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Card Declines

A few things can cause checkout anxiety, but I say the top two are not being able to put your change away fast enough before the next customer and being greeted with a significant fat decline across the receipt. Most of us have had it happen for tons of various reasons at one point or another. credit card declines

No one likes a decline message, so customers must be shown some discretion while finding an alternative. Business owners need to be prepared to handle such situations; luckily, most declines are resolved efficiently. Losing a sale may be a disappointment but having that customer ditch your business for another based on poor handling of a crappy situation is a worse fate.

Visa and Mastercard report an average of 15% of recurring payments are declined, but the rate can be double that for some industries. In addition, there is a wide array of reasons why a card may be denied. When a card is declined, it is by the issuing bank, processor, or the payment gateway.

Types of Card Declines

Hard decline

This happens when the bank doesn’t approve the transaction. Reasons could be related to a maxed-out credit card, data entry error, or fraud. This situation calls for a new payment method; trying to rerun it will yield nothing.

Hard declines typically need the payment card information to be updated regardless of the number of retries attempted.

Soft decline

A soft decline happened when the bank authorized the payment, but the transaction failed elsewhere. Think of it as a relay race rat race if the last person doesn’t complete their leg, the team is disqualified and doesn’t cross the finish line. The steps that occur at each transaction can fail with no fault of the consumer or the issuing bank. Soft declines are usually resolved by trying the traction again. Just remember trying more than three times is not a good practice.

Types of soft declines

Insufficient Funds

This happens when the customer does not have sufficient funds in their account to cover the transaction. This is the most common and most embarrassing for the customer to experience.

Unusual Purchase
Sometimes when a purchase is made out of your home state or doesn’t align with past buying behavior, the banking institution will flag and block the transaction to negate fraud. Then, a quick phone call or visit to the app (if they have one) can verify the purchase or travel notice allowing the customer to continue as usual.

AVS or Billing Address Issue
For card-not-present transactions, online payment gateways require extra validation to prove that the transaction is a legitimate credit or debit card used. Banks will typically block transactions outside of that card’s billing address.

Types of hard declines

Stolen or fraudulent card
The bank will mark a card as stolen or fraudulent, so it will be blocked when a purchase is attempted, whether for in-person sales or online transactions.

Invalid card
Usually, the result of a typo, invalid card declines, concerns about incorrect card numbers, CVV verification numbers, or other card details.

Reasons behind a credit card decline

The user met the credit limit.

If there isn’t enough available credit, the card will be declined.

Large purchases
An account can get flagged for a large purchase. If it seems outside of the customer’s normal spending behavior, it can trigger fraud and freeze the account, which declines the transaction.

Expired Card

An expired card will always end in a failed transaction. This is because the card network cannot process a card that has expired.

Missed payments
If you have a less than stellar credit history and are a few days past due on your bill, any attempted transaction would be declined. Not only does the missed payment hurt your credit score, but it also can prevent you from using the card.

Check the customer’s information.
Sometimes if the numbers were keyed in, they could have been transposed or off just a little. Confirm with the customer that the billing and zip code and the CVV code are correct.

Confirm the card is valid
Check the information on the card to make sure it lines up correctly. We use the same card for years, so it can expire without us even realizing it. If the information is correct, the customer must contact their bank and use an alternative payment method.

Should you try the transaction again?
A declined card will not go through no matter how many times you swipe it. The best solution is to have the customer call the card issuer to find the potential issue. Once that has been resolved, you can rerun the card.

Widen your payment options
Offering multiple payment options such as digital wallets can help expand your customer base.


In a survey conducted by CompareCards.com, one in five American consumers has declined a credit card at least once in the past 12 months. That is more than 40 million people!

Treating customers with discretion and being gentle with the situation regardless of the decline will help customers feel at ease. Approximately 15% of shoppers will go to a different retailer after experiencing a decline, causing merchants to lose out on a sale. By being as respectful and helpful to find a resolution as quickly as possible will help your customers feel that they are in a safe and judgment-free environment. 

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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.