Aug
16
2016
Jul
06
2016
Jun
27
2016
It’s Here, What You’ve Been Waiting For; REVONU POS for Windows!
REVONU POS for Windows
May
24
2016
Google Bans Payday Lending Ads
MONEY!
In an interesting turn of events, Google announced on May 11 that it will no longer service online advertisements from Payday Lending companies starting July 13. This decision came due to increasing pressure (from civil liberties, consumer protection and consumer privacy groups) to make a change in advertising policy.
Many of these advocacy groups feel that Payday Lending services often target weaker consumers that are in poverty, forcing them to pay extremely high interest rates for short term money loans. Consumers frequently use these loans to cover expenses that they are unable to afford before their next paycheck comes. According to a report by Yahoo! Finance, a 2012 Pew study stated that “the average payday borrower is in debt for five months, spending $520 in fees and interest to repeatedly borrow $375.” Interest rates easily reach triple digit values, averaging around 391%. These high rates can generate billions of dollars in revenue for many of the larger Payday Lenders, which many feel is an unethical business practice.
Although many consumers are happy that Google is stepping in to combat these issues, a number of Payday Lending advocates, believe that this mandate is discriminatory, undermining the integrity of honest Payday Lending companies. In a statement recently obtained by the Washington Post, the Community Financial Services Association of America has stated “Facebook and others are making a blanket assessment about the payday lending industry rather than discerning the good actors from the bad actors. This is unfair toward those that are legal, licensed lenders.”
The Washington Post article also states that one of the more dangerous aspects of using the Google search to find a lender is the fact that extremely sensitive financial information can be gleaned by the search engine. Once a desperate consumer enters their personal information, consumers can be taken advantage of by ads designed to target their financial profile. The companies they find may not end up just being unethical — they are likely to be more expensive than using a brick and mortar lender due to online fees.
Despite Google blocking Payday Lender’s advertisements, consumers are still able to use the engine to search for lenders and investigate their websites. Although Google’s aggressive action will not completely mitigate the risks of using Payday Lenders, it will at least curtail the efforts of the less ethical ones.
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May
17
2016
Apple Pay Expands to Canada
If there wasn’t any before, Apple Pay’s recent expansion has given merchants throughout the country of Canada a strong incentive to provide point of sale solutions compatible with the service. Although Apple Pay isn’t necessarily a service that is new to Canada, May 2016 marks the first time that customers will be able to make transactions with cards not exclusive to American Express.
For those that aren’t familiar, Apple Pay is a relatively new mobile payment feature powered by Apple that allows customers to pay for goods and services through their iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch. Launched in October 2014, the application is synced with a user’s credit card and is utilized by holding your device near the contactless reader on a merchant’s POS system. The application then requires a user’s fingerprint Touch ID to authorize the transaction, and is a replacement for traditional ‘Chip and Pin’ or ‘Chip and Signature’ security methods.
Although Apple Pay has been available in Canada since November 2015, it has only recently become available for merchants that process cardholders not affiliated with American Express.
On May 10, Apple Pay’s services were expanded to customers of Royal Bank of Canada, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, ATB Financial and Canadian Tire Bank. This expansion now supports Visa, Mastercard, and Interac, servicing a majority of cardholders in Canada. Services will be further expanded to TD Canada Trust, Scotiabank and the Bank of Montreal in order to fully accommodate Canada’s ‘Big 5’ banks, as well as two additional credit unions (iMore).
Apple Pay has potential to make a big splash in the Canadian market, primarily due to its cooperation with banking institutions. American Express is infamous for charging higher processing rates than its competitors, so Apple’s expansion beyond AmEx as sole proprietor of mobile transactions greatly increases its potential consumer base. In terms of customer protection, LoyaltyOne’s Senior Director of Research and Development believes that Apple Pay’s combination of security and branding are among its strongest selling points in foreign markets.
“Trust and security has remained a big issue with digital wallet adoption to-date, but studies show that consumers are more likely to adopt a mobile wallet platform and engage with the app if they trust a brand, and because banks are some of Canada’s most trusted brands, they are well-poised to get the most out of this digital trend,” says Berry. (MobileSyrup).
Having anticipated this major market shift, CoCard is fully equipped with a number of POS solutions that can quickly and efficiently service Apple Pay users in the United States. For more info about Apple Pay devices, call CoCard today at (800) 317-1819 or email at info@cocard.info.
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Mar
22
2016
Pssst! Did You Know That COCARD Has a Live Chat?
Do you have any burning questions? Not feeling like picking up the phone? Would you like some more information about credit card processing, POS systems or have a question about your merchant account with COCARD? Then chat away!
I’m REVONU your POS system pal, and I’m here to tell you about our brand new live chat feature. It’s conveniently located on the bottom right corner of the screen on our website, www.cocard.info.
Look in the right hand corner of your screen right now, click on the blue box and one of our fanatical support members will answer any questions you may have, so don’t hesitate to chat us! Hope to talk to you soon!
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Oct
05
2015
EMV Pocket Glossary
With the liability shift here, we know that you’ve already got a lot on your plate. So we’re going to just take it easy and go over a few terms you may have already seen or will see as you continue to learn about EMV. This list can serve as a simple pocket reference during the transition. Print it out even, and refer to it as needed when reading your next article or blog post about EMV. We want the transition to be worry-free.
EMV: Short for Europay, Mastercard, and Visa, the developers of the card
Chip-enabled card: A credit card enabled with a microchip; also referred to as “chip and pin” or “chip and signature”, depending on the cardholder verification method
Fraud: the criminal use of a person’s credit card information to make unauthorized transactions
With the transition to EMV terminals, the US aims to decrease fraud. The US currently accounts for nearly half of all worldwide fraud. On a positive note, the EU has decreased card fraud by 80% since completing its transition to EMV cards, which means the US transition should be successful.
Liability shift: Starting October 1st the responsibility for fraudulent transactions switched to the party with the least EMV-capable technology
If fraud occurs with a non-EMV bank card, the bank is responsible. If fraud occurs as a result of a merchant’s POS system that can’t accept EMV-cards, the merchant is responsible. Only 20-30% of merchants are expected to use EMV-capable terminals by October 1st, with the remainder throughout the three to five-year transition period. So if you’re not there yet, don’t freak out. COCARD can work with you to determine a POS system that is right for your company’s needs.
Transaction authorization: When a chip card goes through rules set by the card-issuer to determine whether the transaction can be authorized; transactions can be authorized either online or offline
Card authentication: the process of making the card authentic or unique by providing a one-time code for the transaction
If someone does manage to actually steal this code and use it, the transaction would be declined since the code was already used.
Cardholder verification (CVM): how the issuer and merchant verify that the cardholder and the person with the card are one and the same. An EMV-terminal might require a pin, signature, or for low risk transactions, no verification method.
Mag-stripe card: Cards with a magnetic stripe on the back. Much of the world has already switched completely to EMV-cards, and the full-scale transition in the US is currently underway. Cardholder data on mag stripe cards is easy to steal using a simple card reading machine.
Cryptogram: A one-time code created during online authorization; a cryptogram validates that the chip and issuer are not counterfeit
That’s it. We hope that this glossary of terms is short and sweet, and that it provides simple definitions for terms that are often times used when discussing EMV.
And now that October 1st has come and gone we’re sure that your still standing strong. So don’t worry. Instead, continue to read up on EMV and take the information that is most valuable to you as a business owner. If you’ve got any questions, we at COCARD will be happy to assist. Feel free to give us a call at 800-317-1819.
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