Upcoming NSAA Show and win a Nook!

You are invited to stop by the TRI/CardDog booth at the NSAA's upcoming  

National Convention and Tradeshow
May 6-9, 2012
San Antonio, TX

to see why ski areas like Deer Valley® Resort, Alta Ski Area, and many others have made their marketing dreams a reality with CardDog Gift & Loyalty programs powered by Transaction Resources, Inc.  

Be sure to visit our booth for your chance to win 
one of two Nook Simple Touch e-readers!