Terms & Conditions
Exhibit A – Rules Summary
All capitalized terms not defined below will have the meanings ascribed in the Bank Card Merchant Agreement/Merchant Processing Agreement.
Good Business Practices That Will Help You Reduce Your Processing Costs
- Use an imprinted sales ticket with signature for all “key entered” This will assist you with issues such as chargebacks.
- Close and settle your sales transactions daily. This will help reduce those instances where “Mid-Qualified” or “Non-Qualified” discount rates are assessed.
- Balance your Merchant Account, processing statements from Processor, Member Bank, Associations, and Third Party Service Providers, and your sales slips to assure that you are receiving anticipated funds in a timely fashion, as more fully described below. Because of the number of parties involved in the processing of credit card and other electronic transactions, the only way to ensure that you receive all funds is by balancing each day’s sales tickets against daily ACH deposits.
- Respond within the acceptable time frame to retrievals and/or chargebacks in order to assure the most favorable outcome possible.
- Do not call the voice authorization center for services other than authorization.
- Settle disputes with your customers before they reach “chargeback” A chargeback is like a returned check; it is expensive and time consuming.
- Read your Merchant Processing Agreement and these Rules closely and thoroughly.
- Shipping products overseas without a card present should be closely monitored. Merchant has little ability to prevent a chargeback in this type of situation.
- You should carefully reconcile sales tickets against deposits daily, particularly in the following situations: installation of new equipment, new downloads, adding new products to your terminal, power outages, change in your Merchant Account.
1. Honoring Cards
- You shall honor all Cards when presented in accordance with these Rules for the purchase of goods or services or in processing a request for credit resulting from such a transaction, by an authorized holder of a Card without imposing any special conditions not required by any Rules. However, if you do not deal with the public at large (for example, if your business is a private club), you are required to honor a valid Card only if presented by a cardholder who has purchasing privileges or a membership with you. You may attempt to steer customers who initially present a Card to an alternative method of payment, such as by providing discounts for cash, but you may not do so in a confusing manner that denies consumer choice. You may also consider whether present circumstances create undue risk, for example if the sale involves high-value electronics, but the card signature panel is not signed, and the Cardholder does not have any other identification.
- Cardholder Identification: You will identify the Cardholder and check the expiration date and signature on each Card. You will not honor any Card if: (i) the Card has expired; (ii) the signature on the Sales Draft does not correspond with the signature on the Card; or (iii) the account number embossed on the Card does not match the account number on the Card’s magnetic stripe (as printed in electronic form) or the account number is listed on a current Electronic Warning Bulletin file. Unless permitted or required under the Laws and Rules, you will not require a Cardholder to provide personal information, such as a home or business telephone number, a home or business address, or a driver’s license number, as a condition for honoring a Card.
- Responsibility for Transactions: Merchant is responsible for ensuring that the Cardholder understands that the Merchant is responsible for the transaction, including goods or services that are the subject of the transaction, and for related customer service, dispute resolution, and performance of the terms and conditions of the transaction. A Merchant must prominently and unequivocally inform the Cardholder of the identity of the Merchant at all points of interaction so that the Card holder readily can distinguish the Merchant from any other party such as a supplier of goods or services to the Merchant.
- Card Recovery: You will use your reasonable, best efforts to recover any Card: (i) on Visa Cards, if the printed four digits above the embossed account number do not match the first four digits of the embossed account number; (ii) if you are advised by Member Bank (or its designee), the issuer of the Card or the designated voice authorization center to retain it; (iii) if you have reasonable grounds to believe the Card is counterfeit, fraudulent or stolen, or not authorized by the Cardholder; or (iv) for Mastercard Cards, the embossed account number, indent printed account number and/or encoded account number do not agree, or the Card does not have a Mastercard hologram on the lower right corner of the Card face. This obligation upon you in no way authorizes a breach of the peace or any injury to persons or property, and you will hold Processor or Member Bank harmless from any claim arising from any injury to person or property or other breach of peace.
- Return Policy: You will properly disclose to the Cardholder, at the time of the transaction and in accordance with the Rules, any limitation you have on accepting returned merchandise.
- No Claim Against Cardholder: You will not have any claim against, or right to receive payment from a Cardholder unless Member Bank or Processor refuses to accept the Sales Draft or revokes its prior acceptance of the Sales Draft (after receipt of a chargeback or otherwise). You will not accept any payments from a Cardholder relating to previous charges for merchandise or services included in a Sales Draft, and if you receive such payment, you will promptly remit them to Member Bank. You may not reimburse a Cardholder in cash or check for any transaction.
- Disputes With Cardholders: You must ensure that the Cardholder understands that you are responsible for the transaction, for any related customer service, dispute resolution, and performance of the terms and conditions of the All Disputes between you and any Cardholder relating to any transaction will be settled between you and the Cardholder. Neither Processor nor Member Bank bears any responsibility for such transactions. You shall not require a Cardholder to waive his or her rights to dispute the transaction as a condition of the sale.
- Employee Actions: You are responsible for your employees’ actions while in your employ.
- Prohibitions on Card: You shall not: (i) submit for payment into interchange any transaction that is illegal or that you should have known was illegal; (ii) require a Cardholder to complete a postcard or similar device that includes the Cardholder’s account number, expiration, signature or any other account-related data in plain view when mailed, (iii) add any tax to a transaction, unless applicable law expressly requires you to impose a tax, and in such event the tax amount must be included in the transaction amount and not collected separately; (iv) request or use an account number for any purpose other than as payment for goods or services, except as permitted by the Rules; (v) disburse funds in the form of travelers cheques, if the sole purpose is to allow cardholder to make a cash purchase of goods or services from you; (vi) permit a Cardholder to purchase travelers cheques, or other similar item, if the sole purpose is to allow the Cardholder to make a cash purchase of goods or services from Merchant; (vii) accept a Card to collect or refinance an existing debt that has been deemed uncollectible; (viii) enter into interchange a transaction that represents collection of a dishonored check; (ix) require a Cardholder to waive his/her rights to dispute a transaction as a condition of sale; (x) accept Cardholder payments for previous Card charges incurred at the Merchant location; (xi) submit for payment into interchange any transaction that may in the sole discretion of a Card Organization, damage the goodwill of such Card Organization or reflect negatively on a Card Organization’s brands; (xii) add any surcharge to a transaction; (xiii) enter into interchange any transaction receipt for a transaction that was previously charged back to Member Bank and subsequently returned to you, irrespective of Cardholder approval (you may pursue payment from the customer outside of the Card Organization system); (xiv) accept a Card for the purchase of Scrip; (xv) accept a Visa Electron Card or a Visa TravelMoney Card for manual cash disbursement; and/or (xvi) redeem a Visa Prepaid Card for cash. You may establish a minimum sale amount as a condition for honoring Cards, provided that the minimum transaction amount does not differentiate between Card Organizations and/or issuers and the minimum transaction amount does not exceed $70.00 (or any higher amount established by applicable law or the Rules). Unless otherwise set forth below or otherwise allowed by applicable law or the Rules, you may not establish a maximum sale amount as a condition for honoring Cards. You may establish a maximum sale amount as a condition for honoring Cards if you are a department, agency or instrumentality of the U.S. Government, you are a corporation owned or controlled by the U.S. Government, or your primary business is reflected by one of the following MCCs: 8220 (Colleges, Universities, Professional Schools and Junior Colleges), 8244 (Schools, Business and Secretarial), or 8249 (Schools, Trade and Vocational), provided that the maximum transaction amount does not differentiate between Card Organizations and/or issuers.
- Security Features: You are required to examine the Card security features prior to completing a sale. You should examine the Card to be sure there has been no tampering to the signature panel. Specific Card security features are as follows:
- Visa:
- The “DOVE” hologram should appear to fly when tilted
- All Visa account numbers begin with a “4” and can be up to 79 digits long.
- The first four digits of the embossed account number match the four digits printed on the account number of the Card.
- The “V” to the right of the expiration date should be a special letter (a “Flying V” not a normal “V”). The “DOVE” hologram should appear to fly when tilted.
- MasterCard:
- The MasterCard Global hologram or the Debit MasterCard hologram and the MasterCard brand mark stacked within a retaining line, or the MasterCard brandmark without a retaining line if the hologram is on the back.
- All MasterCard account numbers are 76 digits long.
- The first four digits of the embossed account number match the four digits printed on the account number of the Card. The last four digits of the account number are embossed over the hologram.
- Discover Network: (certain valid devices (e.g., radio frequency enabled Cards, key fobs, contactless Cards, and JCB, CUP and DCI Cards) may not display the features described below).
- Card numbers are at least 76 digits embossed on the front of the Card.
- The word DISCOVER or DISCOVER NETWORK will appear in ultraviolet ink on the front of the Card when it is held under an ultraviolet light.
- An overprint on the signature panel reads Discover Network.
- The Discover Network three-dimensional hologram, bearing a distinct circular shape and images of a globe pierced by an arrow, water and stars on a repetitive pattern background (the “Discover Network Hologram”), appears on the front of certain Discover Network Cards. The hologram reflects light and appears to move as the Card is rotated.
- Visa:
- When an Electronic Cash Register or Electronic Draft Capture terminal reads the magnetic stripe on the Card, you must check the Card account number on the terminal (if displayed) against the account number embossed on the Card or follow such other security check as is mandated by Processor from time to time. If the Card is read with a terminal that displays the Card number and the Sales Draft is printed, you shall verify that the account number displayed on the terminal and the printed card numbers on the Sales Draft match the embossed numbers on the face of the Card. In the event that they do not match, the sale must not be completed. Failure to follow these checks and procedures will expose you to chargebacks. If the terminal is programmed to require you to key the last four or more digits of each Card used for a sale, and the terminal indicates that the numbers keyed are not the same as those present on the Card, the sale must not be completed.
- Advertising: You must display Visa, MasterCard, Discover Network and any other applicable Card issuer, Debit Network and EBT Network decals and program marks on promotional materials that Processor furnishes, including, if applicable, the JCB, CUP, DCI and/or Electron symbol, in equal prominence near the point-of-sale devices and as otherwise required by the Rules. Your use of the promotional materials of Visa, MasterCard, Discover Network or any other Association or State will not indicate, directly or indirectly, that Visa, MasterCard, Discover Network or any other Association or State endorse any goods or services other than their own and you may not refer to Visa, MasterCard, Discover Network or any other Association or State in stating eligibility for your products or services.
- Acceptance Procedures: You may ask or incent your customers to use alternative forms of payment other than a Visa or MasterCard. Discounts can be offered on alternate card brands, card types or payment types. Card brand or payment method preference can be promoted, as well as the ability to inform your customers of the costs associated with accepting a particular card type or brand.
- MasterCard Specific Requirements: You may request or encourage a customer to use a payment card with an acceptance brand other than MasterCard or other form of payment or a Card of a different product type (e.g., traditional cards, premium cards, rewards cards) than the Card the consumer initially presents. You may do so by methods that include, but are not limited to:
- offering the customer an immediate discount from your list, stated, or standard price, a rebate, a free or discounted product or service, or any other incentive or benefit if the customer uses a particular payment card with an acceptance brand other than MasterCard or other particular form of payment;
- offering the customer an immediate discount from your list, stated, or standard price, a rebate, a free or discounted product or service, or any other incentive or benefit if the customer, who initially presents a MasterCard, uses instead another payment card or another form of payment;
- expressing a preference for the use of a particular payment card or form of payment;
- promoting the use of a particular general-purpose payment card with an acceptance brand other than MasterCard or the use of a particular form or forms of payment through posted information, through the size, prominence, or sequencing of payment choices, or through other communications to customers (provided that merchants will abide by the MasterCard trademark standards relating to the display of its marks); or
- communicating to customers the reasonably estimated or actual costs incurred by you when a customer uses particular payment cards or forms of payment or the relative costs of using different general-purpose payment cards or forms of payment.
You are free to engage in the POS practices that are described above, or any other substantially equivalent practices.
- Visa Specific Requirements: You may steer customers to use a particular network brand, such as Visa or MasterCard; to a type of payment card, such as a “non-reward” credit card; or to another preferred form of payment. You may also encourage a customer who initially presents a Visa card to use a payment card with a different network brand, a different type of payment card, or a different form of payment. You may engage in any of the following steering activities:
- offering a customer a discount or rebate, including an immediate discount or rebate at the point of sale;
- offering a free or discounted product;
- offering a free or discounted or enhanced service;
- offering the customer an incentive, encouragement or benefit;
- expressing a preference for the use of a particular brand or type of general purpose card or a particular form of payment;
- promoting a particular brand or type of general purpose card or a particular form or forms of payment through promoting a particular brand or type of general purpose card or a particular form or forms of payment through posted information, through the size, prominence or sequencing of payment choices, or through other communications to customer;
- communicating to a customer the reasonably estimated or actual costs incurred by the merchant when a customer uses a particular brand or type of general purpose card or a particular form of payment or the relative costs of using.
- engaging in any other practices substantially equivalent to these.
You are not required to display the Visa mark in a size as large as other payments marks. You may promote acceptance brands Other than Visa through the size, prominence, or sequencing of payment choices. However, you must continue to respect a cardholder’s ultimate decision to pay with Visa: you still have an obligation to accept for payment properly presented Visa cards, including rewards cards. In addition, surcharging of Visa cards and steering among Visa cards based on the issuing bank are not permitted and you must ensure that your steering practices are not performed in a confusing manner.
- American Express Specific Requirements: If you accept American Express cards, you must comply with the American Express rules regarding card acceptance. You should review your agreement with American Express for further details on the requirements for American Express card acceptance.
- MasterCard Specific Requirements: You may request or encourage a customer to use a payment card with an acceptance brand other than MasterCard or other form of payment or a Card of a different product type (e.g., traditional cards, premium cards, rewards cards) than the Card the consumer initially presents. You may do so by methods that include, but are not limited to:
2. Authorization
- Required on all Transactions: You will obtain a prior authorization via electronic terminal or similar device before completing any transaction, including MO/TO transactions. You will follow any instructions received during such authorization process. Upon receipt of authorization, you may consummate only the transaction authorized and must note on the Sales Draft the authorization number. Where authorization is obtained, you will be deemed to warrant the true identity of the customer as the Cardholder. If you receive a negative authorization response, you may not complete the sale and may be requested to recover the Card, if you can do so by reasonable and peaceful means. If you do recover the Card, you should notify the voice authorization center and ask for further instructions. Transactions will be deemed invalid on Cards that are expired, whether or not an authorization has been obtained. For electronic commerce transactions, you must attempt to obtain the Card expiration date and forward it as part of the authorization request. You may not, after receiving a negative response or decline on an authorization request, split the sale amount into multiple transactions in order to obtain a valid authorization for each one so that the separate transactions total the original dollar amount of the sale.
- Effect: Authorizations are not a guarantee of acceptance or payment of the Card transaction and will not waive any provision of this Agreement or otherwise validate a fraudulent transaction or a transaction involving the use of an expired Card. Obtaining an authorization will not assure payment to you for a Card transaction. The fact that an authorization is obtained by you will not affect Processor’s or Member Bank’s right thereafter to revoke the authorization of a Card transaction or to charge back the transaction to you. In no event will the fact that an authorization is obtained by you be deemed to be Processor’s or Member Bank’s representation or warranty, either express or implied, that the particular Card transaction is in fact a valid, authorized or undisputed transaction entered into by the Cardholder.
- Unreadable Magnetic Stripes: If you authorize and present Card transactions electronically and your terminal is unable to read the magnetic stripe on the Card, you will obtain an imprint of the Card and the Cardholder’s signature on the imprinted draft before presenting the Sales Draft to Member Bank and Processor for processing.
- Procedures: lf an unsigned Card is presented at the point of sale, you must request that Cardholder provide proof of identification and sign the card before completing the sale. Details of the identification provided must be placed on the Sales Draft unless prohibited by local If the Cardholder refuses to do so, the sale must not be completed. In any of the following cases, you shall obtain authorization from the voice authorization center, designated or approved by Processor or Member Bank, before completing a sales transaction:
- paper merchants whose sales exceed your floor limit as established by Processor or Member Bank, or amended from time to time;
- an unsigned Card is presented;
- if you believe the Card may be counterfeit or stolen or that the sale is in some other manner suspicious or unusual, you should state to the voice authorization clerk, ‘This is a Code 10″ and await further instruction; or
- in any other circumstances established by Processor or Member Bank or stated in the Rules and/or this Agreement.
- If you are approved to utilize batch authorization by Processor, you may obtain batch authorization for certain sales after such sales have occurred provided, however, that authorization for each
transaction is obtained by end of the calendar day upon which such sale was initiated and that you do not presort the batch by account number or BIN. Further, you explicitly agree that you will be responsible for any fines, fees, chargebacks, assessments, and declined or disputed transactions that may result from using a batch authorization process.
3. Sales Drafts
- Forms: You will use a sales draft (“Sales Draft”) to document each Card transaction. Each Sales Draft will be legibly imprinted with: (i) Merchant’s name, identification number, and city and state; (ii) the information embossed on the Card presented by the Cardholder (either electronically or manually); (iii) the date of the transaction; (iv) a brief description of the goods or services involved; (v) the transaction authorization number; (vi) the total amount of the sale (including any applicable taxes) or credit transaction; and (vii) adjacent to the signature line, a notation that all sales are final, if applicable. If you use an electronic terminal to print Sales Drafts, the account number must be truncated on the cardholder copy of the Sales Draft. This means that only the last 4 digits of the account number may appear. The entire expiration date must be suppressed on receipts provided to cardholders.
- Signatures: Sales Drafts must be signed by the Cardholder. The requirement for the Cardholder’s signature on the Sales Draft will only be waived if the Card transaction is a valid MO/TO or electronic commerce card transaction, which fully complies with the requirements set forth in this Agreement, or if otherwise permitted by the Rules.
- Delivery and Retention of Sales Drafts: You will deliver a complete and legible copy of the Sales Draft or credit voucher to the Cardholder at the time of the transaction. You shall store all Sales Drafts and transaction records in a limited access area for at least one (l) year after the date of sales. You will retain the Merchant copy of the Sales Draft or credit memorandum for at least 12 months following the date of completion of the transaction for Visa Card transactions, at least 18 months following the date of completion of the transaction for MasterCard Card transactions and at least three (3) years following the date of completion of the transaction for Discover Network Card transactions (or such longer period as the Rules may require), which documentation must be maintained in a secure manner in accordance with your obligations under the Bank Card Merchant Agreement. You will submit to Processor or Member Bank a legible copy of a Sales Draft if any Card issuer requests such retrieval. Your deadline for providing Processor or Member Bank a legible copy of the requested Sales Draft will be ten (10) days after the date of the Card issuer’s retrieval request, as specified in the notice from Processor or Member Bank. Unless specifically permitted by Processor, goods and services purchased must be delivered to Cardholder at the time of sale. You shall not disclose a Cardholder’s account information or any other personal information to third parties other than your agents for the purpose of completing the transaction or as specifically required by the Laws or by the Rules.
- Electronic Transmission: If you utilize electronic authorization and/or data capture services, you will enter the data related to a sales or credit transaction into a computer terminal or magnetic stripe reading terminal no later than the close of business on the date the transaction is completed. If you provide your own electronic terminal or similar device, such terminals must meet Processor’s requirements for processing transactions. Information regarding a sales or credit transaction transmitted with a computer or magnetic stripe reading terminal will be transmitted by you to Processor or its agent in the form Processor from time to time specifies or as required under the Laws or Rules. If Member Bank or Processor requests a copy of a Sales Draft, credit voucher, or other transaction evidence, you will provide it within three (3) business days following the request. If your terminal cannot successfully read the magnetic stripe, you must imprint the Card, even if it is a key entered transaction. You must imprint the Card on the same Sales Draft containing the remainder of the transaction information and the Cardholder signature. Failure to obtain a signed and imprinted Sales Draft when a transaction is not captured by swiping through a magnetic stripe reader will expose you to a chargeback regardless of the authorization that may or may not be received. Failure to read the magnetic stripe on the Card may result in a discount rate tier downgrade.
- Daily Settlement of Transactions: You must Batch Out each POS terminal every day. Failure to Batch Out daily will delay the deposit of funds. “Batch Out” is the process by which you total and settle all transactions, on each POS terminal, which occurred before midnight (12:00 a.m.) and transmit the information to Processor. In all cases, Merchant must present the record within three (3) business days (two (2) business days for Electron Cards) after the transaction date, unless otherwise permitted by the Rules. Transactions contained in an untimely Batch Out may be refused, held for a 180-day period, become subject to chargeback or be transferred to a Reserve Account and held in accordance with the terms of the Bank Card Merchant Agreement. Merchant is responsible for resubmitting a Batch Out or ticket if the POS terminal fails to properly Batch Out or if sales ticket data does not process through the normal payment cycle. Processor is not liable to Merchant for amounts it did not collect, including but not limited to amounts collected by Third Party Service Providers.
4. Chargebacks
- Failure to comply with the Rules will reduce Processor or Member Bank’s ability to reverse chargebacks and increase the likelihood of your receiving a chargeback. You may be subject to a chargeback on sales for a minimum period ofl80 days from the date the sale was entered into the Association’s processing system. Processor may hold funds from your account to cover any chargebacks for the later of: (i) 270 days after the termination of this Agreement; (ii) 180 after the last Card processing activity under this Agreement; or (iii) the conclusion of any pending criminal, civil, administrative, or regulatory investigation or litigation. Processor or Member Bank will mail or otherwise deliver all chargeback documentation to the address provided by you. You agree to respond promptly to all chargebacks. If Processor or Member Bank elects, at its discretion, to take action on chargebacks after the Association time limits have expired, such action shall be done at additional cost. You will not redeposit sales that have been previously charged back and not represented. This restriction applies whether or not the Cardholder consents to such activity. If you receive a chargeback for an international Cardholder, you are responsible for any currency conversion differences in the dollar amount. You will be charged the fee indicated on the Merchant Application for each chargeback.
5. Chargeback Reasons
- Summary: The summary of reasons for chargebacks include, but are not limited to, anyone of the following:
- an invalid Card account number submitted by you;
- neither the Cardholder nor a person authorized by the Cardholder received the goods or services requested;
- the Cardholder never received the good or service;
- the Cardholder received the good or service but disputes the quality;
- the Cardholder never received credit for a returned item or a canceled order;
- the Cardholder was charged incorrectly;
- the amount of the sale exceeded the floor limit and an authorization was not obtained or was denied;
- the sale was authorized but not for the correct amount;
- the authorization code provided is invalid;
- the Card was expired at the time of the sale or had not reached its effective date;
- the Sales Draft was not An exception will be made where MO/TO sales are permitted by Processor;
- the Card issuer has information that a Merchant fraud has occurred;
- the Card account number and the amount of sale is missing from Sales Draft or is illegible;
- the Sales Draft bears the imprint of a Card which to the Associations is a counterfeit Card because the Card is not embossed in accordance with the standards set forth in the Rules, even if the sale was authorized.
6. Chargeback Monitoring Programs
- If you exceed a 7% chargeback to interchange ratio for all incoming chargebacks you are considered an excessive chargeback merchant and may be subject to a Card Organization’s monitoring
programs. You are responsible for monitoring your monthly chargeback percentage and developing chargeback reduction plans as required by the Card Organizations. Excessive chargeback activity for an unreasonable period of time may result in termination of this Agreement. You must pay Member Bank or Processor for any fine or charge levied by the Associations on Member Bank, Processor or Merchant as a result of your chargeback activity. This section may be amended from time to time as a result of action by the Associations. - Other Monitoring Programs: If you are identified by certain Association monitoring programs, Processor or Member Bank’s ability to reverse chargebacks may be severely restricted. Certain monitoring programs review the number of lost, stolen and counterfeit Cards accepted by you in the normal course of business and the percentage of Cards used for sales that were not read electronically by terminals or Electronic Cash Registers. The purpose of these programs is to reduce the use of lost, stolen, fraudulent, and counterfeit Cards. In the event that you are identified under these programs as exceeding the acceptable threshold value of such Cards, you may become liable for chargebacks and sales on lost, stolen, or counterfeit Cards regardless of the Card acceptance procedures followed, and this Agreement may be terminated by Processor or Member Bank and/or Processor or Member Bank may immediately cease providing services to Merchant without notice.
- Excessive: Your presentation to Processor of Excessive Activity will be a breach of this Agreement and cause for immediate termination. “Excessive Activity” means, during any monthly period for any one of Merchant’s terminal identification numbers or merchant identification numbers: (i) the dollar amount or number of chargebacks and retrieval requests exceeds 7% of the average monthly dollar amount or number of Card transactions; (ii) sales activity that exceeds by 25% or more the dollar volume indicated on the Merchant Application; or (iii) the dollar amount of returns equals 3% of the average monthly dollar amount of Card transactions. You authorize, upon the occurrence of Excessive Activity, us or Member Bank to take any action deemed necessary including but not limited to suspension or termination of processing privileges or creation or maintenance of a Reserve Account in accordance with this Agreement.
7. Credits
- Credit Memoranda: You will issue a credit memorandum, instead of making a cash advance, a disbursement or a cash refund on any Card transaction. Member Bank will debit the Merchant Account for the total face amount of each credit memorandum submitted to Processor. You will not submit a credit relating to any Sales Draft not originally submitted to Processor, nor will you submit a credit that exceeds the amount of the original Sales Draft. You will, within the time period specified by applicable law, provide Processor with a credit memorandum or credit statement for every return of goods or forgiveness of debt for services which were the subject of a Card transaction.
- Revocation of Credit: Member Bank or Processor may refuse to accept any Sales Draft or revoke its prior acceptance of a Sales Draft in the following circumstances: (i) the transaction giving rise to the Sales Draft was not made in compliance with this Agreement, the Laws and the Rules; (ii) the Cardholder disputes his/her liability to Member Bank for any reason, including but not limited to those chargeback rights enumerated in the Rules; or (iii) the transaction giving rise to the Sales Draft was not directly between you and the Cardholder. You will pay Member Bank or Processor, as appropriate, any amount previously credited to you for a Sales Draft not accepted by Member Bank or Processor or, where accepted, is subsequently revoked.
- Returns: If you agree to credit a Cardholder for any merchandise or service that was the subject of a sale, you must provide a Credit Transaction Receipt using the same Card as in the original sale. Such credit shall not exceed the original sale You shall not make any cash refund on sales. You may limit the acceptance of returned merchandise or establish a policy to make price adjustments for any sale provided proper disclosure is made and purchased goods and services are delivered to the Cardholder at the time of the sale. Proper disclosure means the words “NO REFUND,” “EXCHANGE ONLY,” or “IN STORE CREDIT ONLY” are printed in large letters near the signature line on all copies of the Sales Draft prior to obtaining the Cardholder’s signature on the Sales Draft. You may stipulate other special circumstances or terms of the sale on the Sales Draft. For each credit transaction, you must be able to provide Processor or Member Bank with evidence of the original purchase.
- Fraud and Factoring: You agree that, except as otherwise contemplated herein or otherwise permitted by Processor, you will use the services provided by Processor only for your own internal and proper business purposes and will not resell, directly or indirectly, any of the services or any portion thereof to any third party. You must deposit only transactions that directly result from Cardholder transactions at your merchant locations. You must not deposit transactions resulting from any transaction involving a Card between a Cardholder and another entity (with the exception of Payment Service Providers (PSPs), who may deposit transactions resulting from a transaction between a Cardholder and a Sponsored Merchant of the PSP). You will not present for processing or credit, directly or indirectly, any transaction not originated as a result of a Card transaction directly between you and a Cardholder or any transaction you know or should know to be fraudulent or not authorized by the Cardholder. Perpetrators of fraudulent transactions will be referred to law enforcement officials. You will not sell or disclose to third parties Card account information other than in the course of performing your obligations under this Agreement. You will not deposit any Sales Draft representing the refinancing of an existing obligation of a Cardholder. In addition to Processor’s and Member Bank’s ability to establish and maintain a Reserve Account, you agree that Processor may, within its sole discretion, suspend the disbursement of Sales Draft funds for any reasonable period of time required to investigate suspicious or unusual deposit activity. Upon completion of Processor’s investigation, Processor may transfer such Sales Draft funds into a Reserve Account. Processor and Member Bank will have no liability for any losses you may attribute to any suspension of funds disbursement. You further agree that engaging in the aforementioned activity may result in the incurrence of research fees and may be grounds for termination of this Agreement.
8. Other Types of Transactions
- Mail Order and Telephone Order. You may not solicit or accept mail orders or telephone orders or any transaction in which the Cardholder and Card are not present (“MO/TO”) without prior written authorization from MO/TO transactions completed without prior written consent of Processor or Member Bank will be a breach of this Agreement and Event of Default and cause for immediate termination in addition to any other remedies available under the Laws and the Rules. You may be required to use an address verification service (“AVS”) on MO/TO transactions and are encouraged to use AVS even if not required. AVS is not a guarantee of payment and the use of AVS will not waive any provision of this Agreement or validate a fraudulent transaction. You will obtain the expiration date of the Card for a MO/TO transaction and submit the expiration date when obtaining authorization of the Card transaction. For MO/TO transactions, you wilI type or print legibly on the signature line of the Sales Draft the following applicable words or letters: mail order or “MO” or telephone order or “TO”. If you are specifically authorized by Processor or Member Bank to accept MO/TO sales, no sale shall be submitted for processing prior to the shipping of the product or the provision of services purchased by the Cardholder. If you supply goods and/or services under a preauthorization order, you shall not charge a Cardholder for goods after receiving notice from a Cardholder that the authorization for goods or services is canceled. The shipping documents indicating the address the goods were shipped to and a signature of an individual (even Cardholder) will not normally be sufficient to reverse an unauthorized purchaser reason code. You assume the risk associated with accepting MO/TO sales transactions.
- Recurring/Quasi Cash: You may not accept transactions where the goods or services are performed periodically without Processor’s consent. If you receive such consent, you must obtain a written request from the Cardholder for such goods and services to be charged to the Cardholder’s account, the frequency of the recurring charge and the duration of time during which such charges may be made. You will not complete any recurring transaction after receiving: (i) a cancellation notice from the Cardholder; (ii) notice from Processor or Member Bank indicating that you may not accept such transaction; or (iii) a response that the Card is not to be honored. You must print legibly on the Sales Draft the words “Recurring Transaction”. You shall not accept sales for processing that are classified as “Quasi Cash Transactions” including but not limited to the sale of casino gaming chips, money orders, opening deposits on financial or other accounts, wire transfer money orders, or the issuance of scrip. You shall not accept a Card or use a Visa and MasterCard processing terminal to issue script exchangeable for cash, products, or services as a result of a sale. You must not submit for payment into interchange any transaction that represents the refinancing or transfer of an existing Cardholder obligation that is deemed to be uncollectible, or that arises from the dishonor of a cardholder’s personal check.
- Multiple Sales Drafts: You will include a description and total amount of goods and services purchased in a single sales transaction on a single Sales Draft or transaction record, unless: (i) partial payment is entered on the Sales Draft or transaction record and the balance of the transaction amount is paid in cash or by check at the time of transaction; or (ii) a Sales Draft represents an advance deposit in a Card transaction completed in accordance with this Agreement and the Rules. If the total amount of both Sales Drafts exceeds the floor limit, authorization must be obtained. The use of multiple Cards for one purchase is permissible as long as an individual Sales Draft is used for each Card. The use of multiple sales on one Card, for one purchase, is not permitted.
- Deposits:
- Prior Consent: You will not accept payment by Card any amount representing a deposit or partial payment for goods or services to be delivered in the future without the prior written consent of Processor. The acceptance of a Card for payment or partial payment of goods or services to be delivered in the future without prior consent will be deemed to be a breach of this Agreement and cause for immediate termination in addition to any other remedies available under the Laws or Rules.
- Acceptance: If you have obtained prior written consent, then you will complete such Card transactions in accordance with this Agreement, the Rules, and the Laws. Cardholders must execute one Sales Draft upon making a deposit with a Card and a second Sales Draft upon paying the balance. You will note upon the Sales Draft the words “deposit” or “balance” as appropriate. You will not deposit the Sales Draft labeled “balance” until the goods have been delivered to Cardholder or you have fully performed the services.
- Future Delivery: You will not present any Sales Draft or other memorandum to Member Bank or Processor for processing (whether by electronic means or otherwise) which relates to the sale of goods or services for future delivery without Processor’s prior written authorization. If Member Bank or Processor have previously given such consent, you represent and warrant to Member Bank and Processor that you will not rely on any proceeds or credit resulting from such transactions to purchase or furnish goods or services. You will maintain sufficient working capital to provide for the delivery of goods or services at the agreed upon future date independent of any credit or proceeds resulting from Sales Drafts or other memoranda taken in connection with future delivery transactions.
- Luqra Transactions:
- Luqra: You must obtain the consent of Processor to process Luqra (“LQ”) transactions, and you may process such transactions only if the transactions comply with the Payment Card Industry Security Standard requirements set forth below. If you submit LQ transactions without Processor’s consent, Processor may immediately terminate this Agreement. You understand that transactions processed via LQ are high risk and subject to a higher incidence of chargebacks. A Merchant must not refuse to complete an LQ transaction using a MasterCard card solely because the Cardholder does not have a digital certificate or other secured protocol. You are liable for all chargebacks and losses related to LQ transactions, whether or not: a) LQ transactions have been encrypted; and/or b) you have obtained the consent of Processor to engage in such transactions. Encryption is not a guarantee of payment and will not waive any provision of this Agreement or otherwise validate a fraudulent transaction. You are responsible for contracting with a third party payment engine, payment gateway or other Internet service provider. You must ensure that such third parties transmit Sales Drafts to Processor and Member Bank in an acceptable format and in compliance with the Rules, including but not limited to PCI DSS. All communication costs related to LQ transactions are your responsibility. You understand that Processor will not manage the LQ telecommunications link and that it is your responsibility to manage that link. All LQ transactions will be settled by Member Bank into a depository institution of the United States in U.S. currency.
- Requirements: For goods to be shipped on LQ transactions, you may obtain authorization up to 7 calendar days prior to the shipment date. You need not obtain a second authorization if the Sales Draft amount is within 15% of the authorized amount provided that the additional amount represents shipping costs. Further, your website must contain all of the following information: a) complete description of the goods or services offered, b) returned merchandise and refund policy c) customer service contact, including electronic mail address and/or telephone number, d) transaction currency (such as U.S. or Canadian dollars). e) export or legal restrictions, if known, and f) delivery policy. If you store Cardholder accounts numbers, expiration dates, and other personal Cardholder data in a database, you must follow Association guidelines in securing such data. If you store Cardholder account numbers, expiration dates, and other personal Cardholder data in a database, you must follow Association guidelines on securing such data.
- Cardholder Information Security Program: If you accept LQ transactions, you must: install and maintain a working network firewall to protect data accessible via the Internet, keep security patches up-to-date, encrypt stored data and data sent over open networks, use and update anti- virus software, restrict access to data by business “need-to know”, assign a unique ID to each person with computer access to data, not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters, track access to data by unique ID, regularly test security systems and processes, maintain a policy that addressed information security for employees and contractors, and restrict physical access to Cardholder information.
- Physical Address. If you accept LQ transactions, your website must include the physical address of your permanent establishment, along with your country of domicile either:
- On the same screen view as the checkout screen used to present the total purchase amount. or
- Within the sequence of webpages the Cardholder accesses during the checkout process.
- You acknowledge and agree that you will only submit LQ Card transactions in U.S. Dollars that arise from a Cardholder’s purchase over the Internet. If software is to be purchased by you, you will be responsible for sublicensing fees and all other fees for software and the software program utilized by you that enables you to connect to and maintain communication between you, the Internet and You will, at all times, maintain in effect a sublicense agreement for any such software. You agree to use any such software and the software program properly and for the purposes for which it was intended.
- Third Party Service Provider:
- Authorization: Upon your request, Processor will provide access to authorization and/or data capture services for Third Party Service Provider transactions, such as American Express, and all settlement and chargeback obligations and similar financial responsibilities arising from your transactions involving Third Party Service Providers will be governed exclusively by your agreement with such Third-Party Service Providers. You must enter into a separate agreement with such Third-Party Service Providers and must abide by the terms and conditions of such Third-Party Service Providers. Neither Processor nor Member Bank are responsible for funding such transactions. The terms of this Agreement apply to Third Party Service Providers. Processor may notify you in writing of the fees applicable to Third Party Service Provider transactions. Third Party Service Providers separately invoice Merchants for their services, and their fees are not necessarily included in this Agreement (including the Merchant Application). Any applicable fees and charges for third party services will be disclosed by the applicable Third-Party Service Provider and may be subject to adjustment in accordance with the Third Party Service Provider’s terms and conditions. Additionally, Processor charges a transaction fee for such transactions in addition to those fees charged by Third Party Service Providers (see the Merchant Application). Your acceptance of cards, bearing the symbols of organizations other than the Debit Networks or the Card Organizations, such as American Express and transmission of such card transactions to Processor constitute your agreement to the terms of this Agreement with regard to such cards. Termination of your Agreement with Processor does not automatically terminate your agreement with Third Party Service Providers.
- Information: Processor and Member Bank reserve the right and you agree and consent to allow processor and Member Bank to share your credit report and credit history with all Third-Party Service Providers. Changes made to this agreement, such as address or ACH changes, do not automatically make the same changes for the Third-Party Service Provider. You must contact the Third-Party Service Provider to make the changes. Processor is neither liable nor responsible for such changes. If false data is provided to Processor or the Merchant Account has had any suspected fraudulent activity, Processor reserves the right to share such false or suspected fraudulent information with other financial entities and processors.
- Statements: You must reconcile your sales tickets for each Third-Party Service Provider’s transactions against deposits to your bank account daily. Each Third-Party Service Provider provides its own statement, and you are responsible for reviewing each statement and resolving all issues regarding the transactions directly with that Third Party Service Provider. Each Third-Party Service Provider sets its own rates and fees for its services and may adjust such rates and fees in accordance with your agreement with such Third-Party Service Provider. Processor and Member Bank are not liable or responsible for these transactions and have no legal access to such transactions.
- JCB: The following special provisions apply (notwithstanding any contrary provision in this Agreement) to your JCB Card transactions: (i) you must retain original sales drafts and credit vouchers for at least 720 days after the transaction and must retain microfilm or legible copies of sales drafts and credit vouchers for at least three (3) years after the transaction; (ii) for purposes of your chargeback liability with respect to JCB Card transactions, an Authorization obtained on a transaction does not override any chargeback reason which may apply to the item; (iii) if you process JCB Card transaction data electronically, your account number must be included in the JCB Card transaction data transmitted to us, in addition to the other information required to be included on each sales draft or credit voucher; (iv) if you are a lodging merchant, JCB Cardholders must be allowed to cancel reservations at resort establishments until 4:00 p.m. on the scheduled arrival date; and (v) by contracting for JCB settlement services, you authorize JCB to publish your name, address and telephone number in JCB solicitation materials.
- Age Restricted Products: If you are engaged in the sale of age restricted products such as alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, weapons and/or any other applicable age-restricted products or services, you must comply fully with all local, state and federal laws governing the distribution of age-related products. You certify herein that you will implement age verification procedures governing the sale of such products, including age verification of each customer against an official government records database before entering certain transactions into the credit card payment system. For face-to-face sales, you will require the signature of the Cardholder. To verify legal age, you will also require the Cardholder to present a valid, government- issued photo identification card in the same name and address as the Cardholder. For sales made via mail, telephone and/or the Internet, you will (l) only deliver age restricted products to the name and address listed as belonging to the Cardholder; and (2) require, without exception, the signature of the Cardholder, as well as presentation of a valid, government-issued photo identification card in the same name and address as the card holder to verify legal age upon delivery of the merchandise. Failure to abide by all applicable age verification laws may result in fines and/or loss of credit card merchant charge privileges, as well as termination of your account with Processor and Member Bank.
9. Cash Transactions
- You shall not receive money from a Cardholder and subsequently prepare a credit voucher for the purpose of depositing to the Cardholder’s account. Cash disbursement by you to a Cardholder is not permitted. Additionally, you shall not make any cash advance to an employee, principal, or family member of Merchant, who is a Cardholder. You will not accept sales from Cardholders where the primary purpose of the transaction is for the provision of working capital to business and not the purchase of goods and/or services from the business.
10. Thirds Parties
- Services: You may be using special services or software provided by a third party to assist you in processing transactions, including authorizations and settlements, or accounting functions. You are responsible for ensuring compliance with the requirements of any third party in using their products. This includes making sure you have and comply with any software updates. You are also responsible for demonstrating compliance by your Merchant Suppliers and other Agents with the requirements of the Cardholder Information Security Program and other security requirements. Processor has no responsibility for any transaction until that point in time when Processor receives data about the transaction.
- Use of Terminals Provided by Others: You will notify Processor immediately if you decide to use electronic authorization or data capture terminals or software provided by any entity other than Processor or its authorized designee (“third party terminals”) to process transactions. If you elect to use third party terminals, you agree (i) the third party providing the terminals will be your agent in the delivery of Card transactions to Member Bank via a data processing network; and (ii) to assume full responsibility and liability for any failure of that third party to comply with the Rules ort his Agreement. Neither Member Bank nor Processor will be responsible for any losses or additional fees incurred by you as a result of any error by a third-party agent or a malfunction in a third- party terminal.
11. Vehicle Rental Authorization Procedures
- Estimate: A special authorization procedure is available if you estimate the transaction amount based upon Cardholder’s intended rental length at time of rental, the applicable rental rate, tax, and/or mileage rates. Such estimated transaction amount shall not include ancillary charges representing amounts to cover potential vehicle damages or insurance deductible when Cardholder waives insurance at time of rental.
- Procedures: Special terminal downloads may be required in order to qualify for certain rates on Vehicle Rental transactions. You shall record on the Sales Draft the date, amount, and all authorization approvals obtained. You shall disclose to Cardholder the amount authorized at the time of rental. Subsequent Authorization:
- If no authorization was obtained at the time of rental and you, based upon Cardholder’s actual charges, later estimate that the transaction amount will exceed the applicable floor limit, you may obtain an Authorization approval code for the new estimated amount.
- You may obtain authorization for additional amounts (above any amount not authorized) on the car rental pickup date or prior to the car rental return Additional authorization is not necessary if the sales transaction does not exceed the sum of the authorized amounts plus 75% of the sum of the authorized amounts.
12. Paper Processing Merchants
- Paper processing merchants shall authorize by using the established floor limits. Any Merchant that wishes to accept a sales transaction that is under the established floor limits, and that is not authorized, is liable for the resulting chargebacks from those Card numbers listed on the Electronic Exception File. In the case of a Merchant depositing paper drafts, such drafts shall be deposited with Processor or Member Bank within 5 days of the sale date.
13. Forensic Investigations
- You will fully cooperate with any forensic investigation initiated by an Association (including but not limited to any investigation that is ongoing at the time your Merchant Agreement is signed) until such time as the investigation is completed.
14. T&E Services
- Travel and Entertainment (“T&E”) Merchants: A merchant whose primary function is to provide travel related services shall be referred to as a Travel & Entertainment (“T&E”) Merchant. These include, but are not limited to, car rental, lodging, and central reservation services. A T&E Merchant may process delayed or amended charges if the Cardholder has consented to be liable for those charges. These charges may NOT include charges for loss, theft, or damage.
- Services: T&E Merchants may participate in any of the following Visa T&E Services:
- Priority Checkout Service
- T&E Advance Deposit Service
- T&E Cash Disbursement Service
- Visa Reservation Service
- Visa Priority Check-Out Service: You agree to
- accept all Visa Cards in accordance with this Agreement;
- have Card holder complete, sign, and return a Priority Check-out Agreement (“PCO Agreement”) which includes the Cardholder’s mailing address;
- complete a Sales Draft which includes the total sales amount and the words “Priority Check-Out” on the signature line;
- review the completed PCO Agreement and ensure the account number matches the account number on the Sales Draft if applicable;
- comply with normal authorization and deposit requirements
- at the Cardholder’s request, you must mail the Sales Draft copy, the itemized bill, and the signed PCO agreement to the Cardholder within three (3) business days of the Cardholder’s departure; and
- you must retain the itemized bill and signed PCO Agreement for a minimum of 6 months after the transaction date.
- T&E ADVANCE DEPOSIT SERVICE: You agree to:
- accept all Visa Cards in accordance with this Agreement;
- obtain the Cardholder name, account number, expiration date on the Card, telephone number, mailing address, scheduled date of arrival/embarkation/rental, and intended length of stay/term/rental;
- determine the advance deposit amount, which is the cost of the intended length of stay, cost of the cruise, or cost of the intended term of rental, not to exceed 14 days;
- apply the deposit amount to the total obligation;
- provide: (l) reservation confirmation code to the Cardholder advising that it be retained; (2) advance deposit amount; and (3) cancellation policy requirements;
- advise the Cardholder the accommodations will be held according to the reservation and provide written confirmation if requested;
- advise the Cardholder that you will retain the deposit amount if the Cardholder has not canceled the reservation within the specified time frames;
- you must not charge for a no-show transaction;
- complete the Sales Draft including advance deposit amount, Cardholder name, mailing address, telephone number, account number, expiration date, the words “Advance Deposit” on the signature line, confirmation code, scheduled date of arrival/embarkation/rental, and the date and time the cancellation privileges, if any, expire without forfeiture;
- follow normal authorization procedures;
- mail a Sales Draft copy and cancellation policy to the Cardholder within three (3) business days of the sales date;
- accept all Cardholder cancellations within the time limits specified by you
- upon cancellation, you shall complete a Credit Transaction Receipt with the information set out in (ix) above and include the cancellation code. You must deposit the Credit Transaction Receipt within 5 days of the transaction date and mail a copy to the Cardholder within 3 days of the transaction date of the Credit Transaction Receipt;
- for a a Lodging Merchant, if the reserved accommodations are unavailable, you must provide the Cardholder the following services without charge: (l) refund the entire advance deposit amount; (2) a copy of the Credit Transaction Receipt to the Cardholder; (3) comparable accommodations at an alternate establishment for the number of nights specified in the reservation not to exceed 14 nights or until the reserved accommodations become available; (4) two three-minute telephone calls;
(5) message forwarding to the alternate establishment; and (6) transportation to the alternate establishment and return to the original establishment and, if requested, daily transportation to and from the alternate establishment and your location; and - for a Car Rental Merchant if the reserved vehicle is unavailable, you must provide the Cardholder the following services without charge: (l) refund the entire advance deposit amount; and (2) provide a comparable vehicle for the number of days specified in the reservation, not to exceed 14 days or until the reserved vehicle becomes available.
- for a Cruise Line Merchant if the reserved accommodations are unavailable, and no comparable accommodations are available on the ship, the Merchant may offer: (l) a comparable cruise within the same approximate sailing dates and number of sailing days specified in the reservation; (2) any extra nights’ accommodations or air fare to a different port city necessitated by the Cardholder’s acceptance of alternate accommodations.
The Merchant must refund the entire T&E deposit amount if comparable accommodations are not available or the Cardholder does not accept the offered accommodations. The Merchant must provide a credit receipt to the Cardholder and the Merchant must provide all of the following without charge: (l) one night’s hotel accommodation, if required; (2) transportation to the hotel as well as the airport; (3) Airline transportation to the airport nearest the Cardholder’s residence; and (4) reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Cardholder because the guaranteed accommodations were not available.
- T&E Cash Disbursement Service:
- Cardholder indicates at registration the intent to pay for services with a Visa Card;
- Before disbursement, you review positive identification, and, if permitted by applicable law, record type and number on the Sales Draft;
- You complete an 80 column Cash Disbursement Sales Draft or a 51 column Cash Disbursement T&E Sales Draft that includes the Cardholder’s positive identification or a Cash Disbursement Record;
- You do not disburse more than $250.00 during the Cardholder’s stay. Cash availability may limit cash disbursements; and
- You must not include any additional fees or charges except taxes or charges imposed by law on the transaction amount.
- Visa Reservation Service: Any Merchant who accepts Cards to guarantee reservations must do so in accordance with the following requirements:
- You must accept all Visa Cards in accordance with this Agreement;
- You must obtain the Cardholder’s account number, expiration date, and name embossed on the Card. You must quote to Cardholder the rate of reserved accommodation, Merchant’s name and address, and the Confirmation Code advising that it be retained. Advise the Cardholder that if he/she has not checked in by checkout time the following day after his/her scheduled arrival date or the reservation was not properly canceled, the Cardholder will be billed for one night’s lodging plus applicable taxes. If requested, you will provide a written confirmation with the above information including the Visa reservation service provisions relating to the Cardholder’s obligation, and any other reservation details;
- You must accept all cancellations prior to the specified time. The Merchant must not require more than 72 hours cancellation notification prior to the scheduled arrival date. But, if the Cardholder makes the reservation within 72 hours of the scheduled arrival date, the cancellation deadline must be no earlier than 6:00 p.m. on the arrival date. If you require that the Cardholder cancel before 6:00 p.m. on the arrival date, you must mail the cancellation policy to the Cardholder;
- If the reservation is properly canceled, you must provide a cancellation code and advise the Cardholder to retain it. If requested, you must mail a confirmation of cancellation that includes the Cardholder name, account number, card expiration date, cancellation code, and details related to the canceled reservation;
- If Cardholder has not claimed or canceled the accommodation by the specified time, the room(s) must be held available to accordance with the reservation until checkout time the following day. You may then complete a Sales Draft for 7 night’s lodging plus applicable tax, indicating. The Cardholder’s account number, expiration date, and name embossed on the Card and the words “No Show” on the Cardholder signature line. You must obtain an authorization code for the no show transaction;
- guaranteed accommodations are unavailable, you must provide Cardholder with comparable accommodations as described in Section 14.C.xiv above. These services shall be provided at no cost to Cardholder.
15. Healthcare Transactions and Programs
- Preauthorized HealthCare Transactions:
- Order Form: Merchants accepting Preauthorized Health Care Transactions must have the Cardholder complete an order form containing the following:
- a request for the services to be charged to the Cardholder’s account;
- assignment of insurance benefits to you;
- authorization for you to charge the Cardholder’s account for only that portion of the bill subsequent to your receipt of any applicable insurance payment; (iv) duration of time, not to exceed one (1) year, for which permission is granted; and.
- Procedures: Merchants accepting Preauthorized HealthCare Transactions must:
- retain a copy of the order form during the period it is in effect;
- provide a copy of the order form upon Processor or Member Bank’s request;
- type or print the words “Preauthorized Health Care” on the signature line of the Sales Draft; and submit a Sales Draft within 90 days of the service date and request authorization for the amount due upon receipt of notice of adjudication from Cardholder’s insurance company.
- Cancellation: You must not complete a Preauthorized Health Care Transaction after receiving a decline response or a notice of cancellation for Cardholder, Processor or Member Bank.
- Order Form: Merchants accepting Preauthorized Health Care Transactions must have the Cardholder complete an order form containing the following:
- Health Care Auto-Substantiation: Merchants Participatingin Health Care Auto-Substantiation must comply with the provisions of the Visa Health Care Auto-Substantiation Transactions Documents. The Merchant must also obtain a license from and be certified by SIGIS, the Special Interest Group for IIAS Standards
Health Care Eligibility Service: Merchants participating in the Health Care Eligibility Service must comply with the provisions of the Visa Health Care Eligibility Service Implementation Guide.
16. Visa Supermarket Program
- A merchant that wishes to participate in the Visa Supermarket Incentives Program must first obtain a Supermarket Incentives Agreement with Processor or Member Bank.
17. Telephone Services
- A telephone service Merchant must not accept payment for a telephone call when the Card number is either entered via touchtone key pad or provided to an operator. This prohibition excludes the following:
- Telephone Service Transactions conducted at an Unattended Cardholder-Activated Terminal;
- Transactions for which the Issuer has a contract with the carrier;
- Transactions involving telephone services that have been explicitly approved by Visa and provide appropriate risk controls;
- Telephone orders for goods and services; and
- Transactions provided by Inbound Teleservices Merchants, as specified in the Visa Merchant Data Standards Manual.
18. Automated Fuel Dispenser
- Procedures:
- When an Automated Fuel Dispenser (“AFD”) transaction takes place, the card must be presented and the entire, unaltered contents of either Track 7 or Track 2 of the magnetic stripe must be read and transmitted along with a value of “90” in the POS entry mode code
- The Merchant name, city, state, and zip code of the station location where the transaction took place must be included in any authorization and clearing message.
- A transaction receipt must be produced, and the transaction must be cleared within two (2) days of the transaction date.
- You must obtain an authorization for the exact amount of the transaction or use the status check procedure, which requires you to request an authorization for no more than $1.00.
- You must use the status check procedure if the floor limit is zero and the actual transaction amount is no more than the maximum set by Visa and MasterCard, which amounts are currently $125.00 for Visa transactions and $100.00 for MasterCard transactions.
- You must have an established self-service terminal operating plan on file with Processor or Member Bank and must establish a velocity check program that monitors the volume and frequency of account
- The transaction ratio of chargebacks to total Visa Interchange for Merchant must not exceed an average of 0.30% for the previous six months.
- The transaction ratio of fraud to total Visa Interchange for Merchant must not exceed an average of 0.40% for the previous 6 months.
- Under no circumstances should you use an arbitrary estimation of the transaction amount to obtain an authorization.
- An AFD must not dispense scrip.
- Terminals at automated fuel dispensers do not qualify for the Qualified Rate set forth on the Merchant In order to qualify for the Automated Fuel Dispenser Transaction Rate, the authorization must be obtained within 7 day of the transaction date and the sale must be for less than the maximum amount set by Visa and MasterCard, currently $125.00 for Visa transactions and $100.00 for MasterCard transactions.
- Programming: Processor is not responsible for programming or reprogramming of fuel dispensers
19. Imprinters
- You must be in possession of a working imprinter, a supply of blank Sales Drafts and an accurate imprinter plate showing your DBA name, city, state, and Merchant Identification Number. If you are not in possession of the above equipment, you must contact Processor to obtain such equipment. Failure to use the equipment and supplies listed above will seriously increase your liability for chargebacks. You must obtain an imprint of a Card when a Card will not swipe. Obtaining an imprint of a Card will greatly reduce your chance of a chargeback.
20. Merchant Identification Number
- You are responsible for ensuring that your Merchant Identification Number (“MID”) is kept confidential. When a change to your Merchant Account is required, you must disclose your MID to the Processor representative as confirmation that the person requesting the change has authority to do so. If the person requesting the change discloses the proper MID, Processor or Member Bank shall assume that person has the proper authority to make the change. You shall be fully liable for any changes to your Merchant Account after disclosure of the MID. Processor or Member Bank may request from your additional information to further verify your identity.
21. Use of Third-Party Terminals and/or Software
- If you elect to use the terminal of a third-party provider of software (such as POS or Accounting System vendors) to capture and transmit to Processor or Member Bank, you assume full responsibility and liability for any failure of such third-party provider to comply with the Rules. The third-party provider is the source for information regarding authorizations and reversals that may be needed by Processor or Member Bank. Certain reversals require authorization information to reverse. You are responsible for obtaining this information from the third-party provider. Processor and Member Bank are not liable for sales that were not received by them. In addition, Processor will not be liable for third party software or clearing of Association transactions
The following rules apply only if member bank or processor settles your discover networks card transactions
22. Discover Network Marks
- You are prohibited from using the Discover Network Program Marks, as defined below, other than as expressly authorized in writing by Processor or Processor. “Discover Network Program Marks” mean the brands, emblems, trademarks, and/or logos that identify Discover® Network cards. Additionally, you shall not use the Discover Network Program Marks other than to display decals, signage, advertising, and other forms depicting the Discover Network Program Marks that are provided to you by Processor or Processor pursuant to this Agreement or otherwise approved in advance in writing by Processor or Processor. You may use the Discover Network Program Marks only to promote the services covered by the Discover Network Program Marks by using them on decals, indoor and outdoor signs, websites, advertising materials and marketing materials; provided that all such uses by you must be approved in advance by Processor or Processor in writing. You shall not use the Discover Network Program Marks in such a way that customers could believe that the products or services offered by you are sponsored or guaranteed by the owners of the Discover Network Program Marks. You recognize that you have no ownership rights in the Discover Network Program Marks. You shall not assign to any third party any of the rights to use the Discover Network Program Marks. Your authority to use the Discover Network Program Marks will terminate immediately upon notice from Processor, Member Bank or Discover Network.
23. Priority Check-Out Service
- If you offer priority check-out services, you must comply with the following requirements: (i) require the Cardholder to sign the registration card at the time of check-in acknowledging responsibility for all charges, and obtain an authorization for the estimated amount of the accommodations at check-in; (ii) complete a Sales Draft at check-out by entering the total amount of charges incurred during the stay, including restaurant bills, telephone charges, convenience bar charges, missing item fees and miscellaneous expenses; (iii) write the words “Priority Check- out” on the Cardholder signature line of the Sales Draft; (iv) obtain a final authorization code for any additional amounts from the check-in estimate to equal the total amount to be billed to the Cardholder by following the normal authorization procedures; and (v) mail (at the address shown on the registration card) or otherwise deliver a copy of the Sales Draft and the itemized lodging bill (portfolio) to the Cardholder within seven (7) calendar days of check-out.
24. Card Checks
- Card checks are frequently issued to Cardholders by Discover Network. You agree to accept card checks on a basis consistent with the terms of your policy applicable to acceptance of other payment card checks. You should handle these card checks like any other personal check drawn upon a bank in the United States.
25. Cardholder Contact
- You must not contact any Discover Network Cardholder with respect to any matter arising under the Discover Rules, except as required or permitted in the Discover Rules.
IN ADDITION TO THE OTHER REQUIREMENTS SET FORTH IN THIS DOCUMENT, THE FOLLOWING RULES APPLY TO PIN- DEBIT CARD TRANSACTIONS
26. Honoring PIN-Debit Cards
- You shall not require Cardholders to provide personal information (such as telephone number or address) as a condition for honoring a PIN-Debit Card, unless required by the Rules. You may not require or request the Cardholder’s signature or any other means of verifying the Cardholder’s identity. You shall place the PIN Entry Device in an area accessible by all Cardholders and that will reasonably prevent others, including Merchant employees, from observing the PIN. Any penalties incurred by you for failure to comply with Debit Network Rules will be your responsibility. You assume exclusive responsibility for the consequences of any oral or written instructions you may give to Processor and/or Member Bank, for your failure to properly access the services in the manner prescribed by Processor or Member Bank, and for your failure to supply accurate input information. You will be responsible for auditing, balancing, verifying and reconciling any out-of-balance condition, and for notifying Processor of any errors in the foregoing after receipt of the applicable report from Processor or Member Bank. You will reject all incorrect reports or output within two (2) business days after receipt of the reports or output. Note, also, that neither Processor nor Member Bank warrant the continuing availability of any Debit Network.
27. PIN-Debit Card Sales Drafts
- Procedures: You shall deliver to the Cardholder at the time of a sale a true and completed copy of the Sales Draft evidencing a sale involving use of a PIN- Debit Card (“PIN-Debit Sales Draft“). The PIN-Debit Sales Draft must comply with the Rules and Laws. The following information must be included on the PIN- Debit Sales Draft: (i) the PIN-Debit Card account number; (ii) your DBA name; (iii) your city and state; (iv) the amount of sale; and (v) the sale date. A PIN-Debit Sales Draft shall be made available to the Cardholder at each terminal. You may not require or request the Cardholder to provide or disclose their PIN in any oral or written manner to the Merchant. You shall not impose any fee or charge for a PIN-Debit Card transaction without the prior written consent of Processor or Member Bank. If surcharging is approved by Processor, it must be a separate line item on the PIN-Debit Sales Draft and must be in compliance with all Debit Networks’ rules and federal and state laws and regulations. You shall not process any sale if an authorization code is not received through the electronic terminal. When a denial to an authorization request is received, the POS transaction shall not be completed unless completed as a store and forward transaction or resubmission transaction. A sale shall not be completed if you know or should know that the sale is fraudulent or not authorized by the Cardholder.
Reversal: A sale may be reversed or voided electronically, but only if such reversal/void is entered prior to midnight of the calendar day on which the sale was initiated. To effect a reversal or void, Cardholder must reenter the PIN, the magnetic stripe reader must read the card, and you must transmit the trace number and the exact dollar amount of the sale to be reversed or voided. A reversal or void must be initiated at the same Merchant identified on the PIN- Debit Sales Draft at which the original sale was initiated, but it need not be initiated at the same POS terminal.
Returns: All returns shall be processed in accordance with your normal procedures except that you or Cardholder shall not attempt to reverse a previously approved POS transaction unless otherwise permitted in accordance with the Debit Network Rules. Any sale known by you to be erroneous should be canceled and re-billed in the Cardholder’s presence.
Balance Inquiry: Balance inquiries may be performed only by the Cardholder at a Cardholder-operated terminal and shall at all times require the Cardholder to enter the PIN and use the magnetic stripe reader.
28. Promotional Materials
- You will adequately display promotional materials to inform the public that PIN-Debit Cards will be honored by you. All uses by you of decals, signs, printed and broadcast materials and other promotional materials must be in conformity with the requirements of the Debit Networks, Processor, and Member Bank. You will not at anytime do, or cause to be done, any act or deed in anyway impairing or intended to impair Processor or Member Bank’s exclusive right, title and interest in and to its respective protected marks.
29. Reversals
- You agree to pay Processor or Member Bank for any Debit Network fees, fines or charges imposed on you, Processor or Member Bank. Such reimbursement will be accomplished by the debit of the sum(s) involved from your Merchant Account. If Processor or Member Bank elects, at its discretion, to take action on reversals after the Debit Network time limits have expired, such action shall be done at additional cost. Upon request of a Debit Network, processor, Processor, or Member Bank, you will retrieve and forward to Processor or Member Bank, within the time frame required, either the original or a readable copy of the terminal journal tape or duplicate transaction receipt for the transaction in question and, if requested, will give the Debit Network such information from such transaction records as it requests by telephone. You will, on request of the Debit Network, cooperate fully with the Debit Network and the Card issuing participant in order that the participant may comply with the error resolution procedures.
30. Your Name and Address
- All forms submitted to Processor or Member Bank must bear both your Legal/Corporate and “Doing Business As” (“DBA”) name.
31. Equipment
- Use: You shall take all necessary steps to ensure that all POS Terminals and PIN Entry Devices operated in all of your locations:
- are placed in an area accessible by all Cardholders;
- are available for use whenever you are open for business;
- will function with minimal error, meeting all applicable technical specifications and security regulations; and
- will require the Cardholder to enter the Cardholder’s PIN at or near the checkout location when initiating a POS transaction.
- Standards: A PIN Entry Device must meet the ANSI standard format X9.8, l99S or newer requirements, as they are released. A PIN Entry Device must comply with the PCI DSS requirements for POS and PED equipment. Terminals must have a magnetic stripe capable of reading Track 2 on the PIN-Debit Cards. PINs used in conjunction with any store and forward transaction or your resubmission must be encrypted and stored within a tamper- resistant security module. If your authorization system is capable of store and forward, it must comply with the Debit Networks’ rules and regulations regarding this capability. Processor or Member Bank, the Issuer and the Debit Networks shall not be liable for any losses suffered by you arising from the use of the store and forward function. A PIN must never be logged in any form as a function of software either in the clear or encrypted.
32. Supply of Information
- You must submit all information requested by the Debit Networks, Processor or Member Bank, including but not limited to lists and mailing addresses of terminals. You shall not sell, purchase, provide, or exchange account number information in any form, including but not limited to, transaction receipts, carbon copies of transaction receipts, mailing lists, tapes, to any third party other than to your agents for the purpose of assisting you in your business, or to the Debit Networks, Processor or Member Bank, or pursuant to a government request.
33. Distribution and Storage of Information
- You shall not disclose a Cardholder’s account information or any other personal information to third parties other than to your agents for the purpose of completing the sale or as specifically required by law or by the Rules. You shall store in a limited access area for at least one (1) year after the date of sales all transaction records, and you shall make and retain for at least two (2) years the original or legible microfilm copies of both sides of all transaction records. Prior to discarding, you shall destroy or make unreadable all containing Cardholder account numbers. There are no voice authorizations for PIN-Debit Card transactions and no manually imprinted PIN-Debit Sales Drafts. You may not store the Cardholder’s PIN in any manner.
34. Left PIN-Debit Card
- PIN-Debit Cards that are inadvertently left at your location must be held under dual control during the time they are retained. PIN-Debit Cards inadvertently left at your location may be returned to the Cardholder by you under the following conditions: (A) the Card was inadvertently left by the Cardholder at an on premise location, (B) the Cardholder requests the Card within l business day, and (C) the Cardholder provides two (2) forms of current identification, at least l of which is a photo identification. If the Cardholder has not requested the Card within one (1) business day, the Card should be destroyed by cutting it in half through the stripe.