How to Keep Your Credit Card Information Safe

6a00e5540bff8a883401a3fc9fa106970b.png
If you’re a business owner, you probably accept credit cards as payment. You might also have heard that there’s been a lot of credit card breaches lately (Target? Sound familiar?). We’ve got some tips straight from Louis Xifaras, a credit card processing consultant who’s been in the industry for more than ten years.

 

image1

 

“One of the most important ways for a merchant to stay safe,” Louis tells us, “is to be PCI compliant.”

 

What does that mean? It means the equipment and/or software that you’re using follows certain standards and passes all certifications so that the customer data is completely encrypted through the internet or phone line during authorizations.

 

This guarantees that when a credit card is authorized, the card number is coded so that criminals can’t access and steal it. Being non-PCI compliant can also bring hefty fines from the card brands!!

 

Another tip? If you’re a restaurant owner, you probably take delivery orders over the phone… and sometimes, you might just write down credit card numbers on a piece of paper. This is the worst thing you can do.

 

Every single business owner should key the credit card number of any customer right onto the terminal or POS system while the customer gives it to you. A big issue in the restaurant delivery industry is that owners are sharing their regular phone line with their credit card machine phone line – which means it’s impossible to key in the card number for authorization while you’re on the phone with a customer.

 

image2

 

If you do deliveries, you should use a terminal on an isolated phone line or Internet line, or use an online ordering module through your website. If you’re a customer that’s ordering food online in a way that businesses simply receive your credit card number from a confirmation e-mail, your information is NOT safe.

 

For deliveries, businesses can also utilize wireless credit card devices or mobile apps that swipe at the point of delivery with signature – which lead to lower rates for business owners as well.

 

As a business owner, the best thing you can do for your establishment is to be with a payment processing company that is PCI Compliant – such as EVO Payments.

 

With a company like EVO, you’re guaranteed safe transactions that won’t compromise credit card information. But more than that, they offer PCI compliance registration and data breach insurance coverage –which means that in a worst case scenario, you won’t be left scrambling if your data is breached. EVO offers the latest technology for card processing that includes internet based terminals with the ability for NFC technology for Apple Pay/Google Wallet, and is also ready for the new EMV mandate coming in October. They are also a one-stop shop for Loyalty services, POS Systems, and Payroll services. You can reach our local EVO Payments representative, Louis Xifaras, directly at 917-804-0035 or via email at [email protected]