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Monthly Archives

October 2020

Jodi Goddard
In Uncategorized

What is a Surcharge: 3 Things to Know

What is a surcharge? You may have heard of them before. A surcharge is an additional fee that a business places on the purchase of a product or service. Surcharges are generally used to help cover fluctuating costs, like oil fuel prices and real estate. They help the business to pay the cost that involves delivering a particular product or service that is provided.

Business owners are well aware of the costs they have to pay to provide services to customers like credit card purchases. Add on top of that the daily overhead costs of running the business, and it can be overwhelming. Here’s how surcharges work in a nutshell if you’re thinking about implementing them.

1. Surcharging Offsets Your Credit Card Expenses

If your business is bogged down with service bills from credit card companies, surcharges to your customers can help shoulder the cost. They’re essentially paying a little extra for the convenience of using a credit card. Surcharges are a common practice for many businesses. There are other types of surcharges that can be implemented, too. Ask your point of sale provider what your options are in regards to what makes sense for you and your customers.

2. Some States Don’t Allow Surcharges

Before you decide to surcharge your customers, make sure to do some basic legal research. Surcharging is legal in most areas of the United States, but not in 11 states. If you are in this type of situation, you may be able to implement other types of charges in creative ways. If you’re not sure where to begin, you may want to contact a firm that has in-depth knowledge of how to surcharge and where, such as Platinum Payments.

3. They’re Different from Convenience Fees

Believe it or not, surcharges and convenience fees are not the same things. Surcharges can be added to any type of good or service that is being sold. Convenience fees, on the other hand, are only applied to payment methods that are not considered standard. For example, a college may apply a convenience fee to a tuition cost if it is being paid with a credit card. Most tuition balances are paid with cash or a check.

Curious to see how surcharges for your services can impact the financial health of your business? Contact our expert team at Platinum Payments today. We can perform a free analysis of your business to help you determine your point of sale needs. From hospitality to retail to healthcare, Platinum Payments has helped a variety of clients with solutions for their business transactions. Let’s get started today. We look forward to servicing you!

Jodi Goddard
In Compliance

How to Become PCI Compliant

A guest post from Sarah Doyle at CR-T.

 

Do you know what it means to be PCI compliant? Or why it’s important? As technology evolves, a lot of businesses are struggling to maintain high levels of security. This article will teach you why PCI compliance is important and how you can take action now to protect your business.

What is PCI?

Payment card industry (PCI) compliance refers to the standards that businesses must follow in order to secure credit card data. The PCI Security Standards Council (SSC) creates and manages these standards.

The PCI Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) applies to all entities that store, process, and/or transmit cardholder data. If you accept process payment cards, PCI DSS applies to you.

Each of the PCI SSC’s founding payment brand members (American Express, Discover, JCB International, MasterCard, and Visa) have their own PCI compliance programs. These programs are designed to protect their affiliated payment card account data.

Why Should You Become PCI Compliant?

PCI compliance is mandatory, but for good reason. It protects businesses from data breaches and prevents fraudulent activity. If cardholder data is stolen, the business may be subject to fines, legal fees, and a damaged reputation.

In 2019, Verizon released its annual payment security report, in which an entire section was dedicated to PCI compliance. The report revealed the following statistics:

  •       Only 36.7% of organizations reported full compliance in 2018.
  •       The Asia Pacific region had the highest percentage of compliant organizations.
  •       The hospitality industry reported the lowest percentage of organizational compliance.

Taking the necessary steps to become PCI compliant will help you avoid data loss while keeping your sensitive information protected.

How Can You Become PCI Compliant?

Becoming PCI compliant means adhering to the standards set forth by the PCI SSC. It’s six major requirements include the following:

  •       Build and maintain a secure network and system
  •       Protect cardholder data
  •       Manage ongoing vulnerability
  •       Implement and maintain access control
  •       Regularly monitor and test utilized networks
  •       Clearly document all policies

Meeting with a financial advisor or another expert will help you learn what additional steps need to be taken in order to achieve PCI compliance.

Partner with a Business that Values Compliance

As you work to implement and maintain PCI compliance, partner with other businesses that share your same values. You can work together to accomplish a higher level of security with those that offer more than just a product. Look for those that actively seek to consult and guide you to a better solution for your business growth.

For example, Platinum Payments is an organization whose mission is to protect merchants from rate increases and unnecessary equipment, while helping them remain PCI compliant. Platinum Payments offers 24/7 customer support and promises no termination fees, contracts, or margin increases all while guiding your growth through their platform.

In addition to PCI compliance, Platinum Payments utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the customer experience. The front end of a transaction looks and feels the same to customers. However, on the back end, an AI will auto-populate the needed contact points for card networks. This will reduce risk and save you time throughout the transaction process.

Platinum Payments’ level of experience and attention to detail will take your PCI compliance to the next level, helping you to achieve greater security and provide a better experience for your customers.

By partnering with us, you are able to help your clients become secure and protected in the ever-moving landscape of financial threats and disasters.

Here at CR-T, we take pride in providing enterprise-level IT services at prices that work for small businesses. Our team of experts can become your IT support department, responding to issues quickly, often before you even know about them. Covering everything from your servers and network infrastructure to your computers, workstations, and mobile devices, we provide end-to-end solutions for all your technology needs.

Time and experience have helped us develop best practices and workflow procedures designed to keep your focus on your business, not your technology.

Jodi Goddard
In Compliance, Merchant

Considering Venmo For Business?

Once upon a time, Venmo could not legally be used for business transactions. In its terms of service, it states, “Business, commercial, or merchant transactions may not be conducted using personal accounts.” Things have since changed.  Venmo will allow limited business use with explicit permission after completing the application process. 

Is Venmo Safe? 

Pre-2015 scammers were using Venmo to defraud people out of thousands of dollars. If it was considered a “business transaction”, the user had no recourse. The security page of Venmo’s website currently states:

“Venmo is designed for payments between friends and people who trust each other. Avoid payments to people you don’t know, especially if it involves a sale for goods and services (like event tickets and Craigslist items). These payments are potentially high risk, and you could lose your money without getting what you paid for. Venmo does not offer buyer or seller protection. Business usage of Venmo requires an application and explicit authorization.”

Venmo and its users have experienced:

  • Payments reversed without authorization
  • Frozen accounts
  • Money is withdrawn from their banking account. 

Venmo’s terms now allow for business transactions BUT, there is no protection for buyers and sellers which is alarming. Unfortunately, that is par for the course when you use a service provider as opposed to a true merchant account. 

Venmo + Small Businesses: How to Make a Decision

If you complete the application process and if you are approved, here’s what you need to know before you make a decision with such potential repercussions. 

  • PayPal itself is PCI Compliant, the disclaimer on their website states that they are NOT responsible for PCI in YOUR store.
  • PayPal is not responsible for PCI compliance if you store, transmit, or process payment card information. Its PCI compliance can be validated at http://www.visa.com/cisp
  • It’s not a matter of IF, but WHEN. 67% of Business owners have no security in place. Fraud was already on the daily rise, now with COVID, the huge shift to a more cloud-based and online presence has just added fuel to the fire. 
  • Venmo has a prohibited list, like everyone else in the industry. By using its payment service for prohibited items, you are going against the terms and conditions. The prohibited list is long, but you can view the complete list here. * (FYI there are 49 categories that are not allowed). If they won’t acknowledge PCI for those they allow to use their services, what do you think they will do for those who went against their rules? It’s a scary thought. Next in line is the Fraud Maintenance Tools — an optional fraudulent transaction management tool made by Braintree Payment Services. If you want to activate or inactivate the Fraud Maintenance Tools, it is your responsibility to determine which settings you need and which filters to apply. If you were to select the wrong one, you lose out on volume since they decline payments on your behalf. Let’s hope you know what you’re doing. 

“It is your sole responsibility to provide any necessary notices and disclosures, obtain any required consents, on the use of the Fraud Maintenance Tools to your Customers on your website or mobile application”. 

“You acknowledge and agree that PayPal does not represent or warrant that the Fraud Maintenance Tools are error-free or that they will identify all fraudulent transaction activity. In addition, PayPal shall not be liable whether a Transaction is accepted or rejected using the Fraud Maintenance Tools. You are responsible for your optional use of the Fraud Maintenance Tools, including any filters or settings you enable.*

*Edited/Shortened for length. 

I Don’t Have Explicit Permission, What Can Happen? 

If BrainTree/PayPal/Venmo believe you may have engaged in any violation of their terms and conditions, they could (with or without notice to you) take whatever actions that go against the agreement. This could include:

  1. Blocking the settlement or completion of one or more payments;
  2. Suspending, restricting or terminating your access to and use of the Payment Services
  3. Terminating our business relationship with you, including termination without liability to Braintree of any payment service agreement between you and Braintree.
  4. Taking legal action against you
  5. Contacting and disclosing information related to such violations to (i) persons who have purchased goods or services from you, (ii) any banks or Card Networks involved with your business or transactions, (iii) law enforcement or regulatory agencies, and (iv) other third parties that may have been impacted by such violations
  6. Assessing against you any fees, penalties, assessments, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) that we may incur as a result of such violations, which you agree to pay promptly upon notice.

What Are My Other Options? 

If anything above concerns you, we can skip all of that to help you process with Platinum Payments. Have the peace of mind that all of your PCI issues are handled, you have liability protection, plus everything else in our Platinum Core. 

Our Payment Professionals can help you navigate the process and make everything seamless, all while providing you with white-glove treatment. 

Let’s get started today with a free audit. 

Data Privacy Policy Agreement.

Applicant Privacy Policy
English


Legal Disclaimer
Effective Date: January 1, 2021
This Applicant Privacy Policy (the “Policy”) describes the practices of Platinum Operating Company, LLC d/b/a Platinum Payments (“Company”) regarding the information that is solely collected through the Platinum Workforce Now portal (“Careers Site”) in connection with your application for a job or internship with us.


1. CATEGORIES OF INFORMATION WE COLLECT THAT YOU PROVIDE
We may collect the following information from you in connection with your application through the Careers Site: Name, e-mail address, mobile number, work authorization status, resume, profile information (e.g. work experience, education, skills, licenses & certifications, and memberships), professional and other work-related licenses, permits and certifications, references, and any other information you elect to provide to us (e.g., employment preferences, willingness to relocate, current salary, desired salary, awards, or professional memberships).
If you do not provide sufficient information, we may be unable to consider your employment application.
However, please avoid submitting the following information that may qualify as sensitive information under applicable law, except where such information is legally required: information on race, religion, ethnicity, nationality or national origin, age, gender identity, sex life or practices or sexual orientation, marital status, medical or health information (including disability status), genetic or biometric information, biometric templates, political or philosophical beliefs, political party or trade union membership, background check information, judicial data such as criminal records or information on other judicial or administrative proceedings, and veteran status.
If the personal information you provide contains details of the information referenced in the preceding paragraph or your job evaluations or educational records, you authorize us to handle such details for the purposes of your job application.
Any information you submit through the Careers Site must be true, complete and not misleading. It is your responsibility to ensure that information you submit does not violate any third party’s rights.
If you provide us with personal information of a reference or any other individual as part of your application, it is your responsibility to obtain consent from that individual prior to providing the information to us.


2. USE OF INFORMATION / LEGAL BASIS
We collect and process information about you for the following reasons:
a) Because you voluntarily provide this information;
b) Because this information is necessary to take steps at your request prior to entering into an employment or internship;
c) Because this information is of particular importance to us and we have a specific legitimate interest under law to process it;
d) To comply with a legal obligation; or
e) Where necessary to protect the vital interests of any person.
The information that you submit on the Careers Site will be used for our personnel recruitment, management, and planning purposes, as permitted by local law, including:
• To process your application;
• To assess your capabilities and qualifications for a job;
• To conduct reference checks;
• To respond to your inquiries and communicate with you about your application, and to send you information regarding the Careers Site and changes to our terms and policies;
• To comply with or monitor compliance with any applicable law or regulation;
• To conduct background checks if we offer you a position; and
• To preserve our other legitimate interests, for example, for our administrative purposes, aggregate management reporting, internal training, and as generally required to conduct our business.
The information about you will be added to our candidate database. If you do not wish us to do this, please contactwendy.clawson@ptpay.us.
If we hire you, personal information we collect in connection with your application may be incorporated into our human resources system and may be used to manage the new-hire process; any such information may become part of your employee file and may be used for other employment-related purposes.
We may also use the information as we believe to be necessary or appropriate: (a) under applicable law, including laws outside your country of residence; (b) to comply with legal process; (c) to respond to requests from public and government authorities including public and government authorities outside your country of residence; (d) to protect our legal rights and operations or the rights, privacy, safety or property, and/or of us, you, or others; and (e) to allow us to pursue available remedies or limit the damages that we may sustain.


3. DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
We may share personal information with affiliates and/or partners that are involved in and/or for performing pre-employment, post employment processes in compliance with state and federal law, evaluating candidates for a given position and to track employee and/or contractor performance and progress. We will make the information available to personnel with a business need to know the information, including personnel in the recruiting, human resources, and information technology departments, and in the department responsible for the position for which you are applying and for which you, if hired on an employee or contract basis, hold.
We may share personal information with third-party service providers who provide services such as hosting and operating the Careers Site, recruiting assistance, background check processing, Work Opportunity Tax Credit, eVerify, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and any other governmental programs the business elects for voluntary or compliance purposes and similar services.
We also may share personal information as we believe to be necessary or appropriate: (a) under applicable law, including laws outside your country of residence; (b) to comply with legal process; (c) to respond to requests from public and government authorities including public and government authorities outside your country of residence; (d) to protect our legal rights and operations or the rights, privacy, safety or property, and/or of us, you, or others; and (e) to allow us to pursue available remedies or limit the damages that we may sustain.
We may transfer information in the event of any reorganization, merger, sale, joint venture, assignment, transfer or other disposition of all or any portion of our business, assets or stock (including in connection with any bankruptcy or similar proceedings).
Disclosing your personal information may include transferring personal information to other countries (including countries other than where you are based that have a different data protection regime than is found in the country where you are based). If you are located in the European Economic Area (the “EEA”), this may include countries outside of the EEA.


4. DATA RETENTION
We keep your personal information for as long as needed or permitted in light of the purpose(s) for which it was obtained. The criteria used to determine our retention periods include (i) for as long as we have an ongoing relationship with you (such as an application process); as required by a legal obligation to which we are subject; or as advisable in light of our legal position (such as in regard of applicable statutes of limitations, litigation, or regulatory investigations).
We may remove personal information for inactive accounts, subject to any applicable legal or regulatory obligations. Furthermore, we may delete personal information about you (including your CV/résumé) from our database at any time and without providing any reason. Therefore, please retain your own copy of the personal information provided to us.


5. PASSIVE INFORMATION COLLECTION: COOKIES AND TRACKING TECHNOLOGY
When you visit the Careers Site, we collect certain information by automated means. Cookies are small text files that websites send to your computer or other internet-connected device to uniquely identify your browser or to store information or settings in your browser. Cookies allow us to recognize you when you return. They also help us provide a customized experience and enable us to detect certain kinds of fraud. In many cases, you can manage cookie preferences and opt-out of having cookies and other data collection technologies used by adjusting the settings on your browser. All browsers are different, so visit the “help” section of your browser to learn about cookie preferences and other privacy settings that may be available.
We also use Flash Cookies (also known as Local Stored Objects) and similar technologies to personalize and enhance your online experience. The Adobe Flash Player is an application that allows rapid development of dynamic content, such as video clips and animation. We use Flash Cookies for security

purposes and to help remember settings and preferences similar to browser cookies, but these are managed through a different interface than the one provided by your web browser. To manage Flash Cookies, please see Adobe’s website at http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/526/52697ee8.html or visit www.adobe.com. We do not use Flash Cookies or similar technologies for behavioural or interest based advertising purposes.
Pixel tags and web beacons are tiny graphic images placed on website pages or in our emails that allow us to determine whether you have performed a specific action. When you access these pages or open or click an email, the pixel tags and/or web beacons generate a notice of that action. These tools allow us to measure response to our communications and improve our web pages and promotions.
We collect different types of information. For example, we collect information from the device you use to access the Careers Site, your operating system type, browser type, domain, and other system settings, as well as the language your system uses and the country and time zone where your device is located. Our server logs also record the Internet Protocol (“IP”) address assigned to the device you use to connect to the Internet. An IP address is a unique number that devices use to identify and communicate with each other on the internet. We may also collect information about the website you were visiting before you came to us and the website you visit after you leave the Careers Site.
In many cases, the information we collect is only used in a non-identifiable way, without reference to personal information. For example, we use information we collect about website users to optimize the Careers Site and to understand website traffic patterns. In some cases, we associate the information we collect with your personal information. This Policy applies to the information when we associate it with your personal information.

Although the Careers Site currently does not have a mechanism to recognize the various web browser Do Not Track signals, we do offer individuals choices to manage their preferences that are provided in the previous sections above. The Careers Site does not collect personal information about an individual’s online activities over time and across different websites when a consumer uses the Careers Site. To learn more about browser tracking signals and Do Not Track please visit http://www.allaboutdnt.org/. We use Google Analytics as a third-party vendor. For information on how Google Analytics uses data, please visit “How Google uses data when you use our partners sites or apps”, located at http://bit.ly/2jXZ13Y. We also use Pendo as a third-party vendor. For information on how Pendo uses data, please visit https://www.pendo.io/privacypolicy/.

 

6. ACCESS AND CORRECTION
If you register on the Careers Site, you may access, review, and change your personal information stored therein by logging into the Careers Site and updating your account information. However, if you have authenticated your login via a mobile number or email address, such information cannot be updated in the same login session.
We encourage you to promptly update your personal information if it changes or is inaccurate.
Apart from information contained in your profile, where permitted by applicable law, you may request (i) access to personal information we collect, (ii) its modification or suppression, (iii) that we restrict its processing, (iv) that we cease using it (objection right); (v) that we transfer personal information to you or another organization in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format (right to data portability), and/or (vi) that we not sell any such information. Please email us at wendy.clawson@ptpay.us
or contact us at 1483 Wall Ave, Ogden, UT 84404 with any such requests.
For your protection, we may only implement requests with respect to the information associated with the particular email address that you use to send us your request, and we may need to verify your identity before implementing your request. We will try to comply with your request as soon as reasonably practicable. Please note that certain personal information may be exempt from such access, correction, or suppression rights pursuant to local data protection laws.


7. SECURITY
We use reasonable organizational, technical and administrative measures to protect personal information within our organization. Unfortunately, no data transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. If you have reason to believe that your interaction with us is no longer secure (for example, if you feel that the security of any account you might have with us has been compromised), please immediately notify us of the problem by contacting us in accordance with the “Contact Us” section below.
We hereby disclaim, as far as permitted by local laws, any liability for us and our affiliates and contractors for any personal information we collect in connection with your application that is lost, misused, illegally accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed or not timely delivered to our Careers Site.

 

8. LINKS TO THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES
The Careers Site may contain links to other websites. This Policy does not address, and we are not responsible for, the privacy, information or other practices of any third parties, including any third party operating any website or service to which the Careers Site links. The inclusion of a link on the Careers Site does not imply endorsement of the linked site or service by us. We encourage you to read the legal notices posted on those sites, including their privacy policies.


9. LAW APPLICABLE TO JOB APPLICATION
This Careers Site is operated from ADP Workforce Now in Dallas, TX. Accordingly, any personal information you submit to the Careers Site will be collected in ADP Workforce Now in Dallas, TX and will be subject to state of Texas laws.
The Careers Site is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use would be contrary to local law or regulation.


10. ABOUT CHILDREN
The Careers Site is not intended for individuals under the age of 18.


11. CHANGES TO THE POLICY
We reserve the right to amend this Policy at any time in order to address future developments, the Careers Site, or changes in industry or legal trends. We will post the revised Policy on the Careers Site or announce the change on the homepage of the Careers Site.
You can determine when the Policy was revised by referring to the “Last Updated” legend on the top of this Policy.
Any changes will become effective upon the posting of the revised Policy on the Careers Site. By continuing to use the Careers Site following such changes, you will be deemed to have agreed to such changes.
If you do not agree with the terms of this Policy, in whole or part, you can choose to not continue to use the Careers Site.

 

12. CONTACT US
If you have questions or requests, please feel free to contact us at info@ptpay.us or USPS address at 1483 Wall Ave, Ogden, UT 84404.