You Better Be Taking Plastic
And Enjoying its Benefits
The first credit card was issued in 1950 in New York. It was a Diners Club credit card issued to 200 customers, which could be used in 27 restaurants. This is 2,950 years after credit was issued for goods in Assyria, Babylon, and Egypt.
Long gone are the days where somebody would ask "Do you accept credit cards?" Before you know it, you may have to ask a store "Do you accept cash?"
According to the Wall Street Journal, 2003 is the first year where people used plastic (credit and debit cards) more than cash and checks to pay for their purchases.
PC America, the maker of Cash Register Express, has worked with CoCard Merchant Services to gather some interesting credit and debit card facts. CoCard also offers special benefits to stores and restaurants who use CRE or RPE and do their processing with them.
FACT: Some retailers and restaurateurs discourage taking credit cards (or flat out don't accept them) because they don't like the fees associated with them. Industry studies have shown that this attitude does not save them money, it COSTS them money.
FACT: Customers using credit cards will spend an average of 30% more than their cash counterparts. The WSJ notes an interesting fact about McDonalds (who recently began rolling out credit card terminals at their registers.) According to the credit card companies, McDonalds found that the average transaction jumped from $4.50 for cash customers to $7 paying with plastic (credit or debit card.)
FACT: Dialup processing (which we call 'old technology') averages 25-45 seconds to process a credit card. You will still see this in most stores. Your average cash transaction (which varies greatly depending on the cashier) falls near the 25 second mark (using PC Charge Payment Server.)
FACT: CoCard and PC America offer internet credit card and debit card processing (over your existing DSL or cable modem internet connection) in 2-4 SECONDS! This is an average savings of over 30 seconds per transaction.
FACT: For every 10 seconds by which retail stores and restaurants speed their average checkout time, they can capture an additional 1% in sales volume (customers are more willing to wait in faster lines, employees have more time to personally sell to potential customers and upsell existing customers, amongst other reasons.)
Version 10.0 of Cash Register Express and Restaurant Pro Express allow you to process credit cards faster than any other point-of-sale system -- all you have to do is swipe your credit card from the invoice screen, and the card will process with a printed receipt within 2-4 seconds. You don't have to press one single key -- just swipe your card.
THE BENEFITS OF PROCESSING WITH COCARD
Apply Online to process with CoCard
Cocard is the processor preferred by International Point of Sale. It is also the only certified and trained credit card processor that interfaces with Cash Register Express and Restaurant Pro Express software. Not only do they offer competitive rates, they also help you choose the correct processing network for your business. Not every network is the same; some networks are better for high volume and low ticket, others are geared for low volume and high ticket, and some do not work with restaurants tips and pin number debit. CoCard will help you choose the best network for your business.
BENEFIT: CoCard offers FREE 24/7/365 support on both your merchant account and PC Charge at one convenient help desk.
BENEFIT: CoCard offers a 'host capture' service, which automatically settles your credit cards for you daily. Store managers often forget to settle the credit cards at the end of the day, which in effect costs you more money in processing fees. This will never happen with the free host capture service.
BENEFIT: See online real-time transaction history, which means you can view your up to the minute credit and debit card sales on a web page -- from anywhere in the world.
BENEFIT: CoCard offers dial-up backup service, in case your TCP/IP connection fails.
BENEFIT: CoCard offers pin debit which can save you signifigant money in processing fees is your average transaction is $40 or more.
To offer FAST internet credit card and debit card processing in your store apply Online.
by David Gosman
CEO of PC America, maker of Casher Register Express
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