A Better Payment Processing Program
Tired of losing 3-4% of revenue to credit card processors? A new payment processing program—Cash Discounts and Non-Cash Adjustments—may be just what you need. Find out how to stop paying processing fees.
The First Problem: Aren’t Surcharges Only Legal in Some States?
In the past, merchants have explored adding a surcharge to a bill when a customer pays with a card. However, surcharges are only legal in 40 out of 50 states, which leads to a lot of confusion for nationwide merchants.
Cash discounts and non-cash adjustments—which are different from surcharges because fees are incurred by the customer rather than added on—are revolutionizing the way transactions are done. Notably, this practice is legal in all 50 states.
How do they work? Read on to learn whether these options would be a good fit for your business.
The Second Problem: Credit Card Processing Is Expensive
Customers have become so accustomed to using cards that merchants increasingly have to bear more and more of the brunt of the accompanying fees. Credit card companies are doing very well, but merchants are seeing their profits narrow.
Now, we have a vetted system to help our merchants circumvent copious debit and credit card processing fees. Here’s how the Cash Discounts Program works:
SCENARIO A: PAYING WITH CASH
Imagine that a customer walks up to the register with $10 worth of merchandise. They notice a sign which explains that they can receive a 3% discount if they pay with cash.
By paying with cash, the customer is rewarded and only has to pay $9.70 for the goods.
Scenario B: Paying with a credit Card
Imagine that, in a different store, a customer comes to the register with $10 worth of merchandise. They see a sign which informs them of a 3% surcharge if they pay by credit card. When using their credit card, the total automatically changes to $10.30 to cover the cost of accepting the card.
The customer leaves with their goods, knowing that they had a choice between incurring the service charge or paying with cash.
*Note that surcharges can only be applied to credit cards and are not yet supported in all states.
One Solution: Cash Discounts Are Easy, Fair, and Legal
Cash discounts are a win-win solution. Customers can choose to save money by paying with cash, and merchants can pass on the credit card processing charges to their customers instead of letting them eat more and more into profits every year.
The Other Solution: Non-Cash Adjustments
Non-Cash Adjustments are another solution that some of our merchants prefer. In Non-Cash Adjustments, merchants can charge a fee for credit card use without having to give a discount for cash payments.
*Please note that merchants are NOT permitted to utilize multiple programs simultaneously. You can either offer Cash Discounts OR Surcharges.
We’ve found it very straightforward to help our customers switch to a workflow that includes Cash Discounts and Non-Cash Adjustments. Let’s talk today about implementing these simple changes to your payment processing programs.
