Accept Checks Online to Increase Sales

No Card?  Echecks Save the Sale 

More than 83% of consumers shop on line at once a week or more. Yet, surprisingly, only 70% of American shoppers have credit or debit cards.

How do customers who do not have cards buy  from your website?  You’ll lose the sale unless you provide an alternative to card payments on your checkout page.  The most popular alternative payment method for US buyers is electronic check processing.

Electronic checks are the fastest way to boost orders from shoppers that do not have cards.  Simply by adding echecks as a payment method on your checkout page can increase your sales up to 20%.

• Increase Sales. Electronic checks are the most popular alternative payment method for US shoppers. Over 95% of US households have bank accounts and can pay you with an echeck.  
• Decrease Shopping Cart Abandonment. If a credit card is rejected, offer an echeck payment option. Rescue sales that otherwise would be lost.
• Save Money on Payment Processing. Rates for electronic checks are much lower than for card processing. Saving you 50-80% over credit card processing fees.

Buyers Want to Pay with eChecks

Echecks electronically debits funds from consumers’ bank accounts.  The money is automatically deposited to your business bank account.  

Will customers will use echecks?    Absolutely yes.

Consumers are familiar with electronic checks and expect to see the payment option on your checkout page.   The majority of Americans pay at least one bill monthly online with an echeck and trust the payment method. 

When you accept checks online, you extend a familiar payment method to your website.  Giving shoppers another convenient way to purchase from you.

Echecks Stabilize Recurring Billing

Echecks are an excellent payment solution for companies with recurring billing models  Echecks are far more effective at stabilizing cash flow from recurring payments than cards.  

Consumers rarely change checking accounts.  There is no reason to update payment information. Funds can be deducted from the same account for years.  Stabilizing cash flow.  While increasing the lifetime value of customers to your business.

More than 20% of cards are reissued every year.  Each time a card is reissued, card data has to be updated for a payment to be approved.  Which is expensive & time-consuming.  And, each time card payment data has to be updated, it gives customers a reason to cancel.

Electronic Checks for Ecommerce

Ecommerce merchants selling tangible products benefit from echeck processing. Although echecks don’t clear in “real time” (which will change in October, 2017 when same day ACH debits will be a reality), commerce merchants simply wait a day before shipping to be sure the transaction clears.  

Electronic check processing gives customers an alternative method to pay you if they do not have a card or are maxed out on cards.  Give your customers another chance to buy from you.

Companies that sell high ticket items such as electronics, jewelry, furniture, and luxury goods also discover echecks are a good alternative to debit cards.  Banks issuing the debit cards often limit the transaction amount allowed on the card.  If this happens, offer an electronic check payment option & save the sale.  

Conclusion

Offer echecks as an alternative payment method and watch your sales grow.  

Accept checks online. Accept check by phone, mail and fax orders.  You’ll be happily surprised at the number of shoppers who will use an echeck complete the order.   

Remember you’ll make more sales when shoppers have different ways to pay you.  

Are you interested in electronic check processing to get more orders from shoppers?

Contact info@nationalach.com today

21 Reasons You Need Echecks

How You Benefit from Echecks

Echecks are a trusted alternative payment method used by millions of US consumers. This article reviews the top 20 benefits of accepting electronic checks.

Reasons to Accept Electronic Checks

Here are a some of the benefits you can expect when you accept electronic checks.

• Reduced Banking Fees – Processing checks electronically dramatically reduces or eliminates bank deposit item fees and NSF return fees on those checks not clearing.
• Save Money – Checks processed and returned electronically only incur a nominal transaction charge.
• Fast – Most electronic transactions are processed in 24 – 48 hours. Faster processing means faster NSF notification and more efficient check recovery.
• Fast Settlement – Electronic items, including NSF checks, are processed ahead of paper items and cleared or rejected faster. You get your money faster.
• First Claim To Account Funds – Electronic transactions get first claim to any cash in the account. The reason is that banks routinely post ACH transactions before they post paper checks. Even if the available funds are insufficient to cover all items posted, the likelihood that you’ll collect is higher if you re-present an electronic ACH entry rather than a paper check.
• Recovery Odds Increased 33% Electronic submission allows a third redeposit electronically, significantly enhancing the chances of collection. As the saying goes, “Third time’s a charm.”
• Collection Ratios up to 85% -Electronic check recovery collection ratios have exceeded 85%, based on age of check, when processed.   Electronic checks are processed ahead of paper checks-jumping to the front of the line, clearing ahead of checks written days earlier.
• Customers Return Faster– Faster NSF settlement brings customers back into the clients’ business that much faster, allowing them to resume purchasing goods or services.
• Save Money.  Automated Payment Entry Options – Electronic MICR Check Readers are available that help make transaction processing volume more manageable, dramatically reducing entry errors.
• Competitive Advantage – Competition is tough. Smart businesses are offering consumers multiple payment options to pay by check via telephone, fax, or over the Internet. Customers expect the convenience of electronic payments when purchasing merchandise or services.
• Increase Cash Flow – Electronic check processing helps ensure that contract payment clauses are fulfilled. Automatic debits to the customer’s account take away payment-delaying tactics.
• Payment Plans – Customized automated payment plans are easily implemented to meet the customer’s personal financial abilities. Enter the payment information into the software once and forget it—the program automatically debits the customer’s account as scheduled.
• Convenience – More and more consumers are opting for electronic solutions for recurring payments and direct deposits. They are looking for convenience and ways to eliminate mundane tasks such as writing and mailing the same checks every month.
• Multiple Payment/Order Channels – Check acceptance broadens the customer base; increasing customer options leads to more sales, increased revenues, and higher profits.
• Reduced Payment Processing Expense -Electronic transactions are less costly-flat fee per transaction versus a percentage of the total sale with credit cards, manual handling dramatically reduced.
• Administration Saves Money– Electronic Check Processing virtually eliminates the costs associated with preparing and mailing customer invoices, and other costs such as: Accounts receivable follow up; bank fees; bad debt; collection expense; and administrative expenses.
• Customer Payment Options -Businesses want control over costs associated with payment options-if one payment option is less costly than others; they want the knowledge and ability to influence the customer’s choice.
• Safe and Secure. When data files are sent for processing, they are scrambled prior to transmitting, then unscrambled prior to processing, adding to the prevention of fraud and unauthorized access.
• Easy Reconciliation – Automatic posting of settlements matches paid checks and lists those checks that did not clear for immediate follow up. NSF checks can be automatically resubmitted.
• COD – Customer Service – Next day settlement allows merchants to hold shipments until check clearance is verified, eliminating potential bad debt losses and re-stocking expenses.

Conclusion

Millions of Americans regularly pay for goods & services with electronic checks. Echecks are a familiar and trusted alternative payment method for US consumers.  

This article gives you the top 21 reasons that businesses throughout the country have moved to electronic check processing.

Interested in an echeck account to increase profits while decreasing expense?

Contact info@nationalach.com today

Electronic Checks Valuable for Travel Merchants

International tourist numbers have been increasing for the past six years in a row.  More than 1.5 billion people travelled abroad in 2015 alone. As a result, cross border transactions have been getting easier and more widespread over the years. 

That’s a huge number of people looking to go outside their country and spend on a holiday. Which is why travel agents, transportation companies, hotels, online booking apps, and banks have all made it much easier to spend money abroad.

But the level of security hasn’t kept up with the increasing levels of convenience.

If your business caters to international tourists, you may find that it’s a lot easier to offer tools for foreign transactions than it is to actually secure these transactions. Accepting card payments from customers is quick, but risky.

What are the risks?

Most people understand currency risks that affect an international business. But the bigger risk is the lack of security for online card transactions made across borders.

The problem is different countries have different standards of payment security. Some countries are compelled to implement measures such as bank verifications while other countries take these regulations less seriously.

Different regulations and security standards make it difficult to fully appreciate and mitigate the risks involved in international payments.

America is notoriously behind on credit card security. The US losses more to credit card fraud than the rest of the world combined.

If you operate a business in the travel industry, you most likely face this issue on a daily basis. Fraudsters try to use stolen or fake credit cards. Legitimate customers initiate a chargeback in order to avoid paying in what is known as “friendly fraud”.

Your resources are inadequate to fully face this threat and deal with the complex global payment system. You’re often left at the mercy of the client or the acquiring bank when it comes to the safety of your payments and this could have a negative, long term effect on your revenues.

But you’re not helpless. There are ways to protect your business from this rising tide of international payment fraud.

What can you do?

The best way to protect your business and sales is to sign up with a payment processor who can offer a customized travel merchant account.

Accepting echecks gives you a more secure way to process payments. Echecks allow your customers to pay when their card is maxed out or not available. And many Americans simply prefer to pay for travel with a debit from a bank account rather than a card.

Electronic check transactions are considerably more secure than paying by cards or traditional paper checks.

It is much more difficult for cybercriminals and customers committing friendly fraud to perpetrate their dishonest actions with echecks. Accessing bank accounts is harder than obtaining card information.

And chargebacks are more difficult with echecks than with cards.  Echecks generally require the customer to visit their bank, swear out an affidavit, and submit supporting documents.  With card chargebacks, all a buyer has to do is call their issuing bank to initiate a chargeback.  

Conclusion

Over the past decade, the travel industry has transformed. While sales are up, customer spending habits have changed. Millennials are more likely to travel abroad than the generations before them and they prefer spending money online.

Investing in your payment system by opening a travel merchant account is not just about reducing risks, it’s about offering your customers security. Echecks are far more secure than cards when you take payments online or by phone.  

How will accepting echecks help your company?

Contact info@nationalach.com today.

Echecks for Loan Modificiation

Modifying loans is a much-needed service. If your business offers this complex service you already know there is no lack of demand.

However, a lack of investment in compliance and technology has had an impact on services. Borrowers are facing increasing challenges to get their loans modified appropriately.

But the Home Affordability Modification Program (HAMP) has managed to streamline the process and boosted the number of borrowers who can qualify for loan and mortgage modification.

Service providers have increased alongside the shift in demand. But more than two years ago, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau published a set of rules and regulations for firms in the industry.  In a recent report, the CFPB found that American borrowers were still being harmed because many loan modification companies failed to invest in better compliance and technology.

In such a crowded market, improving service quality and technology has the potential to make your business stand apart. Here are three ways you could make your loan modification business succeed.

Automate To Reduce Errors

One of the key findings of the CFPB report was that loan modifiers were not able to manage data appropriately. All the information about modification options and client details were lost because the technology was outdated and the staff lacked training.

This is a relatively easy problem to solve. Automated payment networks like Automated Clearing House (ACH) can drastically reduce the number of errors at the point of sale. An ACH or echeck account allows your business to automated the process and take the human out of the equation.

The reduced chances of errors and reliability of electronic check processing helps boost customer confidence.  Clients  feel secure with an efficient electronic payment system that ensures all data is collected & managed properly.

Invest in Compliance

With proper staff training and data collected from an an echeck or ACH merchant account, complying with regulations is a lot easier. CFPB servicing rules require a thorough process that helps the borrower stay up to date with payments. With an ACH account your business has access to a well-developed, and nationally recognized platform. The platform makes it easier to offer loan modification services and take recurring payments throughout the year to service the loan. This should help your business stay on par with the standards set by the CFPB.

Protect Your Clients

Protecting client data securing the payment is of the utmost importance. An ACH account grants access to a platform  that can allow your to process echecks which electronically debit funds from clients’ bank accounts. Echecks are a better, more secure option as compared to traditional checks and even credit cards. A direct debit to your business’ ach account is much more stable, considering people don’t change bank accounts as frequently as credit cards.

The payments can be made through multiple channels and the system is designed for recurring billing models like loan modification. This ACH account can help you prevent chargebacks and reduce the level of fraud as well. You can accept payments online through an API or allow clients to pay over the phone and through the mail by means of a virtual terminal.

Each year, $39 trillion and 22 billion electronic financial transactions move through this highly secure system. The system is so widespread, businesses across the country sign up simply to offer convenience and security to their clients.

Conclusion

Getting a loan modification merchant account will help you secure your clients, comply with the rules and reduce errors. These three simple steps can vastly improve your service quality.

Interested in accepting echecks from your customers?   

Contact us to learn more about this payment network.

Echecks Better for High Ticket Orders

The higher the dollar amount of a specific transaction, the greater the risks involved.  The risks and responsibility of fraud and chargebacks. extend to you as the merchant as well as to your processor & acquiring bank.  

Some industries process high tickets on regular basis.  For example, government and business-to-business sales routinely have high ticket transactions.  

And many businesses selling to consumers also have high ticket items. For instance, jewelry, furniture, home appliances, collectibles, electronics, precious metals, and automobiles are all high ticket transactions.  

The value of these transactions requires added steps for security. Traditional credit cards are woefully ill equipped to handle such transfers.

Credit cards security in the United States is considered by a number of experts to be the worst in the world. Retailers, banks and payment processors are all trying to pass the buck on the issue and the only clear winners are the fraudsters who attack vulnerable victims.

Even the recent chip-and-pin transition (meant to make cards safer to use) in the US was an utter failure. Expats and foreign businesses have often complained about the lack of security features in America’s card infrastructure. Close to $3 billion was lost due to chargebacks and credit card fraud in the US in 2014.

Card companies charge high rates for high ticket transactions due to the increased risk of security breaches, chargebacks, and fraud. Substantially increasing your cost of sales and your operating expenses.

For these reasons, companies selling high ticket items are far better accepting payments through an echeck payment gateway.

Echecks:  Safer, Faster, Cheaper

Electronic payments (such as echecks) are making business transactions faster, safer and cheaper. While the use of paper checks is on the decline, the use of electronic checks for payments is rapidly expanding.  More than one-fifth of all transactions in the US are through echeck payment gateways, according to the Federal Reserve Bank.

Echecks electronically deduct the amount of the payment from buyers’ bank accounts.  The funds are then automatically settled to sellers’ bank accounts.  Echecks are supported by a  strong online security system. 

Payment processors who offer these echeck payment gateways to businesses can assist with collections, verify customer identification documents and even prevent fraud or chargebacks.

Overall, electronic check processing is quite efficient since most of the processes are automated. By taking humans out of the equation, costs are lower and the service is less prone to errors. The electronic system allows businesses to receive funds faster and manage their invoices more effectively. Administrative costs are lowered.

And rates for electronic check processing is always lower than card processing.  Saving you money on processing expenses.

Customers also like the convenience of paying through a bank account.  A recent survey found that a vast majority of millennial renters would prefer paying their rent electronically, rather than with cards and physical checks. The convenience is a huge benefit for consumers.

Managing Risks For High Ticket Purchases

Traditional card processors tend to classify high tickets sellers as high-risk merchants. This compounds the problems for such merchants, as the risk of chargebacks prevents them from accepting card payments.

As we’ve seen, card payments are not ideal for high ticket sales. Most merchants selling high ticket items encourage buyers to chose an echeck payment option to reduce expenses.  And lower exposure to risk.

For business-to-consumer purchases, high ticket sales can be revoked only within 40 days (for echeck payments) or 60 days (for ACH payments). Customers are also required to provide additional documentation and evidence to support a chargeback claim making it far more difficult to initiate an echeck chargeback than a card transaction.

With a card transactions, consumers can chargeback up to 180 days after the purchase was made. And charging back is easy.  Customers simply call their issuing bank to dispute a transactions.  Most of the time, the issuing bank sides with the customer against the merchant.  Lots of savvy shoppers know how to play & win the chargeback game, resulting in losses to you.

For business-to-business sales, the revoke period for electronic check processing is only three days.  Offering businesses much needed protection for commercial transactions.  

Adding Electronic Checks to Your Payment Options

Echecks give you significantly benefits for high ticket processing compared to cards.  

• reduce payment processing risk
• decrease operating expenses and cost of sales
• lower processing costs
• give your customers another way to buy from you

With echeck and ACH merchant accounts, you can accept payment online, by phone, fax or mail, or batch upload to a secure site.

Integration to a website is through an API.  MOTO orders are processed through a virtual terminal. Batch transactions can also be submitted if preferred.

The echeck payments gateway is fully compliant with all security regulations. Technical and operational support are available 24/7.  And you have a dedicated account manager who provides you ongoing guidance and support.  

How are you handling payment processing for your high ticket sales? 

Contact us  today.

eChecks for Online Merchants

Accept Checks Online

Want an easy way to increase sales 8-20%?  While saving money on payment processing costs? Simply add echecks  as a payment option to your checkout page.

Get More Orders

Electronic checks give customers another way to buy from you. Obviously, the more ways customers have to pay you, the more sales you will make.

The Federal Reserve reports than 27% of Americans do not have credit cards. Yet more than 90% of US households have bank accounts and can make purchases with electronic checks.

Moreover, many Americans with cards are either near or at their limits. When a card sale is denied, offer the buyer the opportunity to pay with an electronic check instead. You’ll be amazed at the number of sales you’ll capture that otherwise would be lost.

Reduced Risk for You

Credit card transactions have a higher risk of contingent liabilities for merchants than do electronic check transactions.

Buyers can chargeback a credit card transaction for up 180 days after a purchase is made. Yet, with echecks, a consumer has only 60 days to revoke a transaction. And for business-to-business transactions, the buyer has only 3 days to revoke a transaction.

It’s also more difficult to revoke an electronic check transaction than a credit card transaction. For card payments, customers are able to call their card issuing bank to initiate a chargeback. The issuing bank usually takes the side of the consumer against the merchant.

However, to revoke a check transaction, a consumer often has to swear out an affidavit to chargeback a transaction, a more challenging and time consuming process.

Competitive Advantage

Online shoppers have virtually unlimited sites from which to buy goods and services. After all the time and effort you spend trying to get buyers to visit your site, it is a shame to loss a sale because you don’t accept echecks.  

With a fast click of a mouse, you can lose a sale to your competitors who offer echecks as a payment option if you don’t.

Conclusion

Alternative payment options such as electronic checks are among the fastest growing sources of increased revenues for internet merchants.

Shoppers trust electronic check payments.  Millions of Americans regularly pay for goods and services with echecks. If you don’t accept electronic checks, you lose sales to your competitors who do.  

Add electronic checks to your checkout page.  Get more sales from customers who don’t have cards or are maxed out on cards.  Or simply prefer to pay you with an electronic check.

Interested in increasing sales with echeck payments?  

Contact info@nationalach today.