Credit-card-processing

Desktop applications are struggling to meet increasingly strict PCI DSS regulations for credit card payments, leading to compliance challenges. Two solutions are presented: rewriting the entire application for PCI compliance, which is costly and ongoing, or outsourcing the payment processing to a PCI-compliant vendor via an embedded secure webpage. The latter option simplifies compliance by reducing PCI scope and utilizes tokenization for secure and efficient future transactions within the desktop application.

Network Solutions experienced a security breach where malicious code compromised web servers, resulting in the theft of 573,000 credit card numbers over a three-month period. This attack, which went unnoticed by victims, highlights the vulnerability of online payment systems to sophisticated hacking techniques. The article advises individuals to regularly check their credit reports, recommending the official FTC website for free annual reports.

How to reduce your fees. Here are 5 tips you can use to save money on your credit card processing.

Software developers with applications processing credit cards face PCI compliance, with options being costly audits or application redesign. A simpler, cheaper approach is to remove credit card storage by using tokenization: replacing card numbers with secure tokens from a payment processor. By storing tokens instead of credit card numbers, applications can achieve PCI compliance without extensive audits and maintain rebilling functionality.

Credit card processing fees vary, with discount rates being a key factor determined by transaction type. The lowest 'qualified' rate applies to swiped cards processed promptly, while 'mid-qualified' rates occur for non-swiped, foreign, or business cards, or delayed settlements. The highest 'non-qualified' rate is charged for non-swiped transactions lacking address verification, specific card types without extra details, or untimely batching.