My Merchant Account Blog

Credit Card Logos

Friday, February 23, 2007

When accepting credit cards on your website, you want customers to know what card associations (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, etc.) that you accept.  Each card association has their authorized logos available from their website for you to download and display. Usually, when you apply for a merchant account, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover brands are automatically included in your merchant account and American Express will require separate approval.

Visa Logo

The Visa logo is used to show that you accept Visa credit cards and possibly debit cards on your website.  Most debits cards issued today will have a Visa or MasterCard logo on them.  If your debit card has this, chances are that you can use your card anywhere Visa is accepted.  Visa Brand Mark Artwork has the instructions and logos that you can download to use on your website.

MasterCard Logo

The MasterCard logo is used to show that you accept MasterCard credit cards.  MasterCard actually has two images.  One is acceptance marks to indicate that you accept MasterCard.  Another is the brand mark which is used to when you are marketing or promoting MasterCard's products and programs.  You can download the MasterCard Acceptance Marks or Brand Marks from MasterCard's official website.  These images are permitted when you accept MasterCard.

Discover Logo

The Discover Logo is used to show that you accept the Discover Card as a payment option. If you do not use the Discover Logo, you must use the text Discover Network to show customers that you accept the Discover Card.  And if you are talking to customers over the phone, you should ask the customer if they will be using the Discover Network Card to pay for the purchase.  You can download the Discover logos from their official website to use on your e-commerce driven website.

American Express Logo

The American Express logo is used to show that you accept American Express on your e-commerce website.  You can download American Express's logos from their official website after providing some more information as well to American Express.

As you can see though, most of the website above will provide the card association's logos.  Just make sure you are familiar with each of the card associations regulations on displaying their logo on your website.

MasterCard Security Card Features

Thursday, February 08, 2007

When a consumer gives you his / her MasterCard® credit card to process, you should swipe the credit card and hold on to the credit card.  Every MasterCard® card contains a set of unique design features and security elements developed by MasterCard® to help merchants verify a card's legitimacy.  This will allow you to take a look at the credit card to verify the security features and to compare the signature on the back of the card with the signature on the sales receipt.

MasterCard International has introduced new card design format options and modified several card security features. New card design options offer flexible placement of the MasterCard Hologram (card front or back) and introduce the option to use a new holographic magnetic tape, HoloMag™ (card back only). This quick reference guide will highlight valid card formats, as well as mandated card security features.

Front of the MasterCard®

The "MC" Security Character is no longer permitted on newly issued cards (effective June 1, 2006), but may continue to appear on cards through June 2010. This is the cursive M that you might see near the expiration date.  The MasterCard® log should be on the right hand side, either in the top right or lower right of the card. On the front, you will see a embossed or printed account number. The account number should be even and straight. Right underneath the account number, you will see four digits. This four-digit number must match exactly with the first four digits of the account number.

Requirements

• Must include full-color MasterCard® Brand Mark
• MasterCard® account numbers must start with the number 5
• First four digits of the account number must be the same digits as those printed directly below (pre-printed BIN)
• 16-digit account number must be clear and uniform in size and spacing and must appear on one line
• Must include valid expiration date
• Must include MasterCard® Hologram unless hologram or MasterCard® HoloMag tape appear on card back

Optional

• MasterCard Hologram may be removed from the card front if the hologram or MasterCard® HoloMag tape appears on card back
• "MC" Security Character is no longer permitted on newly issued cards (effective June 1, 2006), but may continue to appear on cards through June 2010
• Card design and MasterCard Brand Mark may be oriented vertically

Back of the MasterCard®

The last four digits of the account number must be printed in reverse italics on the signature panel.  The CVC 2 number is printed in reverse italics to the right of the last four digits of the account number. Instead of the magnetic stripe, you might see the HoloMag™.

Requirements

• Must include signature panel with the word "MasterCard" printed in multicolors at a 45° angle
• Last four digits of the account number must be printed in reverse italics on the signature panel
• CVC 2 number (three-digit validation code) must be printed in reverse italics to the right of the last four digits of the account number
• Magnetic tape must be present and appear smooth and straight with no signs of tampering
• Must include MasterCard® Hologram or HoloMag tape unless hologram appears on card front

Optional

• HoloMag tape may be used in place of the traditional magnetic tape
• MasterCard Hologram may be placed on the card back if not appearing on card front

If you suspect that the MasterCard is fraudulent, call your Voice Authorization Center and tell them you have a Code 10.

How to Make a Code 10 Call

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

When something does not look right, i.e. the security features look altered or they are missing, keep the card in your possession and make a Code 10 call to your authorization center.  You may be asked to keep the credit card or you might be instructed to return the card.  If your authorization center tells you it is ok, write down the authorization number on the sales receipt.

Code 10 calls allow merchants to alert card issuers to suspicious activity and take appropriate action when instructed to do so. You should make a Code 10 call to your voice authorization center whenever you are suspicious about a card, cardholder, or a transaction. The term "Code 10" is used so the call can be made at any time during a transaction without arousing a customer's suspicions.

How to Make a Code 10 Call

• Keep the card in your possession during the call.
• Call your voice authorization center, and say, "I have a Code 10 authorization request."

The call may first be routed to a representative at your merchant bank who may need to ask you for some merchant or transaction details. You will then be transferred to the card issuer and connected to a special operator who will ask you a series of questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no.
• When connected to the special operator, answer all questions calmly and in a normal tone of voice. Your answers will be used to determine whether the card is valid.
• Follow all operator instructions.
• If the operator tells you to pick up the card, do so only if recovery is possible by reasonable and peaceful means.

If for some reason, you do not feel comfortable making this call during the transaction, you can still call the authorization center after the consumer has left your store.  Doing this might help to prevent more fraudulent transactions to another merchant.

Visa Credit Card Security Features

Earlier I wrote about an electronic payment gateway being the start of the transaction. However, if you really drill down, the consumer is the start of the transaction.  They initiate the transaction before it hits the electronic payment gateway.

When the consumer decides to buy your product in a brick and mortar atmosphere, the consumer will hand you his / her Visa credit card.  This card can be described in four different ways:

• Cards with Visa Mini Dove Design Hologram on Back of Card
• Cards with Visa Holographic Magnetic Stripe on Back of Card
• Cards with Dove Design Hologram on Front of Card
• Visa Flag Cards with Dove Design Hologram on Front of Card

Processing a Visa Transaction

When a consumer gives you his / her Visa credit card to process, you should swipe the credit card and hold on to the credit card.  Every Visa card contains a set of unique design features and security elements developed by Visa to help merchants verify a card's legitimacy.  This will allow you to take a look at the credit card to verify the security features and to compare the signature on the back of the card with the signature on the sales receipt.

Cards with Dove Design Hologram on Front of Card

Front of the Visa Credit Card

On the front, you will see a embossed or printed account number. The account number should be even and straight.  Right underneath the account number, you will see four digits. This four-digit number must match exactly with the first four digits of the account number. Both of these will also begin with a 'four'. You will then see a "Good Thru" or "Valid Thru" date.  This is the expiration date of the card and is usually under the account number.  The Visa Brand Mark appears in blue and gold on a white background. It must appear in either the bottom right, top left, or top right corner. The Flying Dove Hologram should appear to be three-dimensional and appear to move when the card is tilted back and forth.

Back of the Visa Credit Card

The signature panel has a tamper-resistant design.  If someone has tried to erase the signature, the word "VOID" will be displayed.  It may vary in length dependent on card type. There is also the magnetic stripe. The magnetic stripe is encoded with the card’s account number, expiration date, and other identifying information. Card Verification Value (CVV2) is a three-digit code that appears either on the signature panel or on a white box to the right of the signature panel. Portions of the account number may also be present on the signature panel. CVV2 is used primarily in card-not-present transactions to verify that the customer is in possession of a valid Visa card at the time of the sale.

Cards with Visa Mini Dove Design Hologram on Back of Card

Front of the Visa Credit Card

On the front, you will see a embossed or printed account number. The account number should be even and straight.  Right underneath the account number, you will see four digits. This four-digit number must match exactly with the first four digits of the account number. Both of these will also begin with a 'four'. You will then see a "Good Thru" or "Valid Thru" date.  This is the expiration date of the card and is usually under the account number.  The Visa Brand Mark appears in blue and gold on a white background. It must appear in either the bottom right, top left, or top right corner.

Back of the Visa Credit Card

The signature panel has a tamper-resistant design.  If someone has tried to erase the signature, the word "VOID" will be displayed.  It may vary in length dependent on card type. There is also the magnetic stripe. The magnetic stripe is encoded with the card’s account number, expiration date, and other identifying information. Card Verification Value (CVV2) is a three-digit code that appears either on the signature panel or on a white box to the right of the signature panel. Portions of the account number may also be present on the signature panel. CVV2 is used primarily in card-not-present transactions to verify that the customer is in possession of a valid Visa card at the time of the sale.

Cards with Visa Holographic Magnetic Stripe on Back of Card

Front of the Visa Credit Card

On the front, you will see a embossed or printed account number. The account number should be even and straight.  Right underneath the account number, you will see four digits. This four-digit number must match exactly with the first four digits of the account number. Both of these will also begin with a 'four'. You will then see a "Good Thru" or "Valid Thru" date.  This is the expiration date of the card and is usually under the account number.  The Visa Brand Mark appears in blue and gold on a white background. It must appear in either the bottom right, top left, or top right corner.

Back of the Visa Credit Card

The signature panel has a tamper-resistant design.  If someone has tried to erase the signature, the word "VOID" will be displayed.  It may vary in length dependent on card type. There is also the magnetic stripe. The Holographic Magnetic Stripe should have a ring around the sun when the card is moved from side-to-side. The word "VISA" should appear in the center of the sun when the card is tilted.. Card Verification Value (CVV2) is a three-digit code that appears either on the signature panel or on a white box to the right of the signature panel. Portions of the account number may also be present on the signature panel. CVV2 is used primarily in card-not-present transactions to verify that the customer is in possession of a valid Visa card at the time of the sale.

Visa Flag Cards with Dove Design Hologram on Front of Card

Front of the Visa Credit Card

On the front, you will see a embossed or printed account number. The account number should be even and straight.  Right underneath the account number, you will see four digits. This four-digit number must match exactly with the first four digits of the account number. Both of these will also begin with a 'four'. You will then see a "Good Thru" or "Valid Thru" date.  This is the expiration date of the card and is usually under the account number. A Flying “V” is an embossed security character beside the “Good Thru” date. This character is not a required security feature and may or may not appear on the card. Visa Logo should have micro-printing around the border. The fine print is barely readable without magnification. The Flying Dove Hologram should appear to be three-dimensional and appear to move when the card is tilted back and forth. As a general rule of thumb - always check the hologram. It is easier to spot a re-embossed number there.

Back of the Visa Credit Card

The Signature Panel should be white with the word "VISA" repeated in a diagonal pattern in blue and gold print. The card account number should be printed in the panel. The words "Authorized Signature" and "Not Valid Unless Signed" must appear above, below, or beside the signature panel. If someone has tried to erase the signature panel, the word "VOID" will be displayed. There is also the magnetic stripe. The magnetic stripe is encoded with the card’s account number, expiration date, and other identifying information. Card Verification Value (CVV2) is a three-digit code that appears either on the signature panel or on a white box to the right of the signature panel. Portions of the account number may also be present on the signature panel. CVV2 is used primarily in card-not-present transactions to verify that the customer is in possession of a valid Visa card at the time of the sale.

When something does not look right, i.e. the security features look altered or they are missing, keep the card in your possession and make a Code 10 call to your authorization center.  You may be asked to keep the credit card or you might be instructed to return the card.  If your authorization center tells you it is ok, write down the authorization number on the sales receipt.