Tag Archives: payment processing

Hackers Steal Credit Card Data at Major Seafood Restaurant Chain

Individuals who have wined and dined at theme restaurants such as the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company and the Rainforest Cafe at least once since 2016 may want to review their credit and debit card statements. According to a notice posted by restaurant giant Landry’s shortly after New Year’s Day, hackers were able to inject malware into an internal system that operates separately from the point-of-sale (POS) network, but which nonetheless involved payment cards.

Before discussing details about this security incident, it should be noted that Landry’s POS system was not breached. In fact, the restaurant chain operates a system that not only encrypts data but also blocks all scripts it does not recognize which means that unrecognized malware would have no effect. There was another card-reader system affected, but not one used for payments. With this in mind, the scope of the incident is sharply reduced because the credit and debit cards that may have been intercepted were not supposed to be swiped in the targeted system anyway.

When you sit at table or at the bar of the Rainforest Cafe or Del Frisco’s Grill, you probably have noticed that servers interact with more than one card reader. There is the POS for payments, which is encrypted, but there is also an order-entry system that restaurant staff members access by means of swiping cards that often hang from lanyards around their necks for easy access. In some cases, servers carry a wireless tablet with from table to table; this portable card reader can be used to swipe Landry’s Select Club cards, a nice customer loyalty and rewards program.

Between payment cards, access cards, and customer loyalty cards, it would not be unusual to expect that busy Landry’s servers would, from time to time, get these cards mixed up, which is what happened in this case. Some debit and credit cards were inadvertently swiped to place an order from the table or from the bar to the kitchen; perhaps a MasterCard was swiped instead of a Landry’s Select Club card, thus depriving some customers of points that could have been redeemed for a frozen margarita or a free side order of Cajun shrimp.

Even though Landry’s operates more than 600 restaurants, only 60 locations were affected, and individual cases are limited because most servers employed by this chain are retained based on their ability to carry out their duties with precision. This does not mean that hackers are giving up on attacking point-of-sale systems; if anything, malware targeting card readers terminals is becoming more sophisticated. The intent to breach Landry’s was certainly there, but it did not work as hackers had hoped for.

Chinese Hackers Were Successfully Able to Bypass 2FA

On December 19, the cyber security firm Fox-IT, which is headquartered in the Netherlands, reported that they discovered a previously-unknown infiltration of managed service provider and government computer systems in at least 10 countries, including the United States, Mexico, Brazil, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain. These systems covered a wide range of industries, including aviation, construction, energy, finance, gambling, healthcare, insurance, offshore engineering, payroll and HR services, physical lock manufacturing, software development and transportation. Fox-IT believes a Chinese government-funded hacking group managed to bypass two-factor authentication (2FA) to initially access and then spread through these systems.

What Is 2FA?

Two-factor authentication was designed to make it more difficult for hackers to access secure, private data. It requires that a user provide two unique forms of information to prove identification when logging into accounts. For example, a system might recognize a user by their physical hardware, via a unique linked code, coupled with a separate unique password. The user might input a memorized password or a one-time password generated by a separate piece of hardware called a token or password generator. In banking, 2FA occurs when a card holder uses their physical card with their unique PIN number at an ATM or during debit transactions. In point-of-sale software payment processing, a merchant or an employee uses 2FA when they sign into their point-of-sale software on a computer, a unique device, with a unique password.

Which Group Is Responsible?

Although many hacking groups supported by the Chinese government exist, Fox-IT has linked this event to a Beijing-based group called APT20. Security firms believe this group started in 2011. Since the Chinese government invests a lot of time and money into hiding their hacking groups, APT 2020 was able to keep a low profile during 2016 and 2017. Firms couldn’t track them until they slipped up in 2018. Fox-IT referred to the 2FA bypass as “Operation Wocao” after a member of APT20 used the Chinese curse word “wocao” in a final line of Windows command failure code when they realized that their actions had been detected and they couldn’t hack a system. The word aptly described both the frustration and shock felt by not only the hacker, but also Fox-IT techs who realized that the system and others had been hacked in such a rare fashion.

How Did They Do It?

This specific group typically uses the most basic hacking tools combined with the software already present on their victims’ systems. Two-factor authentication is incredibly difficulty to bypass since it uses unique forms of identification. Fox-IT has stated that APT20 found a way, currently unknown, to compromise the 2FA for virtual private networks possibly via vulnerabilities in the the corporate and government enterprise application platform known as JBoss. Essentially, they found a way to bypass the credentials necessary to access their victim’s VPN accounts and the computer systems attached to those networks. APT20 then focused their efforts on locating and hacking additional linked systems that held the credentials necessary for them to find and retrieve additional private data. The attack was designed to help them find higher and higher levels of authentication to access higher and higher levels of information. For example, they targeted password managers/vaults and then used the passwords they found to continue their data search and retrieval. Once they were finished, they did everything possible to delete all footprints of their actions to prevent detection.

What About Payment Processing?

APT20’s rare bypass of 2FA shows that hackers might be able to access any system in a similar fashion, including networked computers owned by merchants using point-of-sale software and/or customer databases. A hacking group could potentially mine merchant systems for customer names, credit card numbers, expiration dates and secure CVV codes. If the system also has a customer database, hackers could also retrieve private details, such as customers home addresses and product likes and dislikes. Hackers might use this data to learn more about specific individuals, such as politicians or military leaders, or create false identities.

We recommend that all merchants focus on improving not only their computer and network safety, but also their employee-based vulnerabilities. It’s important to train employees to recognize the many techniques used by hackers and how their actions can help these bad government-funded actors gain access. Merchants can also protect their systems by blocking employees from checking private email or downloading software on these systems.

Our team at Host Merchant Services goes beyond securing our own payment processing systems against these types of attacks: Host Merchant Services Data Breach Security Program. Click that link to download a PDF explaining the value-added service HMS provides its merchants that goes above and beyond just simple PCI Compliance and helps ensure a merchant’s peace of mind.

Contactless Payments on the Rise [2023 Update]

When we cast our eye across the pond and towards the rest of the world, we start to notice some very different point-of-sale (PoS) consumer behavior. In somewhere around 25 of our closest international buddies, more than 50% of all face-to-face Visa transactions are done via contactless payment. If we look over to the Australians even, that number easily passes 90%.

It’s not as if this was never attempted in the United States. There was an attempt at a broad-scale issuance of contactless cards more than a decade ago, but it didn’t quite work out thanks to lukewarm consumer attitudes and the high costs to issue them. These, and others, were pretty clear signs that it was a bit too early for the U.S. to make its first foray into tap-to-pay. Inhibitors like these, though, are long gone now, so it seems 2020 is the time for a second go now that a real market opportunity has arisen.

The United States now finds itself ready to join ranks with other leading nations where contactless payments are, if not the dominant form of payment, at least a prominent way to go about business. There are many factors, such as open-loop contactless ticketing being finally introduced to major metro systems across the country such as New York’s MTA and the LA Metro, that can further push the opportunities for a contactless cards market in the U.S., along with the following aspects:

We as consumers love our cards:

We’ve had contactless mobile wallet options like Apple Pay and Google Pay for some years now, but the uptake may not quite have been what we’d all expected, which may indicate how much more we prefer to use our actual cards. According to research undertaken by 451, 60% of consumers who prefer to avoid using their mobile wallet do so because there’s either “no need” or they have a “preference for traditional payment methods.”

The cost of issuing the cards has fallen:

The cost of issuing a contactless card has fallen in recent years, due in part international card issuers. It shouldn’t even cost a dollar for our financial institutions to issue a new contactless card, maybe not even 80 cents. This is compared to the $2 it would have cost just a few years ago.

Merchant acceptance is growing:

Thanks to the EMV (Europay, Mastercard and Visa) liability shift in the U.S. just over 4 years ago in October of 2015, the implementation of dual interface PoS terminals (i.e. terminals that offer both contact and contactless transactions) has come along a lot more rapidly. Now, of all Visa transactions in the U.S., more than 60% of them occur on a contactless-enabled machine. On top of this, more than 75% of the country’s top 100 merchants are currently offering contactless payments as an option at the checkout.

How Should I Choose a Credit Card Processor for My Restaurant?

Because restaurants operate on thin profit margins, restaurateurs must leverage every payment type to attract every type of customer while simultaneously leveraging the support of their credit card processor. Business owners don’t have time to waste on deciphering complex credit card processing fees during their monthly reconciliation. Nor do they have the luxury of refusing payment types in the digital age when customers are trying out every new payment trend available. Restaurants must weigh several factors in choosing a merchant service provider.

Great Customer Service

The owners and employees of restaurants are in the business of customer service. Their priority is creating the best dining experience possible for their clientele. They can’t be bogged down with complicated point of sale technology that slows the process and frustrates the end user. If they do experience technical challenges, they need support pronto in a 24-hour business cycle.

Knowledgeable Point of Sale Support

Restaurants have unique business needs regarding their credit card processor. In addition to round-the-clock support, a business needs restaurant merchant services that offer solutions that fit various business models. Depending on the restaurant, point of sale solutions may need to accommodate both a traditional style of service, as well as catering service and beyond, including mobile flexibility to allow a restaurant to meet the customers in multiple locations under a variety of circumstances.

Point of Sale Options

A restaurant needs a payment processor that can synchronize current processing systems with their solutions or provide a whole new solution to fit the restaurant’s circumstances. Keeping both security and convenience in mind, restaurants need a merchant service provider that can help the business to accommodate as many customers as possible in a secure fashion while also making transactions easy for restaurant owners and staff.

Low Rates & Transparent Pricing

And while customer service, ease of use, and processing simplification are ideal goals for a restaurant, none of it matters if the cost eats into the restaurant’s profits. Restaurants need a merchant service provider that offers interchange plus pricing, the pricing model merchants can rely on to offer the lowest cost interchange fees on the market. With a low markup over the wholesale cost, the interchange plus pricing model provides flexibility in equipment and payment options while keeping costs as low as possible.

Host Merchant Services: What Your Restaurant Needs in a Payment Processor

HMS provides customer support for restaurant credit card processing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We know we need to work as much as you do to properly support an industry that can operate nearly 24 hours a day. That’s why we have operators standing by to answer your call any time of day.

HMS also explains how payment processing works. Providing a comprehensive package including credit card processing and financial transaction services to restaurants, we will custom design a flexible credit card processing solution to fit the needs of your restaurant.

And when we do demonstrate your payment processing scenario selections, HMS also offers your restaurant several point of sale options, including Clover, Vital, Bonsai, SwipeSimple, and more to fit your specific operation. If your restaurant is already equipped with hardware, HMS provides an easy point of sale integration.

Whether you need an entirely new point of sale system or a solution for your current system, HMS offers a suite of services to suit your restaurant’s needs. From wireless equipment, payment by check, recurring billing, to online payment gateways, HMS has everything a restaurant needs for serving customers in both traditional sit-down establishments and catering services.

With our low rate guarantee, HMS provides a Free Rate Analysis to show where you can save on your restaurant payment processing. If HMS can’t save your restaurant money, we will give you a $50 Gift Card. The best pricing model on the payment processing market, Interchange Plus Pricing will help your restaurant’s bottom line.

Host Merchant Services will even provide your restaurant free equipment via our free equipment program to qualified merchants along with receipt paper at wholesale prices. We are your restaurant’s credit card processing solution.

Frequently Asked Questions

Five Things to Consider When Switching Merchant Services Providers

Because of the complexity of credit card processing, it’s hard to know when or if to switch merchant services providers. With the added confusion of automatically renewed contracts, equipment leases, and hidden fees, a business may feel it needs to outsource the research on their already outsourced credit card processor. Here are five things to consider when switching merchant services providers:

1. Contracts

Before making the switch to a new credit card processor, check with your current provider on the status of your contract. You may have transitioned to a month-to-month contract, in which case it’s easy to switch. If you’re still under contract, or worse, your merchant account provider automatically renewed your contract, it still may be worth the potentially hefty cost to break the contract and switch in the long run, depending on the fees you’re currently paying.

2. Equipment

Leasing equipment is one of the least cost-effective aspects of merchant services. If you’re currently leasing equipment, it would be in your business’s best interest to find a new credit card processor that will either sell the equipment to you at cost or – in an ideal world – give you equipment for signing on to their services.

3. Rates & Fees

Interchange fees are confusing, and because of their complexity, many merchant service providers can sneak extra charges into your monthly bill. If your business is using any payment model besides the interchange plus payment model, it is almost guaranteed you are paying more than you need to. The best merchant services at least offer the interchange plus model for pricing. This alone is a reason to make the switch.

4. Payment Methods & Security

Your merchant service provider should be able to provide the latest security and technology enhancements available. To protect your business from the liability of a fraudulent charge, your credit card terminal needs to be EMV-compliant at the least. Beyond security, depending on your business and clientele, you may even want to offer NFC-based payments such as Apple and Android Pay.

5. Customer Service

The person who sold your business your current merchant services contract is not the same person answering the customer service line. If your merchant services provider is not supporting you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you may need to look elsewhere. Your business can’t afford to wait on a callback. You need assistance when you need assistance. Not to mention, the customer service representatives should actually be helpful when you call. Try a test run with your current merchant service provider to see how their customer service will help you when you really need it.

Host Merchant Services

Delivering personalized service and clarity, Host Merchant Services takes the time to explain your payment processing. We want you to understand your monthly statement, and we will ensure that your statement matches our promises during our sales presentation. If you do have questions, you can reach a live representative any time, any day. HMS offers wonderful customer service, as well as great rates.

What is a Payment Gateway?

A Payment Gateway is the interface between consumers and the merchant acquiring bank that processes a payment during a consumer transaction, whether the transaction be online or in a brick and mortar store. In addition to the point of sale (POS) terminals, physical stores also need a payment gateway to complete a transaction made in person with a credit or debit card or by phone with a credit or debit card. And payment gateways are the “checkout” in online transactions where consumers enter their credit card information.

Payment gateways vary in options available to both merchants and consumers. Sometimes merchants employ more than one payment gateway to ensure consumers have every payment option available in this fast-paced, digital world. Not all payment gateways offer payment options for international consumers. Security is a priority for merchants, making tokenization increasingly popular to ensure safe and secure transactions.

Tokenization

Tokenization is a payment method in which credit or debit card data includes a unique identification code known as a “token” used in digital transactions. Increasing the security of e-commerce payment processing, tokens allow consumers to bypass providing card data. Specifically, tokenization converts the card number into a code, or token, which is then used instead of the card number during the transaction. Keeping the real data secure, the token is unique and can only be used within the platform – or website, or the device – or smartphone that generated the code. Irreversible and useless to hackers, tokenization further increases security for consumers. Visa and Mastercard, as well as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and any banking application can generate tokens for consumers’ transactions.

Types of Payment Gateways for Online Payments

There are three types of payment gateways for e-commerce online payments: redirects, checkout on-site with payment off-site, and on-site payments. Redirects take the consumer off of the merchant’s site and send them to a whole new site to complete a transaction. While this may be disorienting for a consumer, this method is also very easy to setup.

The checkout on-site with payment off-site option allows consumers to make the payment on the merchant’s site while the payment gateway actually completes the transaction behind the scenes. As with the redirect option, merchants have little to no control over the user experience for their customers, but also, as with the redirect option, merchants have access to a robust system without requiring extensive technical knowledge.

The on-site payment option is well suited for large-scale businesses, in which the merchant handles both the front end and behind the scenes portion of the transaction, placing both control over the consumer’s experience and potential liability for fraud on the merchant’s shoulders.

Host Merchant Services

Supporting a variety of Payment Gateways, Host Merchant Services can fulfill your processing needs. Customized to your business needs, your processing solution lies in one of our offerings: from Transaction Express, Vital, Authorize.net, NMI, Paytrace, USAePay and many more. Solutions include all basic features such as tokenization, Quickbooks sync, ACH, level II & III data processing, and multiple MIDs, along with a number of other supported gateways. No matter the technical requirements, HMS has a fit for your business.

Apple Launches Express Transit Payments For Commuters

Technology giant Apple is trying to get the most functionality out of the iPhone before the next chapter of personal and portable computing is written. Subscription-based services, digital content, and mobile payments are some of the verticals that Apple has been exploring for the purpose of squeezing more profits from the iOS ecosystem, and this includes enabling commuters to pay for bus or metro fares with their iPhone or Apple Watch devices.

According to a news report by the London Evening Standard, Apple Pay has officially gone underground with its new Express Transit feature. Although the ability to use Apple Pay for London tube fares is not exactly new, this method used to require biometric authentication in order to complete the transaction. What this meant for London commuters was getting stuck behind fellow tube riders trying to figure out the Apple Pay FaceID or TouchID systems; we are talking about wait times of up to 30 seconds during rush hour. With Express Transit, Apple is going the more traditional and faster route of contact-less payments supported by Android Pay.

To enable Express Transit, which is available on iPhone models starting from the SE all the way to the 11 Pro, users should tap the Settings icon and visit their Wallet and Apple Pay section where they will find the new Express Transit feature. Setting this up is as easy as selecting the desired payment card; if you have an Apple Card, it will become the default payment method for fares in the Transport for London system. Although Apple has only mentioned the London underground in its Express Transit announcement, any of the yellow card and device readers installed at railway stations all across the United Kingdom will work.

It should be noted that Express Transit works with the Apple Watch, and this is probably the most convenient way to handle mobile payments because of the wearable factor. Needless to say, Express Transit devices must have the latest version of iOS or WatchOS to work properly. This new Apple Pay feature is not only a time-saver but is also more in line with the direction the mobile payments segment is taking. Express Transit was previously launched in the Metropolitan Transit Authority of New York City, but Google Pay is found in even more public transportation systems around the world.

How Can My Business Accept EBT?

EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) card payments enable SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) recipients to purchase food and other goods. Replacing the previous “food stamp” system, EBT allows recipients to use a card similar to a debit card to make purchases. The government pre-loads the EBT card with funds, which the recipient can use to purchase SNAP-approved food items.

With more than two and a half billion EBT card transactions annually, accepting EBT payment is a step toward expanding your business. In addition to growing your customer base, EBT transactions also cost your business less than traditional debit and credit cards.

Requirements for EBT Registration

Because EBT cards only work with approved retailers, your business must register with the government before you can accept EBT cards. Your store must meet one of two requirements regarding staple foods: 50 percent of your store’s retail sales must consist of SNAP eligible foods (staple foods) OR your store must offer at least three types of eligible foods in addition to at least two perishable eligible foods. The eligible or qualifying groups are breads and cereals, dairy, fruits and vegetables, and meats, including poultry and fish.

In addition to the traditional brick and mortar stores, qualified farm stands and farmers’ markets can also apply for a SNAP permit. And if you own 10 or more qualified retail food stores, an FNS representative will work with your business directly in lieu of the online application.

How to Apply for EBT Payments

The US Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers the SNAP program and distributes permits to merchants that qualify for EBT cards. If your business qualifies, you’ll first verify your identity by way of a USDA eAuthentication account.

After you activate your USDA account, then you can apply online to accept SNAP benefits. While the application only takes as little as 15 minutes, you may need to research your records for some of the answers. You’ll also need copies of the following supporting documentation, which you can upload online or print and mail to FNS:

Photo identification, e.g. driver’s license, passport
Social Security cards, copies for all owners, partners, officers, shareholders, and spouses
Business license
Your bank’s name and address
Merchant account provider’s name, phone number, address, and website

Payment Terminal for SNAP Benefits

Once your business obtains a SNAP permit, you’ll need a terminal that accepts PIN debit cards, complete with a PIN pad. Your merchant account provider can either provide the required equipment or can program your existing equipment with encryption keys. You will need to provide your merchant account provider your seven-digit FNS Account Number to set up EBT merchant services.

Host Merchant Services

If your business needs support in signing up for EBT Merchant Services, Host Merchant Services will provide your business preferential treatment. Our service team is four times larger than our sales team! We know it’s better to keep our customers happy than it is to find new customers. HMS provides US-based support 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.

Advantages of Clover POS

An all-in-one point of sale and payments system, the Clover Station POS makes running your business fast and easy. By accepting more payment types, offering a two printer capability, and a 14-inch display with swivel for customer signatures, the Clover® POS enables your business to focus on your customers.

With the ability to operate via WiFi or offline, Clover POS ensures businesses can still do business under any circumstances, and with built-in encryption-enabled card readers, Clover provides an additional level of security beyond PCI and EMV standards.

Great for small to medium-sized businesses, Clover is intuitive and flexible. All-in-one hardware, including the card reader makes Clover set up and use of their POS solution easy and fast for business owners. Added bonuses like the ability to print, email, and text receipts enables Clover businesses to support customers in all of their needs. With a range of apps to add as a business grows and evolves, Clover can adjust accordingly and seamlessly.

Adding Functionality

Clover offers businesses a variety of apps to increase functionality as needed. The Promos app allows you to build your customer database, allowing businesses to create a mailing list to leverage for real-time offers by way of text, email, and Facebook. The Feedback app empowers businesses to solicit customer concerns and feedback allowing businesses to build on the good and prevent public feedback for the bad. Business-specific apps like the Reward, Happy Hour, and Dining apps assist in specific business goals.

Clover as Business Partner

Beyond processing credit cards, Clover POS can also help you run your business. Easy and intuitive, Clover provides functionality that allows business owners to automate payroll, employee schedules, and ordering in addition to tracking sales, creating loyalty programs, stocking inventory, and tracking returns – and beyond.

Marrying POS and data analysis, Clover allows businesses to generate data in real-time with both a dashboard and detailed sales reports. Displaying readable charts and graphs, Clover empowers business owners to quickly and easily track metrics.

Measuring product performance, Clover helps businesses market goods and services by identifying those that sell well and vice versa. Helping businesses discover loyal customers, Clover enables business owners to customize offers and to provide loyalty programs to repeat customers, creating a VIP strategy.

Not only can Clover help businesses schedule employees, it can also clock employees in and out. Businesses can use Clover to measure employee performance and help employers incentivize employees with top worker rewards. Customized user permissions allow employers to control employee access to Clover functions.

Clover can also help businesses track their cash flow, nipping financial issues in the bud. And beyond the scope of the business’s performance, Clover can measure area competitors and leverage local trends to increase foot traffic.

Host Merchant Services and Clover

Host Merchant Services can customize your Clover Point of Sale System to fit your business needs. Whether your business requires a robust station including a tablet interface and printer with the option to add functionality or whether your business only needs a mobile app, turning your phone into your POS, Host Merchant Services offers these and everything in between, including the Mini POS and the handheld POS perfect for a farmers market stand or an intimate restaurant.

Offering complimentary express service, Host Merchant Services provides free quotes. Our payment specialists can provide Clover POS pricing that fits your business.

The Clover® name and logo are trademarks owned by Clover Network, Inc., an affiliate of First Data Merchant Services LLC, and registered or used in the U.S. and many foreign countries.

AmEx Offering Incentives to Boost Card Acceptance

To keep up with Visa and Mastercard, American Express is offering sign-on bonuses to companies to offset start-up costs. Ranging from $10,000 to nearly $500,000, American Express sign-on bonuses are part of an effort to close the gap of the 1.3 million more U.S. locations accepting Visa and Mastercard in 2018 than those accepting American Express, which is accepted in 10.3 million locations, according to the Nilson Report.

With few, sometimes no conditions, American Express salespeople not only offer these large payments, but they’re also offering discounted swipe fees to companies that agree to accept AmEx. While Visa and Mastercard may pay businesses to offset technology upgrades, sign-on bonuses with credit card companies were heretofore unheard of.

High-End Customers

Known for its high-end clients, American Express had always stayed competitive by charging higher interchange fees. Businesses agreed to these fees as the price of doing business with AmEx customers known for spending more, but Visa and Mastercard’s reward cards lured the high-end crowd from AmEx, leaving the company with fewer big spenders using the card in addition to fewer merchants accepting the card.

Matching Visa and Mastercard in Merchants

With more than three million new merchant locations agreeing to American Express acceptance since 2017, the company expects to meet Visa and Mastercard numbers by the end of the year. More than merchant numbers, American Express stock shares also have some catching up to do with Visa and Mastercard. While AmEx shares rose 32% in the past five years, Visa and Mastercard boast a 190% and 230% increase, respectively.

Market Value

Compared to Visa and Mastercard’s market value ending in positive territory during the last eight years resulting in $386 and $279 billion in market value respectively, American Express’s market value experienced double digit losses during the last decade’s annual performances resulting in one third its counterparts’ value at $98 billion.

How AmEx Did It

Through its OptBlue program, American Express added most of its new merchants through third-party payment processors. Plus, internal sales people gave sign-on bonuses to more than 130 businesses since last year. Because AmEx both issues its cards, as well as operates the network on which the cards run, the company benefits from merchant acceptance on both sides of its business. With a 2016 pledge to reach Visa and Mastercard merchant numbers by 2019, American Express hopes to achieve higher billings and a larger scale of business.

Host Merchant Services: The Power of Knowledge

If your business wants to explore accepting AmEx cards, Host Merchant Services can help you make a decision regarding AmEx or any other aspect of merchant service. We’ll explain everything so you can make an informed decision! We go out of our way to educate our customers so that they fully understand pricing for AmEx, as well as our pricing model in general. Having this knowledge is important to ensure you aren’t overpaying, not just with us but with any processor! After we explain everything, the pricing will be so transparent that you’ll even know exactly what we make as a profit. How’s that for transparency?!