In the World Wide Web there are bad actors who are targeting your business and your customers. With big names like Target, T-Mobile, and Hilton Hotels being put into the cross hairs of hackers, it’s clear that hyper vigilance is required in the field of cyber security. Heck, even the Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump, and his Trump hotel brand were shown to be vulnerable, being responsible for one of the largest data breaches of 2015.

Well, we recently were made aware of another major data breach that came to light on the night before Christmas. Hyatt Hotels identified malware that had infected their credit card processing software and immediately took action to rectify the breach while also sending out an emergency call to their customers to check their credit card bills closely over the coming months. Any unauthorized or unexpected charges should be reported to the credit card provider immediately. […]

The largest competitor to Wal-Mart, Target Corporation, seems to have weathered the catastrophic data breach they experienced two years ago. But in a move announced this week, the retail giant has proven that they learned the lessons of the cyber attack that threatened to erode the trust their customers have with them.

Already a financial standard throughout much of the world, the EMV chip + PIN technology helps to ensure that a customer is who they say they are, significantly diminishing in-person credit card fraud while also vastly improving the protection of the cardholder’s personal data. Target Corporation announced their branded store credit cards will be reissued to all current cardholders under the MasterCard logo, and featuring the new microchip that all banks embraced as the new standard earlier this month. Target, however, is taking it a step further and will require their cardholders to select a PIN to be used in conjunction with their new chipped card.  […]

With all of the different credit cards on the market, it can be hard to sift through them all to determine which is the best card for you. The perks offered by the multiple card providers can make the whole selection process confusing. If you want air mileage, go with this card. If you want to earn free gas, go with that card. If you want a percentage of your cash back, then this might be the card for you. But if you are looking to join the cardholders that find the perfect combination of perks and customer services, then Discover is, according to a recently published article on The Motley Fool, the card for you.

Discover Card overtook the major player in the credit card association market, American Express, who has long lauded that “Membership Has Its Priveleges.” However, in the latest J.D. Power Credit Card Satisfaction survey, Discover bested the premiere credit provider by scoring higher in each of the six categories considered in the survey. They are: […]

Over the last several years, the purchasing habits of consumers have been adapting to the multiple forms of payment that have come available. There was a time, (not so long ago), when we would ask our patrons if they wanted to pay with cash or charge. But the relationship with our money has evolved as more and newer options hit the market. Is your business ready to accommodate the multitudes of ways people choose to pay?

Credit and Debit Cards

Of course, using cash for purchases isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. But over the last several years, the increase in the number of credit and debit cards in consumer’s wallets has been drastic. Too many people have shifted away from using cash for almost every sales transaction. This increase is evidenced in the number of traditionally cash-based businesses, (taxi companies, vending machines, etc.), that have had to install card reading devices to meet the rise in use of plastic over paper money.  […]