What is American Express OptBlue?

OptBlue simplifies the merchant card acceptance experience by providing an all in one solution. Smaller merchants benefit from the ease and convenience of having a single source for all of their servicing, processing and contract needs for all major card brands. Merchants can now receive a single statement with all of their sales activity regardless of card brand. This provides faster payments from American express sales. The latest AMEX Opt Blue rates are below.

Does NCR Payment Solutions have a way for me to accept electronic checks and ACH?

Yes, NCR Payment Solutions can set your business up to accept one time or recurring charges using a virtual check. We can allow you to accept checks as easily as credit cards with point of sale check conversion.

How do I change my High Ticket Amount?

A written request to update your high-ticket amount is needed. Please contact our Customer Service assistance group at assist.payments@ncr.com for more information. They can provide additional details on how the process works.

How often should I batch?

NCR Payment Solutions recommends that you batch your transactions every day. We are happy to set you up on auto batch if you like.

You can do this by emailing your request to assist.payments@ncr.com.

How soon will I get my deposits?

It will take 48 hours, or Next Day Funded (except on banking holidays) if your account qualifies after you settle/batch your POS for your funds to post to your bank account.

To apply for Next Day Funding, please submit your request to: assist.payments@ncr.com.

I need to accept mobile payments. What do I do?

My business needs to accept payments on the road, at festivals, shows and at flea markets. I also have friends who are plumbers, electricians and other contractors who need to take payments at their customer's location. Does NCR Payment Solutions have a solution for this?

Yes, NCR has several wireless solutions that can take swiped or dipped transactions in the field, saving your merchants hundreds of dollars in interchange expense. Reach out to your Account Executive to get more information on mobile payment solutions.

I ran a refund instead of a sale, what do I do?

Simply process one sale to reverse the refund and then run one additional sale to charge your customer for the goods or services she purchased from you.

I received a retrieval request. What is it?

A retrieval request is generated by your customer when she contacts her card issuing bank and states she doesn't recognize a transaction. The issuing bank may initiate a retrieval request that requires you to provide a legible copy of the sales slip with an authorization and signature from your customer. There are time limits associated with retrievals and the sooner you can comply the better. The retrieval request will provide step by step instructions on how to respond. Please follow the instructions carefully. Your failure to respond may result in a non-reversible financial charge to your bank account.

Wny was I charged a Minimum Monthly Fee on my statement?

The minimum monthly fee is a charge for the discount portion of your fees if you process little to no dollar volume during the course of a month. As an example, if you process $500 in sales during the month and your discount rate is 1.69% your discount fees would be $500 * 0.0169 = $8.45. If your monthly minimum fee was $10, you would have had to process at least $600 to exceed the $10 minimum fee ($600 * 0.0169 = $10.14). If you don't meet or exceed the monthly minimum discount, you are charged the stated minimum amount.

If I already have POS equipment, will I have to buy new equipment?

In some scenarios, the equipment you have in place is simple to reprogram to NCR Payment Solutions. Many times this can be done right over the phone. However, NCR is committed to ensuring all merchants are able to accept chip cards and avoid costly chargebacks for counterfeit transactions. We will work with you to make sure you have the best solution. In many cases, for security reasons, your terminal may locked and reprogramming may not be possible.

If I need an advance of cash for my business, can NCR help me with that?

Yes, NCR Payment Solutions has a program where it will purchase future credit card receivables from you now at a discount. You receive the cash and it will be repaid by NCR Payment Solutions deducting a small percentage of credit card sales that you process until it is repaid. You can use the cash for paying debts, marketing, taxes, equipment purchases, etc. Cash advances are available up to $500,000 and can be funded in days; not weeks.

Should I connect my terminal through a phone or Internet line?

It is personal preference, but the choice could ultimately depend on what type of credit card processing machine you decide to get for your business. If you opt to use a telephone line, be sure to have a dedicated landline because things like call waiting and other incoming calls can interrupt, or cancel a transaction. A number of businesses prefer using an Internet-connected terminal for faster transactions and don't need to dedicate a landline for their terminal.

What is NCR Insights?

NCR Insights provides analytics that will help you:

• Increase your revenue for new and returning customers
• Make smarter decision by having critical data at your finger tips
• Protect your online reputation by alerting you when customers post reviews of your business
• Compare your revenue to similar business located nearby
• Track economic health of nearby businesses and see where your business fits in
• Connect to QuickBooks so you can see your credit card sales and other revenue in one place
• See your business in contexts you never expected like how weather, holidays or events drive your revenue

What is the length of my Merchant Agreement?

An NCR Payment Solutions service agreement is for 3 years. Your contract may have an early termination fee if you terminate before the end of 3 years.

What does Visa recommend as proper card acceptance guidelines?

NCR Payment Solutions has the latest Visa approved card acceptance guidelines for both retail and card not present merchants. Please reference the links below, and spend some time learning all of the proper acceptance methods.

Chargeback Management Guidelines for Visa Merchants

Visa Card Merchant Resource Library

When do I process a void sale and when do I process a refund?

A void sale can be processed when the sale is still in the open batch residing in the terminal. If the sale has been settled as a batch, you cannot run a void. Then, you must process a refund or a credit. The void deletes the sale from the open batch before it is settled. A refund is a financial transaction. It gives your customer her money back to reverse the sale you previously processed. The sale proceeds will go into your bank account and the credit or refund, takes that money from your bank account and sends it to your customer's bank so it can be applied to their credit card balance.

Why am I not on next day funding?

NCR Payment Solutions determines whether or not merchants qualify for next day funding (NDF) during the underwriting process. Factors that impact the decision are business type, your personal credit score, your average ticket and when you deliver your goods or services. Businesses like restaurants are very good candidates for NDF because their average ticket is usually low and the goods and services are delivered and consumed on the spot in most cases. If your credit score is satisfactory you will be placed on NDF. If your business is a furniture store, chances are you will have difficulty receiving underwriting approval for NDF. In most cases, the average ticket can be over $1,000 and there is likely an element of future delivery of product. Both of those factors create additional risk for NCR Payment Solutions.

If I have a question about my statement or terminal who do I call?

NCR Payment Solutions provides merchant support for these types of questions. Simply email assist.payments@ncr.com and we would be happy to help you answer all of your questions. The answer to your question may be contained in this knowledge base, so please type in your question and see if a solution is provided.