Visa: Why Target’s Tap-And-Pay Leap Will Ignite Contactless Cards

by Chris Venza | Jan 28, 2019

After many years as a holdout in the world of near-field communication (NFC) payments, Target grabbed a lot of headlines yesterday (Jan. 22) with its announcement that it is embracing contactless payments. Target will enable this feature at checkout at all 1,800 of its U.S. stores over the next several weeks.

This marks a change for Target — a retailer that had, up to this point, enabled mobile pay only for its own mobile wallet app and the Target-branded REDcard linked to it. Next week, shoppers at those 1,800 stores will be able to use contactless cards, as well as contactless mobile payments, via any one of the mobile wallet “Pays” — Apple, Google and Samsung.

“Offering guests more ways to conveniently and quickly pay is just another way we’re making it easier than ever to shop Target,” said Mike McNamara, Target’s chief information officer, in a statement.

The headlines have mainly focused on the “Pays,” which have struggled to gain any significant contactless traction at the physical point of sale (POS). However, when Karen Webster chatted with VP of Consumer Products Dan Sanford, he noted that what has been a bit underreported is the giant leap forward contactless cards will take, now that Target will accept tap-and-pay payments.

Target’s acceptance of contactless payments, Sanford told Karen Webster, is a “a great win for the industry,” one that he thinks will nudge other competition-minded retailers into activating contactless acceptance at checkout, too.

Five Keys Choosing the Right Merchant Processor

by Chris Venza | Jan 21, 2019

Selecting the merchant processor that’s best for your business is not an easy task. Too many merchants fall into the trap of simply looking for the provider with the lowest quote only to find themselves paying more after exposing hidden processing fees. Over time, this can turn into a very expensive mistake.

So, what makes the difference? When looking for a merchant processor, you want a company that has a firmly established track record of reliability—one that can easily be integrated into your current POS environment, is strong, secure, competitive, and has a commitment to customer service. Do not get too focused on what numbers are on your quote – it’s the overall total cost over time that matters. This includes processing rates, time spent dealing with unknowledgeable support staff, and excessive pricing on equipment.

Aside from pricing, not all merchant accounts provide the same level of service when it comes to supporting your POS. You should always choose a merchant service provider willing to work with your point-of-sale company to make sure your issues quickly get resolved. It is too common for merchant processors to hand the merchant off to the POS company without making an effort to truly understand the issue.

As many processors try to “catch up”, BOLD has lead the industry in their support, pricing, and understanding of the POS industry. BOLD is not simply a merchant processor. BOLD. works closely with point-of-sale companies to resolve issues with some of the fastest resolution times in the industry. It is what they call “They Priority Advantage” which also includes:

Support That Works WITH your POS company, Not Against. The BOLD teams are dedicated to your business and financial goals. Customer service is more than just a catch phrase to us, and we strive to be the best in the industry.
Hardware that meets the unique needs of your business. BOLD delivers the right type of equipment to work with the POS system and fit the merchant’s needs.
Software that keeps track of your business so it can grow. Free Access to the MX Merchant™ Portal for Online Reporting, Email Invoicing, and Mobile Payments.
Transparent, reasonable, and honest. BOLD’s pledge is to be completely transparent with FAIR pricing and easy to read statements.
Free PCI-DSS Assistance with ControlScan. BOLD provides the necessary support and tools needed to analyze, remediate, and validate PCI compliance.

Despite all the unscrupulous practices in the processing industry, BOLD is a company that offers high-quality service at a fair, reasonable cost. They offer same day approval and, in most cases, you can be running credit cards within hours.

The Seven Benefits of Partnering with BOLD

by Chris Venza | Jan 16, 2019

Control What Matters the Most—Your Ability to Succeed!

It doesn’t really matter what business you are in today—everyone is looking for ways to be in control of data. Companies want to make a significant impact and stay in-step with advancing technology and do it securely. As we move into the new year, competition will only get more intense.

BOLD specializes in helping Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and Value Added Resellers (VARs) become their own Independent Sales Organization (ISO), and we are committed to providing today’s ready-to-use tools that are needed to move quickly in our ever-changing and technologically advancing world, especially in the POS environment.

When ISVs and VARs partner with BOLD, they become a part of an advanced team that seeks to be fast, smart, and strong.

BOLD starts with transparency. Our communication is open and clearly defined in a Schedule A. Our partners own their merchant portfolio with no exclusivity agreements and can borrow against it or sell it at any time. They learn effective ways to manage their merchants while having full access and knowledge to information at every level.

BOLD partners also have control over pricing their own rates and data and this is powerful. It gives ISVs and VARs the ability to market better, communicate smarter, and control their revenue.

In addition to the Schedule A, BOLD partners have access to MX™ ISO Agent, a powerful online business management tool. It provides a secure, feature-rich suite of API’s that work to enhance their existing product. Our intuitive technology, convenient features, and value-added business services make our MX™ ISO Agent a one-stop unbeatable API payment solution that can easily integrate into POS and eCommerce systems with the benefit of remaining PCI-DSS out of scope..

So Why BOLD? Here are just six of the many advantages of working with us:

Partnering with BOLD means receiving the majority share of the residual revenue.
Our merchant sales and support team understands the POS industry assists through the entire process, from sales to implementation to support.
We offer transparent information on all income and expenses. Plus, BOLD owns their merchant portfolio.
Our partnership is tailored to the needs of our partners. This provides more flexibility and creativity. Our partners determine the level of your involvement and the portion of residuals that they make.
We improved the merchants’ experience by offering a wider range of services, which includes free online credit card reporting for the merchant, recurring invoicing with online payments, mobile payments, free PCI-DSS assistance and quarterly scanning, and much more.
With a partner success team ready to help with integration needs, we provide an easy EMV semi-integration tool that takes POS systems PCI-DSS out of scope.
BOLD offers White Label Branding on merchant statements along with the benefit of backend support from Priority I.S.

The mission of BOLD is to give our ISV and VAR partners the tools they need to be successful. Unlike many other companies, our goal is to be completely transparent regarding expenses, income, and residuals.

Our partners will be connected with a BOLD staff member who will personally manage the development process. Bottom line: our success hinges on our partners’ success.

With our commitment to creating and maintaining open lines of communication and never-ending advancements in the latest technology, the BOLD advantage is clear. BOLD delivers a safe, custom ecosystem that is designed to fit our partners’ needs and offers control over matters most: your business.