Category: Payments

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What’s an ACH Payment? How Does ACH Benefit My Business? (Video)

Kristen Campbell |
What’s an ACH Payment? How Does ACH Benefit My Business? photo

The year 2000. That’s when I moved out of my parents’ house, and into the real world.

I remember a big part of my adulting was setting aside an hour or so once a month to “pay the bills”. Paying the bills required my checkbook. (Not a real book, a small 3” x 6” — usually pleather — folder with a pad of paper checks and ledger inside.)

Paying the bills meant I’d write out each check, fill out the remittance slip, put the check and slip into the supplied return envelope, and slap a postage stamp on the envelope. I’d then take my stack of envelopes to the mailbox for the post office to pick up and deliver. Delivery would take anywhere from 1 to 3 days depending on the vendor location.

Quite a process.

Today, all my bills are paid electronically online as ACH payments. It takes about 10 minutes to pay all 6 of my bills. I haven’t yet made the jump to automatic ACH, but know many who have. Automatic ACH means no time at all is spent “paying the bills”.

What’s an ACH payment?

You’re probably familiar with ACH payments and don’t realize it.

Have you ever gone to pay a bill online and you’ve been prompted to enter your bank routing number and bank account number? That’s an ACH payment.

But let’s back-pedal a bit. That acronym. What’s it stand for? ACH is the Automated Clearing House — the clearing center for all electronic payments that happen between banks and financial institutions in the U.S.

When people talk about ACH they’re usually referring to ACH processing — the process of moving funds from one bank account to another. Or an ACH payment — an electronic payment/eCheck — where you, the customer, give authorization for an institution to debit funds directly from your checking or savings account for bill payment.

How does a business benefit from ACH?

The benefits of ACH payment are clear for consumers: It’s much more convenient. Making an ACH payment is a lot faster than writing out a check and getting the payment into the mail on time. Plus, money is saved by not having to buy postage stamps.

For a business, there are many benefits to taking ACH payments, too. Some of the top benefits are:

Faster processing time — With ACH payments, it’s all online, so the processing time is much faster which means you get your money quicker. ACH payments are usually processed within 1-2 business days versus 5-6 business days it takes for the check to arrive in the mail and process it.

Cost-effective — With ACH payments, the funds are transferred from bank account to bank account electronically which makes the transaction cost very low and therefore, a more cost-effective payment method for businesses than accepting credit and debit card payments.

Especially cost-effective for businesses and organizations with recurring billing — The more transactions you have, the more transaction fees you pay. And if you run a business that charges a monthly fee, like a gym, or have customers that pay on a recurring basis, like a utility company, you have lots of transactions. ACH is particularly attractive for these businesses and organizations because they can accept payments in a cost-effective way.

 


Think ACH is right for you?

Obviously, ACH offers both businesses and customers the opportunity to save time and it provides major convenience. For businesses, you’re able to secure payments faster and save on transaction fees with ACH.

If you’re interested in learning more about ACH, or signing up to take ACH payments, give us a call at 888.244.2160 or fill out our simple online form. We’d be happy to go over the rates for ACH with you and help you get set up so you can start saving and streamlining your payment process.

Kristen Campbell is the Brand Manager at Constellation Payments. She is responsible for managing all marketing initiatives and programs including channel partner and merchant success programs, public and media relations, internal and external communications, and customer engagement. You can reach Kristen by sending an email to kcampbell@csipay.com.

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Global Payment Perspectives: Key Considerations that Can Make or Break Your POS Software Global Expansion – Part 1

Constellation Payments |
Global Payment Perspectives: Key Considerations that Can Make or Break Your POS Software Global Expansion – Part 1 photo

We recently held a webinar on Constellation Payments’ global payment capabilities. And while it’s extremely exciting to provide our partners with the opportunity to expand into different markets, we encourage our partners to be aware of the challenges they may face when expanding. And encourage them to have a plan to overcome those challenges.

Our last post covered the very first step in taking your POS software to international markets. It’s also extremely important to review this list of key considerations before moving forward into foreign markets.

Native Language Web Experience

If your product is marketed on the web or sold directly over the web, you’ll want to consider the native language web experience of your prospective audience. There is a large amount of evidence showing that you’ll get more sales and convert more leads from your site if there’s a native language version of your website in the regions you serve. For example, if you provide a product or service in Mexico, a Spanish version of your site is strongly advised.

Native Language Customer Support

What kind of inbound calls do you get today? Presumably you’re going to get similar calls from your international clients. How are you going to handle that? Should you get a third-party to handle support calls on your behalf? If not, should you consider online only, text-based support and judicious use of translation software? Knowing how you’re going to provide customer support is critically important.

Purchasing in Native Currency

This is very important because cart abandonment in ecommerce is a big issue. Put yourself in the shoes of a foreign consumer.

Say you were doing a search for a product or service you are interested in buying, and came upon a website written completely in Russian. You don’t speak Russian or understand Russian currency exchange, and now you’re deciding whether to hit the final button to pay with your credit card and make the purchase. Would you be OK with it? Would you be at ease?

Most people would be much more comfortable to read a webpage in their native language and pay in their currency. They don’t have to worry: “Did I get that exchange wrong? Am I overpaying?”

13% of all cart abandonment in 2016 was due to prices not being presented in native currency. It’s important to present native currency on the marketing side and on the ecommerce side when it comes to the shopping cart experience.

Cash Flow Considerations

Consider native financial regulations. In North America, for example, funding happens pretty quickly. We’ve got a very robust internet backbone and robust financial system. Merchant processing and direct debit processing happens relatively quickly compared to the rest of the world.

On the other hand, you may be doing business in a foreign country where there’s a 10-15-day delay between purchase and funding into your account. Understanding those effects on your business is important so that you can make sure you have enough cash flow to float during that time.

No doubt this is a lot to take in. We’ll leave you with these four considerations and wrap up the list in our next post. If you have questions about our global payment capabilities or specific countries, payment principles, or regional differences regarding cash flow timing, please call us at 888.244.7060.

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Global Payment Perspectives: The First Step in Taking Your POS Software to International Markets

Constellation Payments |
Global Payment Perspectives: The First Step in Taking Your POS Software to International Markets photo

It’s an exciting time here at Constellation Payments. We’re expanding our global payment processing capabilities at a rapid pace. It’s a unique opportunity we can offer our POS software provider partners.

For example, if a partner wants to enter the European market, they don’t have to go with another gateway provider. We’re able to offer a single gateway integration that allows our partners to enter this market, and many others around the world, without having to integrate with multiple new banks and acquirers. One integration allows the ability to process with many, many processors. Partners get a single point of contact with us.

Thought it’s exciting and unique, expanding into international markets shouldn’t be done on a whim.

We know it’s very easy to get really excited about the opportunities to expand a business. But, you want to make sure that you don’t get so excited about the opportunities that you miss the challenges you’ll need to overcome to do things the way you want them to be done.

SWOT It Out

Before entering new global markets, we strongly suggest taking all challenges into consideration.

The best way of doing this is to perform a SWOT analysis on the countries and regions in which you’d like to expand.

A SWOT analysis means looking at your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Strengths and weaknesses are internal factors that give your business an advantage or disadvantage, like financial resources, internal processes, and systems.

Opportunities and threats are external elements that influence your business like market trends, customer demographics, environmental issues, and suppliers.

After identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, you’ll want to have an internal discussion with your key product stakeholders of what markets are attractive to your software business and why.

Look at what offerings you have and make sure they’re as relevant in certain countries as they are in the countries you’re currently operating in.

How the SWOT Helps

If you’re born and raised in North America, you have a good understanding of how consumers feel about a product like yours. But when you’re entering a foreign country with different currency, different language, and a different culture, it’s very important to understand how your product or service is viewed by the prospective audience.

Is there a need for your product?

For example, we recently worked with a business that has an app with a payment component for personal trainers. They’re looking to expand into North America. A SWOT analysis revealed that there are challenges based on the current products that are currently on the market in North America. In this example, the SWOT analysis was key. The analysis uncovered the current competitive landscape and provided an eye into the future.

Deep Industry Experience Can Give You a Leg Up

If you have lots of experience with your industry, a great practice is to look at the foreign markets and say to yourself: “What’s missing from those markets? What’s missing that we can offer?”

Some emerging and foreign markets are a bit behind a more modern, robust market like a North American or European market. All the growing pains that have occurred and all lessons that have been learned in markets you’re familiar with can be applied into a new environment. That market may be lacking services and opportunities you can fill that others can’t.

Experience is also a key factor in choosing a payment processing partner. At Constellation Payments, many of our integrated partners chose us because we’ve done much of the work with regards to payments in these foreign markets already.

Bottom Line

Do your due diligence. Run a SWOT analysis. It’s important to note too that there are limitations to a SWOT analysis. We’ve seen very extensive SWOT analyses, but also very simple iterations that are more a summary than anything else. Regardless, a SWOT analysis of any kind is a good starting point and can provide valuable insight before venturing to foreign markets.

Should you have any questions about our global payment capabilities or performing a SWOT analysis, feel free to contact us at 888.248.7060.

Images courtesy of Pixabay.com.

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Payments Around the Globe: 5 Things You Need to Know Before Selling Products and Services Internationally

Constellation Payments |
Payments Around the Globe: 5 Things You Need to Know Before Selling Products and Services Internationally photo

It’s 2017 and one thing’s for sure: Businesses are growing internationally. Franchises are opening more and more locations overseas. Companies that sell online are extending their reach into new and often emerging markets.

While profitable for many, these types of expansions can be complicated, particularly when it comes to payment processing. Each region has its own unique payments landscape which must be considered prior to market entry.

We’ll get into specific scenarios, such as online retailers, a little later, but for now, let’s consider those factors that affect all merchants wishing to sell to international customers.

Platform Payment Integration

Whether your sales are initiated via a traditional ecommerce platform, your own website, or a third-party POS platform, the platform itself will need to be integrated with a payment processor that is registered to accept and process payments in the countries where you wish to expand.

CSIPay Global Reach infographicOne challenge many companies encounter: very few payment gateways can facilitate payments in every country where they wish to expand their business. Without this ability, businesses wishing to acquire customers globally will face increased cost and reduced speed to market related to integration of their platform with several unique payment channels.

This challenge was the inspiration that drove Constellation Payments to design a gateway where merchants connect to multiple processors while simultaneously benefitting from one provider for the bulk of their international transactions.

The Constellation Payments gateway can facilitate transactions in North America, Central America, United Kingdom, European Union, Australia, New Zealand, and multiple countries in the Asia Pacific region. Businesses wishing to accept payments from customers all over the globe should examine their current gateway’s capabilities to be sure it will match their expansion goals.

Research and Adapt

Not all markets function the same. For example, in Europe, consumer use of direct debit payment methods both for one-time and recurring transactions is far more prevalent than it is in North America or Asia. Companies that don’t understand this nuance will exclude themselves from a significant portion of the market. While you don’t have to offer every payment method under the sun, it is advisable to choose a platform/gateway combination that will offer the payment methods your target customer is most likely to use. When entering new markets, businesses are encouraged to discover what those methods are and evaluate their payment gateway and/or processor accordingly.

Another best practice is to present yourself and your company in the best possible light to foreign customers. Imagine tracking down a retail item you want to purchase only to discover that the site where you will purchase item is in a language completely foreign to you and in a currency different than your own. You can’t read the site, and you’ll likely have to leave the site and find an online currency conversion tool to verify that the price you are paying is acceptable.

Many customers facing this dilemma would simply leave the site without putting anything in their carts at all. Those that do proceed to checkout are likely to leave the site without completing their purchase due to the foreign currency issue.

In fact, 13% of all cart abandonment in 2016 was due to prices being presented in a foreign currency.

This is something we addressed at Constellation Payments early on. Our merchants can accept payments in the local currency of their customers no matter where they are, but still have the funds settled into their merchant accounts in their own native currency. This is all accomplished through something called Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC).

Not all gateway and merchant services providers can provide this service though. It is highly recommended that companies going international verify whether DCC is available on their current platform and/or gateway configuration.

All this said, having localized versions of your website that acknowledge the language, customs, and currency of your target customer is highly advised when expanding internationally.

Clear Communication

In addition to the language and currency issues described above, it is also important that international customers purchasing physical goods understand any additional costs associated with purchasing from an overseas vendor.

When done right this is not a barrier to the sale at all. In fact, it is quite the opposite and somewhat expected. Clearly stating shipping costs, and making it easy to track items during the journey overseas, is critical. If there are duties or taxes that will be levied on foreign shipments, businesses will need to decide whether to absorb those costs or pass them on to the customer. If passing them to the customer, it should be crystal clear prior to finalizing the purchase.

B2B Challenges

There are some international challenges that are unique to the B2B world. For example, a company selling point of sale software will need to consider which foreign processors their merchants will be comfortable using and how their software users will obtain merchant accounts locally.

If a company in Mexico purchases the POS platform, not only will they want the POS platform to communicate in their native language, but when they have questions about things like deposits or chargebacks, they’ll want to speak with a payments professional that can speak their native language.

To address this for our own merchants, Constellation Payments has made strategic partnerships with carefully chosen local providers of merchant services, so that software companies connected to our gateway can refer their users to a local provider of payment processing that has been approved to process through our gateway and who understands local customs and banking regulations. These representatives can assist new merchants in applying for, using, and inquiring about their merchant accounts all in their native tongue.

Data Security

Another key issue when conducting transactions with foreign customers over the Internet is data security. Don’t let your company join the ranks of those with highly-publicized data breaches that have cost them billions in damages and lost credibility in the marketplace.

Constellation Payments is PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant, which is the highest level of certification available from the major card brands. Constellation also employs data encryption and credit card tokenization. Tokenization is the encoding of cardholder data such that it cannot be decoded without a key available only to the processor, and cannot be decoded or reused if intercepted by a third party.

Final Thoughts

Whether you are already offering your products or services internationally, or considering doing so, the team at Constellation Payments would be happy to review your processing needs and advise you as to your best options regarding payment processing.

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How to Read a Monthly Credit Card Processing Statement

Jennifer Sumii |
How to Read a Monthly Credit Card Processing Statement photo

In the payments industry, it’s common practice to analyze credit card processing statements to help merchants understand what they’re paying — and where they could possibly save.

But, reading monthly credit card processing statements isn’t as clear-cut as one would hope. Fortunately though, once you have some basics down, the review process becomes much less daunting.

Here are a few pointers to help you quickly review a monthly credit card processing statement:

Step #1: Identify the Pricing Method

The first step is to determine how the account has been set up. What pricing model is being used?

The most common pricing methods are: Tiered, Interchange Plus (also referred to as Pass Through or Cost Plus), and Flat Rate.

  • Tiered Pricing, sometimes referred to as bundled or bucket pricing, describes a pricing model where the processor essentially divides the 400+ permutations of risk factors, into three groups, sometimes called buckets. Most commonly, tiered pricing is offered in a three-tier system: Qualified, Mid- or Partially-Qualified, and Non-Qualified. For more on tiered pricing, see the article: Understanding Credit Card Processing Charges.
  • Interchange Plus Pricing, also known as Pass Through or Cost Plus, is a method where the processor will apply the interchange cost (or what you can think of as wholesale pricing), and add a fixed mark-up fee to facilitate the transaction. Although this is the most transparent pricing program, it can be a bit confusing since there are hundreds of interchange categories and rates that could be applied in each billing cycle.
  • Flat Rate Pricing is where a single rate and/or per transaction fee is applied to all transactional activity. Most frequently, the transactional activity is separated into two categories: Card Present (Swiped/Dipped) and Card Not Present (Key Entered). A Flat Rate and/or per transaction fee is established for each Card Present and Card Not Present activity. This fee structure is typically most attractive to merchants with very low volume and transactional activity each month, as it’s the easiest to understand.

Another tip for identifying the pricing method: know the merchant business type. Certain pricing methods pair up with specific types of businesses or size of businesses.

For example, small business merchants are likely set-up on a Tiered Pricing method, whereas a large volume merchant is more commonly placed on Interchange Plus. Micro merchants — merchants with very low volume — are more attracted to a Flat Rate model.

Step #2: Determine Current Rates   

The Discount Rate is the rate charged to a merchant by the bank or processor for providing debit and credit card processing services. The rate is applied as a percentage and/or per item fee, and is calculated for settled transactions/volume. The rate will vary widely based on the pricing method.

Step #3: Review Authorization Fees

Authorization Fees are charged whenever the point-of-sale device or software system communicates with the processing network. This is most commonly used when the system is attempting to authorize a sale transaction on the cardholder’s account.

Authorization Fees are often mistaken for the per item fee, which is the fee assessed in the discount charges for settled transactions. The Authorization Fee can also widely vary, based on the card type (VISA, MasterCard, Discover, American Express), and if the authorization attempt is being conducted electronically or by phone/voice.

Step #4: Review Other Fees

Other Fees come in many forms. Most frequently are the monthly fees and annual fees.

Examples of Other Fees are: Monthly Service Fee, PCI Fee, Statement Fee, Equipment Rental or Lease Fee, Maintenance Fee, Reporting or Online Access Fee, Annual Fee, Regulatory Fee.

Step #5: Assess the Effective Rate

The Effective Rate is the overall percentage rate the merchant is charged, taking all fees (discount, authorization, other fees, etc.) into consideration. To calculate the Effective Rate, take the total fees paid and divide by the total volume.

A couple other factors to consider when calculating the Effective Rate:

  • Are all card types funded by the processor? For example, American Express may be funded separately, by American Express. If this is the case, you’ll want to exclude American Express volume from the Effective Rate calculation.
  • Are there any one-time or miscellaneous fees on the statement? If there are any one-time or miscellaneous fees, you may want to exclude these from the fee amount you use to calculate the Effective Rate. Doing this will help you to understand what is a typical Effective Rate.

Getting the Most Cost-Effective Rates and Fees

Yes, reviewing a credit card processing statement can seem intimidating, but it’s worth familiarizing yourself with the basics so that you understand the numbers and can make informed decisions about your business’ finances.

As a merchant services provider, Constellation Payments works with thousands of small to medium-sized businesses to make sure they are receiving the most cost-effective rates and fees.

If you’re unsure you’re receiving the best rates possible — or have specific questions about your credit card processing statement — contact us. We’ll gladly review your most recent statement with you so that you fully understand what you’re currently paying and where you could save.

Jennifer Sumii is Manager of Partner Relations for Constellation Payments. Within her role, she oversees critical company partnerships, including partners with custom integrations, large core processing accounts, and processor or origination companies. Her background includes extensive processing and banking experience, specifically FI/ISO/ICA relationship management, corporate and commercial banking relationship management, national account management, and new ISO/MSP implementation and training. You can reach Jennifer at jsumii@csipay.com.

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com.

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3 Ways to Save Money When Processing Payments

Kristen Campbell |
“3 Ways to Save Money When Processing Payments” is locked 3 Ways to Save Money When Processing Payments photo

There are certainly costs associated with processing payments, but there are also ways you can save money. Here are three:

1. Invest in a terminal.

Contrary to popular belief, renting a terminal will end up costing you more overall, rather than outright buying a terminal.

Terminals aren’t as expensive as you may think. Our terminals range from $260 to $880 depending on the features and functionality you’re looking for.

All units are part of the Ingenico family of terminals that are built to provide industry-leading performance and flexibility. Plus, the terminals, functionality and transactions have all been certified with key processors — and are EMV-ready so you can accept chip cards.

Not sure which terminal is right for your business? Check out our EMV terminal line-up here with product specs and feature summaries on each terminal. We offer a full range — from terminals with a small device footprint, to high-end interactive terminals with customization for loyalty programs and opportunities to upselling, cross-selling and promoting your brand.

2. Choose an all-in-one payment technology provider.

As you’re probably well aware, there are lots of pieces that make up the payment processing puzzle. Two pieces being the gateway and the merchant account. Most merchant service providers supply one or the other. The problem with that? Two providers means two different support teams, two implementations, two agreements, and so on.

Most all-in-one providers can consolidate costs for you — and since time is money — having all services under one roof can save you operational costs. One point of contact for gateway services, the merchant account and software-integrated solutions streamlines support, reduces operational expenses and increases overall productivity.

3. Maintain PCI compliance.

Payment processors want to make sure you keep sensitive payment data secure — even if you work with a merchant service provider like Constellation Payments. To ensure you’re compliant, you are required to complete the PCI compliance questionnaire every year. Security scans must be completed every three months depending on your merchant environment.

If you do not complete the compliance questionnaire, you will incur a steep monthly fee for the extra risk your business imposes – most times as high as a $45.00 a month fee.

There are more ways to save money when processing payments, but these particular three are lesser-known and provide a good starting point when looking to reduce your costs.

Have your own tip? Share it below. And, as always, if you have a question, feel free to reach out to us by calling 888.244.2160 or send an email to sales@csipay.com.

Kristen Campbell is the Brand Manager at Constellation Payments. She is responsible for managing all marketing initiatives and programs including channel partner and merchant success programs, public and media relations, internal and external communications, and customer engagement. You can reach Kristen by sending an email to kcampbell@csipay.com.

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21 Simple Steps to Reduce Your Risk of Chargebacks

Constellation Payments |

Death. Taxes. They’re inevitable. So too are chargebacks when you accept credit card payments. Fortunately, there are proactive techniques you can implement to drastically reduce your risk of chargebacks.

Start with This Slide Deck Tutorial, Share it with Your Staff

The greater your education and understanding, the fewer chargebacks and constraints on resources you’ll endure.

As always, if you have any questions about chargebacks — or how Constellation Payments can assist — call 888.248.7060 or email sales@csipay.com.

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Global Payment Processing Capabilities: What You Need to Know

Constellation Payments |

It’s no secret. Expanding your software’s market reach creates massive opportunities. A boost to your sales team. More leads. More sales. An improved bottom line.

What you may not know is that same payment processing platform that provides multiple payment solutions can propel your software company into new geographies — with multi-country and multi-currency capabilities.

Extending Your Software’s Market Reach

Most recently, we achieved new Elavon certifications for terminal processing in Canada (for both contact and contactless payment functionality) and online credit card processing services for Mexico.

That means you can immediately broaden your market reach to Mexican and Canadian regions.

And, ultimately, one integration with Constellation Payments gives your company the ability to grow your number of potential customers in the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, the European Union, Malaysia and the Phillippines.

Check out this infographic to view our current connections and functionality — along with countries and services coming soon.

View the full-size infographic here

“It’s always been our goal to provide a single connection for our channel partners and their customers – one integration that enables them to extend their reach to anywhere in the world.

Our focus now, and in the months ahead, will remain on adding new geographies and payment capabilities, so that our channel partners, and their customers, can increase their market reach and continue growing their customer base.”

– Steve Pinado, CEO, Constellation Payments

Questions on global payment connections or service capabilities? Give us a call at 888.248.7060 or email sales@csipay.com.

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Sharpen Your Software’s Competitive Edge with these Integrated Payment Services – Part 1

Constellation Payments |

“Ah! Another software catering to the exact same niche we market to!”, you grumble. “How can we possibly stand out in this space?”, you wonder with angst beginning set in.

In a market where new SaaS solutions are launched every day, it may seem nearly impossible to outshine the rest. Fortunately, there are many ways to gain ground.

One of them is offering integrated payment services that merchants and consumers have come to expect.

Gaining Competitive Ground with Integrated Payment Services

Just as the development and release of new SaaS solutions isn’t slowing down, the vast number of ways merchants can accept payments isn’t slowing down either. Think about all the ways payments can be taken with a point of sale software solution:

  • In-person payments with an EMV-ready terminal
  • Online payments via desktop, mobile device and in-app
  • Payments through a hosted payment form connected to an online gateway
  • Payments made with contactless payments functionality – a smartphone, tablet, smartwatch tied to a mobile wallet like Apple Pay and Android Pay is held in close proximity to a payment terminal to make a payment
  • Scheduled recurring billing – used for monthly fees like gyms memberships, association dues, utility billing

Maybe even more important to note is that consumers expect a multi-channel payment experience that’s quick and seamless. This alone drives the expectation that your software delivers quick, seamless multiple payment channel functionality.

One Source for Advanced Payment Technology

Having an all-in-one payment technology partner like Constellation Payments – one point of contact for the gateway, the merchant account and software-integrated solutions – will not only streamline support and accelerate development for your software, it’ll eliminate multiple implementations and give your merchants overall greater control.

Consider these value-added solutions that have helped our Channel Partners increase convenience for their software users and their customers/members, and helped differentiate their software in the SaaS marketplace.

Tokenization

Our Channel Partners – EZFacility, eFit Financial, Member Solutions and 123Signup – use our tokenization service as part of their software offering. Rather than having their software users input their member’s credit or bank draft account each and every month for membership or association dues – and leave that data at greater risk of being stolen – they utilize tokenization.

Tokenization substitutes a token (a long string of random numbers) for valuable private information, like a bank account number or a cardholder’s credit card number. The token has no value whatsoever. When a transaction takes place, merchants never see the customer’s sensitive financial info – only the token.

Not only does tokenization secure data from external and internal theft, it also reduces a merchant’s PCI scope because the merchant doesn’t store the sensitive data themselves. This means less questions on the annual PCI survey too for merchants.

Global Payment Capabilities

Over the past year, we’ve expanded our global payment connections significantly. As of this writing, we provide merchant services in the US, Canada, Europe, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines and Malaysia.

That means that software providers whose platform is integrated with the Constellation Payments platform can extend their market reach and continue growing their business by expanding into new geographies.

In the coming months, we’re integrating with additional processors in even more countries including: Brazil, Mexico, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Laos, Kuala Lumpur, UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Again, having a single-source technology partner, like Constellation Payments, enables you to immediately extend your reach globally and therefore set yourself apart from other software providers.


Integrated Terminals

Some of our Channel Partners’ customers run Fitness facilities, Martial Arts schools and hair salons – requiring the need to make in-person transactions at the front desk.

At Constellation Payments, we provide integrated terminals that are EMV-ready (enable users to accept chip cards) and configured specifically to process transactions that flow through the POS modules within the Channel Partner’s software. This means that there is point of sale synchronization – no need to manually enter the data into the point of sale software and into the terminal.

Integrated terminals also isolate a business from PCI scope because no customer card data is passed through the point of sale software. Integrated terminals are configured to communicate directly with the processor by a dedicated Internet connection.

As you see from this short list, partnering with Constellation Payments gives you a host of integrated payment solutions to choose from. Give your customers what they want and need to efficiently run their business – and communicate that value to your prospective software users – you’ll be well on your way to outshining the competition.

Stay tuned for our next post where we’ll cover even more integrated payment services that can help your software gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

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