While credit card transactions generally only need the customer to swipe their card for approval, sometimes the situation is slightly more complicated. For example, sometimes clients make orders over the phone. Other times, credit card strips may be demagnetized, or there could be other damage to the card that prevents it from running correctly. Luckily, manual credit card processing is a simple task that requires only a few key steps.
For payments to be credited to merchant accounts, processors have developed a fairly routine method for accepting manual information. First, the employee handling the transaction should record the full name of their client as listed on the card, and match that against a valid form of identification. Then, as an extra form of verification for merchant accounts, employees should also record down the customer’s billing address. After getting this basic information about the customer, it’s time to record the card’s information.
The next step in credit card processing is recording account information off of the card. This 16 digit number can be found on the front of the card; along with that you should also record the card’s expiration date, which will later be required to run the transaction. In addition, on the back of the card there is typically a 3 digit security number.
If the transaction isn’t automatically recorded, it’s important to make a receipt. This helps to ensure records match against any auditing of merchant accounts. Employees should be careful to record all this information onto a separate piece of paper or over thermal transfer paper so the customer can have a copy as a receipt. Once employees have this information down, the information is ready to be further processed.
Credit card terminals vary from company to company, but usually first require manual entry of the credit card number, as well as the security code. Employees should be instructed to follow the prompts terminals give them, and consult with the terminal manufacturer if there’s any issue. These days, there are several options in addition to standard point of sale terminals, such as apps for smartphones. It can be tempting to request customers pay in cash or check, but merchants shouldn’t be worried when a transaction can’t just be swiped through with a card. Once the company understands the flow of a manual credit card transaction, it’s a simple chore to later authorize the funds.