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Zero Processing Fees

Learn how to have your clients pay the full processing fee with a Cash Discount Program.

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How Free Processing works:

A small fee is added to the clients card that covers the processing fee, that is listed as a separate line item. With our program there is only a small monthly fee that covers the equipment, proprietary program, paper, and support.You have seen others use this process:

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Many ATM's will add on a service charge.
Major cell phone carriers will ask for a convenience fee to pay with credit card, this covers their processing fees.
Utility companies will also charge a service fee for using credit card for payment.

FAQ's

The most common questions about Free Processing Fees

What will customers think?

Most consumers are accustom to paying small fees and often they go unnoticed as fees this small are routinely nothing more than pocket change. In the rare instance, a customer does not want to pay the fee, they always have the option to pay with cash. It truly is a simple program that will save you money one swipe at a time. See the results first hand from a few of our current, more than satisfied customers.

What is a Cash Discount Program?

The Cash Discount Program is a way for you as a merchant to offset some or all of your current merchant service fees without increasing your overall rates. It is a method of implementing a service fee to all customers while giving a discount to those who pay with cash. Therefore your posted rates now become the rate for those who pay with cash. Those customers who pay with cash avoid the services fee and all others will see a line item added to their receipt. It is our proprietary technology that allows this to happen and keeps you within the guidelines of Visa, Mastercard, and processor regulations.

Is it legal to offer a Cash Discount?

As Mitchell Katz, spokesman for the Federal Trade Commission, said in May of 2011: The Dodd-Frank law prohibits a payment card network such as Visa “from inhibiting the ability of anyone to provide a discount for payment by cash, checks, debit cards, or credit cards,” said Katz. “Neither surcharging, nor a cash discount is illegal.”

Is this some kind of new program?

No, in fact, it’s been around for decades in Europe and is used across the US in gas stations where a cash discount is offered at the pump. Gas stations have been using this program in the US for over 15 years. Many national, state and local governments including the DMV, Secretary of State, Post Offices, Schools, Courts, and the IRS implement a Service Fee.

What do I need to do to make sure I’m using this program correctly in my business?

In order to correctly implement a Cash Discount program, you don’t need to change any of your prices – you simply post signage (that we will provide) that states that all transactions now carry a 4% customer service charge. The proprietary technology is provided by INVOTEQ in conjunction with our hardware and processing partners.

However, any consumer who pays with cash will have this fee waived. Your posted prices are your cash prices. Consumers who pay with a method other than cash will see a 4% cash discount fee listed on their receipt at the register. The additional 4% service charge is programmed into your terminal, hence there are no additional steps for you.

I heard that it’s illegal to charge a fee if someone uses a credit card?

Until recently, Visa and MasterCard regulations made it clear merchants could not charge more to a consumer who used a credit card over other methods of payment. As a result of a 2013 lawsuit against the card networks, merchants are now allowed to impose a surcharge in all but 10 states and Puerto Rico. We’ll address the surcharge in the next question below.

However, there has always been a stipulation in the Visa and Mastercard regs that allow for a discount when paying with cash.

While this may seem like an issue of semantics, It’s simply adhering to the wording of the Visa and Mastercard regulations that allow the cash discount program to be implemented.

Here’s the verbiage specific to both Visa and Mastercard Rules and Regulations:

From Mastercard Rules 15 November 2016

5.11.2 Charges to Cardholders

A Merchant must not directly or indirectly require any Cardholder to pay a surcharge or any part of any Merchant discount or any contemporaneous finance charge in connection with a Transaction.

A Merchant may provide a discount to its customers for cash payments.

A Merchant is permitted to charge a fee (such as a bona fide commission, postage, expedited service or convenience fees, and the like) if the fee is imposed on all like transactions regardless of the form of payment used, or as the Corporation has expressly permitted in writing.

From Visa Core Rules and Visa Product and Service Rules – 22 April 2017

1.5.4.14 Discount Offer – US Region and US Territories In the US Region and a US Territory, a Merchant may request or encourage a Cardholder to use a means of payment other than a Visa

Card or a Visa Card of a different product type (e.g., Visa Classic Card, Visa Traditional Rewards Card, Visa Signature Card) than the Visa Card the consumer initially presents. Except where prohibited by applicable laws or regulations, the Merchant may do so by methods that include, but are not limited to:

Offering the consumer an immediate discount from the Merchant’s list, stated, or standard price, a rebate, a free or discounted product or service, or any other incentive or benefit if the consumer, who initially presents a Visa Card, uses instead another general purpose payment card or another means of payment

Communicating to consumers the reasonably estimated or actual costs incurred by the Merchant when a consumer uses a particular general purpose payment card or means of payment or the relative costs of using different general purpose payment cards or means of payment

(items in bold above are ours and used for emphasis)

Remember, your stated price now carries a 4% Service Fee, so when you someone pays with cash, they are receiving a discount off of your stated price, not an increase when they pay with credit or other means of payment.

Is this the same thing as a Surcharge?

The Surcharge carries with it several stipulations:

Only credit cards may be surcharged – no debit cards

Signage must be posted for at least 30 days prior to implementing a surcharge alerting your clientele

There is a 4% maximum that can be imposed

Surcharging is only allowed in states where the program has not been excluded

With the Cash Discount program, these limitations are not in place, as you are not implementing an additional fee for accepting a credit card, you are providing a discount for those who pay with cash. This is a clear distinction, and one that Visa, Mastercard, and the courts have agreed upon:

In a Cash Discount program, all prices in your store carry a 4% Service Charge. The posted prices are your cash price. Those who pay with cash do not have to pay this fee. This is not a situation where those who pay with a credit card pay more.

Is this a semantics argument? We’ll let you decide, but most importantly, Visa, Mastercard, and the courts allow for this distinction.

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I hear that’s only allowed in certain states.

No, the Cash Discount program, while seemingly similar, is actually very different, particularly in the eyes of Visa and MasterCard. As mentioned in the preceding Q&A, the 2013 ruling against the card networks resulted in merchants now being able to implement a surcharge. The surcharge is allowed in all but 10 states (California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma and Texas, plus the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico).

Those states claim that a surcharge is not fair to consumers. We find it somewhat laughable that it’s not fair for consumers to pay for the cost merchants incur to provide goods and services while it’s been perfectly OK for merchants to pay for the rewards programs associated with the credit cards that consumers use.

You do realize that right? Every time you see an ad on TV, in print, or hear on the radio that talks up the benefits and rewards associated with a particular credit card, those benefits come in the form of higher Interchange rates that merchants pay to be able to accept those cards. The increase in fees is not borne by the card-issuing banks or credit card processors – it’s paid for by you the merchant!

Why don't I just implement the program myself?

When a fee is incorrectly applied to a transaction, any additional fee charged to those consumers using a credit card is labeled a Surcharge and that is expressly forbidden by Visa, Mastercard, and the processing provider without taking very specific steps (see previous question)

The way around this process is to allow us to automate a Cash Discount Program for you which is different than the Surcharge. In the Cash Discount Program you post signage stating that all consumers will now be paying a 4% Service Fee, however for those paying with cash, the fee will be waived. We will automate your equipment so that this fee is automatically added for those customers using any method of payment other than cash (essentially credit cards). While this may sound very similar to the Surcharge Program, it is distinctly different in that everyone is paying an increased fee, but those who pay with cash receive a discount, whereas with the Surcharge program, you are specifically stating that those paying with credit cards will pay more. Most importantly it is aligned with the rules of Visa and Mastercard.

Additionally, you are forbidden by Visa, Mastercard, and the Processor’s rules to profit on a credit card transaction, which could happen if you accidentally charged more than you were being charged by the processor. By utilizing the Cash Discount program, we establish proper pricing for you to ensure you stay within all stated guidelines.

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Won't my customers be upset by this fee?

While nobody wants to pay additional fees, more and more consumers are starting to realize just how expensive it’s been for merchants to accept credit cards. By charging a 4% fee on a sales transaction, that’s a small price for customers to pay for the goods and services you provide. And (if paying that fee or Implementing the Cash Discount Program) allows you to stay in business and keep your overall costs lower, it’s a small price to pay.

In fact, surveys have shown that over 80% of respondents stated they wouldn’t think twice about paying that amount (only $1.00 on a $25.00 transaction) for the convenience of using their credit card rather than carrying cash. And we all know that fewer and fewer of us are carrying cash these days…and everyone loves the rewards associated with their credit cards.

Additionally, we’ve all become accustomed to paying $2-4 when we use an ATM and this cash discount fee is actually cheaper than the ATM fee for most transactions.

If you explain that the Cash Discount program is a way for you to keep providing quality goods and services without increasing your overall prices, most consumers have indicated they understand and are fine with it. And again, a 4% fee on an individual transaction generally has a very small impact to the consumer, but for you, the merchant, your savings are significant

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What if I don't like the Cash Discount Program after a few weeks or months?

If for any reason you wish to discontinue the Cash Discount Program, we will immediately change you back to traditional Interchange Pricing. You will still save a lot of money on your credit card fees by utilizing the INVOTEQ low rate program, which saves business owners on average 72% over the fees your previous processor was charging.

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Why does Invoteq off the Cash Discount Program?

Since our inception, INVOTEQ has been an advocate acting in the best interest of our merchants, savings our clients millions of dollars each year. The Cash Discount offering creates a path to save our clients even more money each month. With the addition of this program, we have multiple options for our clients to choose from – you choose the savings plan that best suits your business. Ask us about Hybrid options if you’d like to cover some of the costs while charging your clients some but not all of the fees.

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Where Can I learn more?

Here are some links on the topic of the Cash Discount Program, Surcharging, and Visa/Mastercard regulations. They are the opinion of the authors and are independent of INVOTEQ:

https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/download/about-visa/visa-rules-public.pdf

https://www.mastercard.us/en-us/about-mastercard/what-we-do/rules.html

http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/business-surcharge-card-customers-1585.php

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2011/05/can_stores_offer_a_discount_if.html

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/florida-court-strikes-down-law-on-credit-card-surcharges/2252742

https://www.cardfellow.com/checkout-fees-charging-credit-card-fees-to-customers/

http://www.ncsl.org/research/financial-services-and-commerce/credit-or-debit-card-surcharges-statutes.aspx

https://www.cardfellow.com/charging-customers-a-credit-card-convenience-fee-at-check-out/#Guidelines

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-01-10/cash-discounts-credit-surcharges-and-free-speech

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Learn more about our services. Click the link below to tell us more about your interest and a representative will contact you within one business day.

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ACH Processing

Cut out the middleman and collect even more with our integrated ACH processing platform.

ACH Advantages

Invoteq provides you with a fully integrated, web-based and customizable ACH interface that processes, monitors, tracks and reports single or recurring processing, returns, remote deposit capture and Same Day ACH.

Easily manage and automate billing and subscriptions, and collect or distribute funds with these robust features:

Manual File Upload (Multiple Formats Accepted)
Transaction Warehousing (with Edit/Void) capability
Real Time Reporting
Payment Approval
Verification Services

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POS System

Choose a system that works with your business.

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POS System

The next generation control system that radically simplifies your business. It helps you track inventory, manage employees and gain customer insight to build stronger, lasting customer relationships and accept payments with ease.

This is a powerful and productive countertop POS system that is designed for fast, secure and reliable transactions and includes these robust features and benefits:

Intuitive setup for quick employee training.
Offline mode – process even when the internet is down.
On-screen signature capture and marketing opt-in check box.
Ability to email, text, or print receipts.
Employee clock-in/clock-out and manager overrides.
Issue refunds and manage details of historic orders.
Easy batch-out and closing at end of day.
Menu changes sync across all devices in real time.
Clover Mini & Mobile options available.

MX Merchant Platform

Thousands of businesses are migrating each and every month from traditional payment processing vendors to Priority’s integrated core processing platform.

MX Merchant

The strength of our dynamic, custom-built payments ecosystem is that it streamlines workflows and effectively manages all critical aspects of running a business from a single source.

Dashboard
Quick Pay and Payments
Customers List
Support
Docs
Reports
Deposit
Settlement
Chargeback
MX Express App (Download in the Apple App Store)

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E-TAB

e-tab makes placing orders a breeze! Using any web-enabled device, customers can simply access your establishment’s online ordering site, browse the menu, make their selections, and pay for their orders. In-store kiosks allow them to skip the line, place their orders and pay in seconds.

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e-Tab

e-tab is a compelling new solution that helps meet the increasing demand for menu access and customer ordering convenience. For restaurants, online ordering through e|tab frees up your waitstaff’s time! e|tab allows the customer to place a carryout order online and pay for it, too! All the customer has to do is show up to the restaurant and pick up the order.

Benefits include:

Customizable interface design
Web-based architecture
Easily manage orders and payments
Next day funds

Merchant Financing

Get Cash for Your Business

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Working capital loans

Utilizing various funding partners, we seamlessly provide you with a high-quality alternative to traditional bank financing – all at a competitive cost factor.

To see if you qualify for Merchant Financing, Please fill out the following form and an INVOTEQ representative will contact you shortly!

Working capital loans offer:

Receive cash of up to $250,000
No hidden fees or long-term commitment
Cash received in as few as 5 days
Rates starting at 6%
Up to ten year terms
Flexibility for more cash
No restrictions on how you use the cash Great credit is not a requirement

Find Out More

Learn more about our services. Click the link below to tell us more about your interest and a representative will contact you within one business day.

Learn More About These Services

Zero Processing Fees

What will customers think?

What is a Cash Discount Program?

Is it legal to offer a Cash Discount?

Is this some kind of new program?

What do I need to do to make sure I’m using this program correctly in my business?

I heard that it’s illegal to charge a fee if someone uses a credit card?

Is this the same thing as a Surcharge?

I hear that’s only allowed in certain states.

Why don't I just implement the program myself?

Won't my customers be upset by this fee?

What if I don't like the Cash Discount Program after a few weeks or months?

Why does Invoteq off the Cash Discount Program?

Where Can I learn more?

Find Out More

ACH Processing

POS System

MX Merchant Platform

E-TAB

Merchant Financing

Find Out More

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