Take Charge: With Credit and Debit Cards

As American spending continues to increase, so do the ways by which we pay. In addition to traditional paper checks and new online electronic check services, customers are also using long-familiar credit and now-handy debit cards to pay for rent, services and merchandise purchases. While some businesses still shy away from credit card use, others consider credit card acceptance yet one more way to increase collections by making it easy for customers to pay. Since more than half of American adults possess a credit card, credit and debit card acceptance can be well worth considering.

With their well-known transaction fees, why should a business consider accepting credit and debit cards?

Truth be known, there are some costs associated with every type of payment. In reality:

• Debit cards cost a fraction of other card payment methods.


• Studies have shown that by offering additional payment options, organizations can expand and enhance cash flow.


• Accountability, accuracy, convenience and consistency all increase with Merchant Card acceptance. The card providers bear much of the risk.


• There are no NSF checks.

In C&A Solutions, LLC, which specializes in electronic payments for businesses, you have a reliable, trustworthy provider of established Merchant Account services from VISA MasterCard. C&A Solutions, LLC credit and debit card acceptance options are easy to use, and offer lower discount rates than many other processors.

How do C&A Solutions, LLC Merchant Card services work?

Using your existing bank account(s), and a Merchant Account from C&A Solutions, LLC, you can process credit and debit card transactions using traditional phone line terminals, any in-house workstation that has Internet access, or any PayPoint enabled web page. An authorized user can process transactions either by phone, fax, over the Internet, or in person, any time, any day of the year. Special encryption technology makes the service a secure choice. And depending on your specific needs, C&A Solutions, LLC can provide you with point-of-sale terminals for special events, kiosk or remote terminals for locations away, “Virtual Terminals” on your workstation keyboards, or PayPoint locations for web page payments.

Why should a business choose C&A Solutions, LLC Merchant Card services over another processor?

Four great reasons:

First, you’re in excellent hands because C&A Solutions, LLC was founded in order to work with and help businesses determine the best payment solutions for your business that best match your business rules. C&A Solutions, LLC principals, after years of helping businesses, understand your unique needs and can help you identify the processing resources best suited to your specific needs.

For example, based on our understanding of the storage/apartment industries or other businesses in which you are not expecting to have many face-to-face swipe transactions, our recommendation would be to help your business benefit from the special low non-swipe rates we offer through the use of a MOTO account where 51% or more of your transactions are non-swipe, card not present transactions (for example for recurring monthly credit card payments).

Another example, as C&A Solutions, LLC gains an understanding of your type of business we may recommend processing credit cards using our web based payment gateway, the electronic ACH and Credit Card software payment solution that we offer; by entering the credit card information in through your keyboard and setting the frequency for the transaction. Because the Virtual Terminal Payment Gateway can take the place of a credit card machine (terminal), this eliminates the expense of purchasing a credit card terminal altogether, eliminates the tedious job of manually entering the credit card numbers into a terminal for recurring monthly credit card payments, protects the customer by increasing the security for the storage of their credit card numbers, and allows you to create a database so the recurring monthly check or credit card transactions will process automatically. This software can also be used for one-time phone, etc. payments and will also allow you to get SWIPE rates for card present.

Second, Security is of the utmost importance to today’s consumers and merchants.

Our merchant account providers and payment gateway are Payment Card Industry (PCI) Compliant.

When customers offer their bankcard at the point of sale, over the Internet, on the phone, or through the mail, they want assurance that their account information is safe. That’s why Visa USA has instituted the PCI Compliance program. Mandated since June 2001, the program is intended to protect cardholder data—wherever it resides—ensuring that members, merchants, and service providers maintain the highest information security standard.

This mainly refers to credit card security. The issue is how the credit card numbers are being stored once you get them especially, if they are manually keyed in each month into the credit card terminal for any recurring payments.

For example some businesses put the numbers in a spread sheet or data base in their computer or if they have management software the number may be right there in the customer's personal file in a computer database. Or the numbers may be kept in a physical paper file on the original agreement/authorization form that anyone could get their hands on.

In reference to physical files on the premises when the numbers are not put in a computer - are the numbers as well as the original authorization forms kept in a locked safe or file cabinet? What security do you have to keep someone unauthorized from opening the safe or files?

These are just some of the things to think about in regards to security.

Third, many credit card service providers require clients to set up a separate demand deposit bank account for credit card funds. With C&A Solutions, LLC, no demand deposit account is needed. Simply use your existing bank account and keep your current, valued banking relationship in tact.

Finally, because C&A Solutions, LLC offers its Merchant Card services with lower discount rates, they’re not only reliable and trustworthy; The services are also fair, competitive, and easily audited.

Merchant Account Customer Service and Technical Support:

• We strive to provide customer service that is unparalleled!


• 24x7 Customer Service Help Desk


• On-Line and printed statements that are easy to use. Review reports, statements and more


• User-friendly navigation


• protocol security
• Export to Excel


• Fraud Control


• Access to the world’s largest processor of transactions, processing and settling more than 10 billion credit and debit card transactions at over 2.8 million merchant locations annually, with transactions valued in excess of $562 billion. This incredible “back-end” support coupled with our customer service oriented outlook means we can handle your service needs quickly and properly.