Elena Crespo
Advisory Board Member & Principal, Business Development
Elena Crespo serves as Advisory Board Member and Principal of Business Development and Client Engagement at Verisave. With extensive expertise in payment processing strategy, merchant account optimization, and financial services consulting, Elena leads strategic initiatives that help businesses navigate the complex landscape of credit card processing fees. Her deep understanding of interchange optimization, processor negotiations, and payment industry trends has helped hundreds of businesses reduce their payment processing costs by 10-30%.
Areas of Expertise
Payment Processing Strategy
Merchant Account Optimization
Interchange Fee Analysis
B2B Payment Solutions
Financial Services Consulting
Payment Industry Compliance
Strategic Business Development
Processor Negotiations
Certifications
- Certified Payment Professional
- Visa Commercial Solutions Expert
- Advisory Board Member, Verisave
Articles by Elena Crespo
174 Articles
Compliance
Aug 18, 2026
7 min read
Visa CEDP in 2026: What Changed and How It Affects Your Rates
Visa retired its Commercial and Small Business Level 2 interchange programs on April 17, 2026, leaving Product 3 under CEDP as the only route to discounted rates on commercial cards. The merchants most at risk are the ones who believe they finished this project in 2025.
Read Article
Legal & Litigation
Jul 8, 2026
7 min read
Congressional Hearing Held on Payment Innovation
The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on the future of payments, exploring the bipartisan PACE Act and whether nonbank payments companies should gain direct access to the Federal Reserve's payment rails, with testimony from Davis Polk, Stripe, the Bank Policy Institute, Anchorage Digital, and the NCRC.
Read Article
Compliance
Jul 8, 2026
5 min read
States Propose and Pass New Surcharging Laws
Several states have recently passed or proposed new surcharging laws. Louisiana now prohibits debit card surcharges, New Jersey advanced a bill banning debit and gift card surcharges, and Rhode Island proposed clearer surcharge disclosure requirements.
Read Article
Legal & Litigation
Jul 1, 2026
8 min read
Judge Grants Preliminary Approval for $38B Visa and Mastercard Settlement
On June 9th, Judge Brian Cogan granted preliminary approval for Visa and Mastercard's revised $38 billion settlement, which reduces interchange fees and unwinds the "honor all cards rule"—but merchants and major retailers are already vowing to fight on.
Read Article
Legal & Litigation
Jun 8, 2026
6 min read
Future of IFPA Uncertain After Judge Blocks Law
A U.S. District Judge issued a permanent injunction blocking the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act for national banks, federal savings associations, and payment networks after finding it preempted by federal law, leaving the future of the IFPA and similar state legislation uncertain.
Read Article
Legal & Litigation
May 12, 2026
2 min read
Hearing Held on Proposed $38B Visa and Mastercard Settlement
Judge Brian Cogan of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York heard arguments for and against Visa and Mastercard's proposed $38 billion settlement with merchants on April 27th.
Read Article
Legal & Litigation
May 11, 2026
4 min read
Merchants File New Suit Over Visa and Mastercard Fees
Three New York based merchants filed a new lawsuit against Visa and Mastercard seeking damages for fees paid since January 2019, asserting the card networks continued anticompetitive behavior despite a prior $5.54 billion settlement.
Read Article
Legal & Litigation
May 8, 2026
5 min read
Appeals Court Returns IFPA to District Court After Vacating Ruling
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit vacated a February 2026 District Court ruling on the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act, sending the case back to the lower court following the OCC's interim final rule preempting key provisions of the law.
Read Article
Industry News
May 7, 2026
3 min read
Merger Update: Capital One Moves Some Cards to Discover Network
Capital One has begun issuing its Venture, Savor, and Quicksilver cards on the Discover Network following its $35 billion acquisition of Discover Financial.
Read Article
Industry News
May 6, 2026
12 min read
April 2026 Rate and Rule Changes
A summary of the April 2026 card brand rate and rule changes from Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover that will impact the broadest number of merchants.
Read Article
Processing Fees
Mar 9, 2026
8 min read
Preview of April 2026 Rate and Rule Changes
Each year in April and October, the card brands update processing rates and rules. Below is a summary of the changes that are expected to go into effect in April 2026, including Visa CEDP Level 2 sunset, new DCAP program, Mastercard dispute rules, American Express Opt Blue modifications, and Discover interchange updates.
Read Article
Regulations
Mar 6, 2026
3 min read
UPDATE: Credit Card Competition Act
In January 2026, the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) was reintroduced in the US Senate and House. The bill seeks to drive down merchant fees and reduce costs to consumers by increasing competition among US card networks. Senators are attempting to attach the legislation as an amendment to the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.
Read Article
Regulations
Mar 4, 2026
3 min read
Judge Partially Upholds Interchange Fee Prohibition Act
On February 10th, a federal judge upheld part of the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act (IFPA). District Judge Virginia Kendall upheld the prohibition on collecting interchange fees on sales taxes and tips, but struck down the data usage limitation provision. The Seventh Circuit granted an expedited appeal.
Read Article
Regulations
Mar 3, 2026
1 min read
Massachusetts Advances Bill Allowing Surcharging
Massachusetts is considering legislation that will make it legal for merchants to surcharge payments made with credit cards. Currently, Massachusetts is one of only a few states where surcharging is illegal. The bill includes restrictions on disclosure, receipt requirements, and fee limits.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Mar 2, 2026
2 min read
Global Payments Completes Worldpay Acquisition
On January 9th, Global Payments completed its acquisition of Worldpay in a three-way deal with FIS and GTCR. The transaction sharpens Global Payments' strategic focus, converting it into a pure play merchant solutions business serving over 6 million merchant locations processing approximately 94 billion transactions annually.
Read Article
Industry News
Jan 15, 2026
11 min read
Six Things Merchants Should Watch in 2026
From CEDP compliance challenges to the proposed $38 billion Visa/Mastercard settlement, 2025 brought major developments that will reverberate into 2026. Here's Verisave's take on six critical topics every merchant should understand for their processing fees this year.
Read Article
Legal Updates
Jan 14, 2026
3 min read
UPDATE: Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act
Oral arguments were held regarding a motion to broaden the existing preliminary injunction against the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act. The implications of the ruling go far beyond Illinois—since the IFPA was passed, twenty-two other states have considered and rejected similar interchange bans.
Read Article
Regulatory Updates
Jan 14, 2026
5 min read
January 2026 Processing Rate and Rule Changes
2026 begins with an early set of rate changes. Visa is increasing Business Level 2 and Product 3 rates for Small Business Cards effective January 23, and Mastercard's Undefined Authorization Not Allowed Fee has increased. Here's what merchants need to know.
Read Article
Compliance
Jan 10, 2026
4 min read
Tips to Reduce VAMP Penalties
Visa's Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP) began levying fees on merchants with excessive ratios in October 2025, with additional fees for 'above standard' ratios starting January 2026. Learn proactive steps to prevent fraud and chargebacks and tools to resolve disputes before they impact your VAMP ratio.
Read Article
Industry News
Jan 8, 2026
4 min read
Federal Reserve Biennial Debit Card Report Findings
In December 2025, the Federal Reserve Board issued its biennial report on debit card transactions. Key findings reveal 100.7 billion transactions valued at $4.7 trillion in 2023, with card-not-present transactions growing faster than card-present, and merchants absorbing nearly 50% of fraud losses.
Read Article
Legal & Litigation
Nov 12, 2025
3 min read
Visa and Mastercard Reach New $38 Billion Settlement with Merchants
On November 10, 2025, Visa and Mastercard announced a revised $38 billion settlement stemming from a 2005 class-action lawsuit by merchants over antitrust violations and excessive fees.
Read Article
Legal Updates
Oct 30, 2025
4 min read
UPDATE: Payment Card Interchange Class Action Suit
On October 30, 2025, the Court approved the motion for an initial, partial distribution of settlement funds in the Payment Card Interchange Fee class action suit. Initial payments are anticipated in February 2026 for class members whose claims were approved. The $5.5 billion settlement applies to merchants that accepted Visa and Mastercard branded cards from January 1, 2004, to January 25, 2019.
Read Article
Compliance
Oct 30, 2025
4 min read
October 2025 Processing Rate and Rule Changes
Every year in April and October, the card brands update processing rates and rules. This is a summary of the rate and rule changes that will impact the broadest number of merchants, including CEDP validation, VAMP fees, and new Mastercard refund authorization requirements.
Read Article
Legal Updates
Oct 15, 2025
3 min read
Regulatory Uncertainty for Federal Reserve Debit Interchange Framework
Contradictory rulings by two different federal courts have created uncertainty regarding the validity of the framework the Federal Reserve uses to set interchange rates for debit card transactions. One ruling invalidated the framework while the other ruling upheld it.
Read Article
Legal Updates
Oct 5, 2025
2 min read
Claim Filing Period Open for $1.2 Billion Discover Card Merchant Settlement
Merchants who accepted Discover credit cards between 2007 and 2023 may be eligible to receive part of a proposed $1.225 billion settlement. The settlement stems from lawsuits alleging Discover misclassified consumer cards as commercial cards, causing merchants to incur excessive interchange fees.
Read Article
Industry Trends
Sep 16, 2025
3 min read
Can Stablecoin Replace Credit Cards?
The GENIUS Act of 2025 establishes a regulatory framework for stablecoins, sparking speculation about their impact on credit card payments. Learn how merchants are exploring stablecoin benefits and how Visa and Mastercard are adapting.
Read Article
Security & Compliance
Sep 12, 2025
6 min read
PCI-DSS Compliance: A Finance Leader's Guide to Protecting Your Business Beyond the Fines
PCI-DSS compliance is a mandatory set of security standards for any business that handles cardholder data. The real risk of non-compliance is not the small monthly penalty fee, typically $20 to $100, but the catastrophic cost of a data breach, which can include fines of $50 to $90 per affected record and the loss of your ability to process payments.
Read Article
Compliance
Sep 12, 2025
3 min read
Virginia and Oklahoma Change Credit Card Surcharging Laws
Virginia and Oklahoma have both passed legislation updating their respective laws that govern credit card surcharging, with Virginia's new disclosure requirements effective July 1, 2025 and Oklahoma repealing its surcharging ban effective November 1, 2025.
Read Article
Industry Solutions
Sep 10, 2025
8 min read
How Aggregates, Concrete, and Gravel Suppliers Can Reduce Credit Card Processing Fees
For aggregates, concrete, and gravel suppliers, high credit card fees on large B2B orders erode thin margins. Learn how to reduce processing costs by 20-40% with Level 2/3 interchange optimization and strategic AR improvements, without switching processors.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Sep 5, 2025
8 min read
Visa's Enhanced Commercial Interchange Rule Shake-Up: a Comprehensive Guide to CEDP for Finance Leaders
Visa has implemented sweeping changes to Level 2 and Level 3 interchange qualification under its Commercial Enhanced Data Program (CEDP). Level 2 was retired earlier than the announced April 2026 deadline. Learn the requirements, timeline, and financial impact on B2B, government, fleet, and commercial card transactions.
Read Article
Regulatory Updates
Jul 9, 2025
3 min read
Attempt to Attach Credit Card Competition Act to GENIUS Act Fails
The CCCA faces another setback. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) have failed in their attempt to add the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) as an amendment to the Guiding and Establishing …
Read Article
Technology
Jul 8, 2025
13 min read
Visa and Mastercard Announce AI Commerce Initiatives
Visa and Mastercard are developing tools to enable agentic commerce.
Read Article
Regulatory Updates
Jul 5, 2025
3 min read
Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act Delayed Until 2026
The IFPA's fate remains unclear. Illinois has delayed the effective date of the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act (IFPA) by one year to July 1, 2026. The fate of the IFPA remains unclear as litigation …
Read Article
Regulatory Updates
Jul 3, 2025
4 min read
Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP) Updates
Visa has made New Changes to its Fraud and Chargeback Monitoring Programs. Effective June 1st, Visa implemented changes to the Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP) launched in April. The information in this blog reflects the latest information available at the time the blog was published.
Read Article
Regulatory Updates
May 15, 2025
4 min read
Regulatory Update Spring 2025
The payments industry is constantly in flux, with a number of regulatory bodies affecting the landscape.
Read Article
Mergers & Acquisitions
May 8, 2025
2 min read
Regulators Approve Capital One Acquisition of Discover
Regulators Approve Capital One Acquisition of Discover Capital One approved to acquire Discover for $35 billion.
Read Article
Rate Changes
May 6, 2025
4 min read
April 2025 Credit Card Processing Rate and Rule Changes
April 2025 Credit Card Processing Rate and Rule Changes. Visa's Level 2 program was retired earlier than the announced April 2026 deadline. Learn about CEDP, Mastercard Flex, and other major updates from all card networks.
Read Article
Mergers & Acquisitions
May 3, 2025
2 min read
Global Payments to Acquire Worldpay
Global Payments to Acquire Worldpay A major acquisition set to change the payments landscape.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Mar 24, 2025
3 min read
American Express Pays Over $200 Million in Fines to Settle DOJ Probes
American Express Pays Over $200 Million in Fines to Settle DOJ Probes American Express agreed to settle federal probes.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Mar 23, 2025
2 min read
Banks Seek to Extend Injunction Blocking Illinois Interchange Act
Banks Seek to Extend Injunction Blocking Illinois Interchange Act Banks seek to permanently block the IFPA.
Read Article
Security & Fraud
Mar 21, 2025
3 min read
How to Thwart Enumeration Attacks
How to Thwart Enumeration Attacks Preventative and proactive measures to protect against brute force enumeration attacks.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Mar 18, 2025
4 min read
Reducing Payments Costs When You Are “Stuck” with a Credit Card Processing Vendor
Reducing Payments Costs When You Are “Stuck” with a Credit Card Processing Vendor Case Study: An Automotive Parts Wholesaler with Crucial ERP Integrations M...
Read Article
Rate Changes
Jan 21, 2025
2 min read
January 2025 Credit Card Processing Rate Changes
January 2025 Credit Card Processing Rate Changes 2025 begins with an early set of rate changes.
Read Article
Industry Trends
Jan 20, 2025
4 min read
2025 Card Brand Outlook
2025 Card Brand Outlook Verisave offers its take on the landscape for the card brands in 2025.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Jan 17, 2025
2 min read
American Express Fails to Block Merchant Class Action Suit
American Express Fails to Block Merchant Class Action Suit Merchant suit asserts American Express policies inflate cost of card payments.
Read Article
Regulatory Updates
Jan 15, 2025
1 min read
CFPB Warns Card Issuers About Illegal Practices
CFPB Warns Card Issuers About Illegal Practices CFPB addresses unlawful practices regarding awards.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Dec 3, 2024
3 min read
Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Credit Card Fees
Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Credit Card Fees Hearing scheduled to bring attention to the CCCA bill.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Dec 2, 2024
8 min read
Visa Releases Fall 2024 Biannual Threats Report
Visa Releases Fall 2024 Biannual Threats Report Payment threat actors are becoming more organized and sophisticated.
Read Article
Legal & Litigation
Nov 30, 2024
2 min read
Litigation over Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act Escalates
Litigation over Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act Escalates Opposing briefs filed on interchange law.
Read Article
Security & Fraud
Nov 26, 2024
3 min read
Payment Enumeration Attacks Explained
Payment Enumeration Attacks Explained Enumeration attacks are a top threat to the payments ecosystem.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Nov 1, 2024
3 min read
Heartland Clients Identify and Eliminate Fee Increases
Heartland Clients Identify and Eliminate Fee Increases Annual Card-Brand Increases Often Trigger Processor Rate Increases Recently, several clients of Heartl...
Read Article
Rate Changes
Oct 21, 2024
7 min read
October 2024 Credit Card Processing Rate and Rule Changes
October 2024 Credit Card Processing Rate and Rule Changes An overview of October 2024 changes.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Oct 18, 2024
2 min read
Visa Hit with Debit Card Antitrust Suit
Visa Hit with Debit Card Antitrust Suit Visa antitrust suit filed by the DOJ on September 24.
Read Article
Rate Changes
Sep 16, 2024
2 min read
Preview of October 2024 Rate and Rule Changes
Preview of October 2024 Rate and Rule Changes Every year in April and October, the card brands update processing rates and rules.
Read Article
Legal & Litigation
Sep 13, 2024
2 min read
Judge Rejects $30B Visa and Mastercard Antitrust Settlement
Judge Rejects $30B Visa and Mastercard Antitrust Settlement In June, a Federal judge rejected the proposed $30 billion settlement announced by Visa and Maste...
Read Article
Legal & Litigation
Sep 12, 2024
2 min read
Banks Sue to Stop Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act
Banks Sue to Stop Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act Challenged.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Sep 11, 2024
2 min read
Discover Expected to Pay Merchants $1.2B to Settle Product Misclassification Suit
Discover is expected to pay merchants $1.2 billion to settle class actions over a card product misclassification dating to 2007. The deal awaits court approval.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Jun 26, 2024
4 min read
An Innovative Solution Brings $905k in Annual Savings to a Large Payment Facilitator (PayFac)
An Innovative Solution Brings $905k in Annual Savings to a Large Payment Facilitator (PayFac) Accessing Optimal Credit Card Processing Discounts for a Major ...
Read Article
Security & Fraud
Jun 10, 2024
3 min read
Visa and Mastercard Using Generative AI to Combat Fraud
Visa and Mastercard Using Generative AI to Combat Fraud In May, both Visa and Mastercard shared details on ways they are using generative AI to combat fraud.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Jun 7, 2024
2 min read
Visa “Reinvents” Credit Cards for the Digital Age
Visa “Reinvents” Credit Cards for the Digital Age Visa seeks to provide more flexibility and security for the modern payments landscape.
Read Article
Regulatory Updates
Jun 4, 2024
5 min read
Regulatory Updates Spring 2024
Regulatory Updates Spring 2024 Regulatory Updates Regarding Credit Card Fees: Q2/24 This article provides an update regarding ongoing regulatory activity imp...
Read Article
Card Network History
May 30, 2024
5 min read
The History of American Express
The History of American Express Founded in 1850, American Express is one of the most recognized brands in the world.
Read Article
Legal & Litigation
Apr 22, 2024
3 min read
Visa and Mastercard Agree to New $30B Antitrust Settlement
Visa and Mastercard Agree to New $30B Antitrust Settlement Visa and Mastercard Agree to $30B Antitrust Settlement That Will Reduce Merchant Fees On March 26,...
Read Article
Rate Changes
Apr 19, 2024
4 min read
April 2024 Processing Rate and Rule Updates
April 2024 Processing Rate and Rule Updates An overview of the April 2024 credit card processing rate and rule changes.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Mar 11, 2024
6 min read
Important Regulatory Developments Regarding Credit Card Fees
Important Regulatory Developments Regarding Credit Card Fees Updates on actions by the Federal Reserve, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the US S...
Read Article
Rate Changes
Mar 11, 2024
3 min read
Preview of April 2024 Rate and Rule Changes
Preview of April 2024 Rate and Rule Changes Impending rule and rate changes that will impact the merchants.
Read Article
Security & Fraud
Mar 6, 2024
2 min read
PCI Data Security Standard 4.0 Going Into Effect
PCI DSS v3.2.1 retires March 31, 2024, leaving v4.0 the only active version. Existing v3.2.1 assessments stay valid, and new requirements phase in by 2025.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Feb 29, 2024
3 min read
How an Ecommerce Retailer Cut Credit Card Processing Costs by $200k
How an Ecommerce Retailer Cut Credit Card Processing Costs by $200k A $200k reduction in ecommerce payments fees for a major clothing retailer.
Read Article
Case Studies
Feb 20, 2024
4 min read
Case Study: A Major Dental Support Organization Trims Processing Fees
Case Study: A Major Dental Support Organization Trims Processing Fees A Major DSO Trims Payments Costs Through Merchant Account Consolidation Recently, Veris...
Read Article
Industry Updates
Dec 7, 2023
3 min read
Payment Optimization and a Multi-PSP Strategy
Payment Optimization and a Multi-PSP Strategy Written by our partners at TokenEx.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Dec 6, 2023
3 min read
Credit Card Competition Act of 2023 Likely to be Delayed
Credit Card Competition Act of 2023 Likely to be Delayed Update: Credit Card Competition Act of 2023 The Credit Card Competition Act of 2023 (CCCA) is likely...
Read Article
Industry Updates
Dec 1, 2023
2 min read
US Credit Card Balances and Delinquencies Grow
Credit card balances rose $48 billion to a record $1.08 trillion in Q3 2023, the New York Fed reports, as delinquencies hit 3.0% of outstanding debt.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Nov 29, 2023
6 min read
Mastercard’s Place in the Payments Ecosystem
Mastercard’s Place in the Payments Ecosystem Mastercard is one of the dominant players in the global payments ecosystem.
Read Article
Legal & Litigation
Oct 26, 2023
4 min read
Important Legal and Regulatory Developments Regarding Interchange Fees
Important Legal and Regulatory Developments Regarding Interchange Fees A Fed proposal, a SCOTUS appeal, and the Interchange Anti-Trust Suit Payout New regula...
Read Article
Rate Changes
Oct 20, 2023
6 min read
October 2023 Processing Rate and Rule Update
October 2023 Processing Rate and Rule Update An overview of the October 2023 credit card processing rate and rule changes.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Sep 12, 2023
1 min read
US Credit Card Debt Exceeds $1 Trillion
US Credit Card Debt Exceeds $1 Trillion Credit card debt reaches record levels.
Read Article
Rate Changes
Sep 11, 2023
3 min read
Preview of October 2023 Rate and Rule Changes
Preview of October 2023 Rate and Rule Changes Changes to credit card processing rates and rules to be activated October 2023.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Sep 11, 2023
4 min read
Visa’s Place in the Payments Ecosystem
Visa’s Place in the Payments Ecosystem How Visa got started, and where it sits within the payments world.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Jun 14, 2023
3 min read
Market Update June 2023
Market Update June 2023 Credit Card Competition Act of 2023 Introduced In early June, lawmakers introduced the Credit Card Competition Act of 2023 in the US ...
Read Article
Security & Fraud
Jun 12, 2023
2 min read
PCI Data Security Standard 4.0
PCI DSS v4.0 was published in March 2022. Merchants have until March 31, 2024 to move off v3.2.1, and until March 31, 2025 to adopt the new requirements.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Jun 9, 2023
5 min read
How AI is Impacting Credit Cards
How AI is Impacting Credit Cards AI meets the credit card processing industry Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to be everywhere.
Read Article
Rate Changes
Apr 24, 2023
8 min read
April 2023 Card Brand Rate and Rule Changes
April 2023 Card Brand Rate and Rule Changes Every year, in April and October, the card brands update processing rates and rules.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Feb 16, 2023
5 min read
Heightened Scrutiny of the Credit Card Industry
Heightened Scrutiny of the Credit Card Industry Government Agencies and Lawmakers Address Credit Card Industry Practices Beginning in late 2022 and continuin...
Read Article
Rate Changes
Feb 9, 2023
3 min read
Preview: April 2023 Rate and Rule Changes
Preview: April 2023 Rate and Rule Changes Every year, in April and October, the card networks update processing rates and rules.
Read Article
Security & Fraud
Nov 7, 2022
2 min read
Lexis Nexis Study: The True Cost of Fraud
Lexis Nexis Study: The True Cost of Fraud The Cost of Ecommerce and Retail Fraud Continues to Rise Combating fraud is a growing challenge for many merchants.
Read Article
Security & Fraud
Nov 1, 2022
3 min read
New Fraud Mitigation Tools: Biometrics and Numberless Cards
New Fraud Mitigation Tools: Biometrics and Numberless Cards Innovative Measures are Being Tested to Fight Credit Card Fraud As fraud continues to increase, s...
Read Article
Industry Updates
Oct 25, 2022
2 min read
UPDATE: The Credit Card Competition Act
UPDATE: The Credit Card Competition Act Future of the Credit Card Competition Act is Uncertain In July 2022, the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA), a bill w...
Read Article
Rate Changes
Oct 20, 2022
5 min read
October 2022 Rate and Rule Changes
October 2022 Rate and Rule Changes Every year, in April and October, the merchant processing rules change.
Read Article
Payment Methods
Sep 27, 2022
1 min read
Video: Surcharging Has Evolved
Video: Surcharging Has Evolved Video: Surcharging has evolved.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Aug 8, 2022
2 min read
Visa Announces 2023 Dispute Rule Updates
Visa Announces 2023 Dispute Rule Updates Visa announced it will be making modifications to its dispute rules in April 2023.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Aug 2, 2022
2 min read
Credit Card Competition Act Introduced in US Senate
Credit Card Competition Act Introduced in US Senate A bill has been introduced in the US Senate seeking to drive down merchant fees by increasing competition...
Read Article
Security & Fraud
Jul 27, 2022
2 min read
PCI Compliance Explained
PCI Compliance Explained PCI compliance fosters the adoption of data security standards and resources designed to prevent fraud and make payments safe.
Read Article
Industry Updates
May 17, 2022
2 min read
Senate Hearing on Interchange Fees
Senate Hearing on Interchange Fees US Senate holds hearing on Interchange Fees.
Read Article
Industry Updates
May 13, 2022
1 min read
Mastercard Subscription Billing Rule Changes Delayed
Mastercard Subscription Billing Rule Changes Delayed Subscription rule changes from Mastercard delayed until September 2022.
Read Article
Educational Resources
May 10, 2022
4 min read
Credit Card Tokenization Explained
Credit Card Tokenization Explained What is credit card tokenization.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Apr 28, 2022
4 min read
April 2022 Update: Card Brands Increase Merchant Fees
April 2022 Update: Card Brands Increase Merchant Fees VISA, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover increase US merchant fees.
Read Article
Rate Changes
Apr 26, 2022
1 min read
Insights on the April 2022 Rate Updates
Insights on the April 2022 Rate Updates Video: April 2022 VISA/MC rate updates.
Read Article
Payment Methods
Apr 22, 2022
1 min read
New Surcharging and Cash Discounting Penalties
New Surcharging and Cash Discounting Penalties Video: new surcharging and cash discounting penalties.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Feb 17, 2022
2 min read
Avoiding the MATCH List
Avoiding the MATCH List Video: how to avoid being blacklisted on the MATCH List.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Feb 15, 2022
6 min read
Should You Choose a Payment Processor Based on Price?
Should You Choose a Payment Processor Based on Price.
Read Article
Security & Fraud
Feb 8, 2022
2 min read
Fraud Trends and Easing Credit Standards
Fraud Trends and Easing Credit Standards Mitigating ecommerce and retail fraud.
Read Article
Educational Resources
Feb 4, 2022
6 min read
Seven Tips to Reduce Chargebacks
Seven Tips to Reduce Chargebacks Credit card chargebacks can put your business at serious risk.
Read Article
Rate Changes
Jan 10, 2022
3 min read
Upcoming 2022 Rate and Rule Changes
Upcoming 2022 Rate and Rule Changes VISA and MasterCard have announced rate and rule changes which will significantly impact US merchants in 2022.
Read Article
Industry Updates
Jan 7, 2022
1 min read
Updated Business-to-Business Credit Card Processing Fees
Updated Business-to-Business Credit Card Processing Fees Video: Business-to-business credit card transactions incur higher processing fees.
Read Article
Interchange Fees
Dec 21, 2021
2 min read
New Thresholds for Industry Interchange Discounts
Video: Visa has updated the interchange discount policy for certain industries. And for some, this will mean an increase in overall fees.
Read Article
Market Updates
Nov 18, 2021
3 min read
Market Update November 2021
In October, VISA updated its dispute rules. Changes include adding wait time limits before issuers can issue chargebacks for certain types of disputes and use of compelling evidence for dispute respon...
Read Article
Regulatory Updates
Nov 18, 2021
3 min read
VISA Updates Dispute Rules in Response to Pandemic
In October, VISA updated its dispute rules in response to the pandemic driven increase in disputed transactions.
Read Article
Merchant Services
Oct 27, 2021
6 min read
5 Ways to Stay Focused on Profitability During Budget Season
Budget season can sap the bandwidth from an already-stressed finance team. But it doesn’t have to be that way
Read Article
Merchant Services
Oct 25, 2021
2 min read
8-Digit Bank Identification Numbers Coming in April 2022
Video: 8-digit Bank Identification Numbers are coming in 2022. And this could cause trouble for your business.
Read Article
Merchant Services
Sep 16, 2021
7 min read
Is Your Business Avoiding Critical Cost Reduction Projects?
As the economy recovers, now is the time to take a step back and set up your business for success.
Read Article
Merchant Services
Aug 12, 2021
6 min read
Credit Card Surcharging to be Legalized in Colorado
Credit card surcharging will soon be legal in all but two states … but there are some serious pitfalls to be considered.
Read Article
Interchange Fees
May 14, 2021
4 min read
Visa has Implemented a Controversial Interchange Fee Increase as of April 2021
Business interchange fees have increased by as much as 20%.
Read Article
Merchant Services
Oct 3, 2020
7 min read
How Kroger Fought (and Won) Against Visa to Lower Credit Card Merchant Fees
In 2019, Smith’s Food and Drug stores (part of the Kroger grocery empire) stopped accepting Visa Credit Cards as a payment method, citing high credit card processing fees.
Read Article
Processing Fees
Jun 5, 2020
2 min read
Infographic: Credit Card Processing Fees
When a merchant takes a credit card payment, a portion of that sale is taken in the form of merchant account fees ...
Read Article
Regulatory Updates
Aug 8, 2019
2 min read
Visa and Mastercard are Changing the Rules
Here's an overview of the changes put in place in April, 2019. Including one that can significantly increase a merchant's Interchange Fees ...
Read Article
Processing Fees
Feb 27, 2019
2 min read
Reduce Credit Card Processing Fees For BlueSnap Customers
BlueSnap acts as a merchant account and payment gateway provider for businesses accepting credit and debit cards as payment. They are best known for their services in eCommerce. They provide tools to ...
Read Article
Reviews
Feb 23, 2019
2 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: Talech
Talech offers a great system for accepting credit and debit card payments in any situation be it a physical store location, phone order, or online storefront. Talech’s POS software is design specifica...
Read Article
Reviews
Feb 20, 2019
3 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: Vend POS
Vend offers merchants a cloud-based POS system coupled with inventory management tools through a wireless smart device. Their services are built primarily for retailers. You can set up a laptop, deskt...
Read Article
Processing Fees
Feb 19, 2019
3 min read
Credit Card Processing Audit For Merchants Using eProcessing Network
eProcessing Network, LLC build software specifically for credit card processing. They also build software to help merchants with business management including customized web order generation, bill pay...
Read Article
Reviews
Feb 17, 2019
2 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: XCharge
XCharge is based out of Pleasant Grove, Utah and was acquired by Global Payments in 2012. XCharge is a virtual terminal system. They offer proprietary software combined with merchant account services ...
Read Article
Reviews
Feb 15, 2019
2 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: USAePay
USAePay acts as a payment gateway provider for processing credit card payments. While many gateway providers also offer merchant accounts, USAePay does not. They have, however, developed a number of t...
Read Article
Processing Fees
Feb 11, 2019
3 min read
Reduce Merchant Fees For TSYS Credit Card Processing
TSYS is a major credit card processing company that is well-known in the merchant services industry. Many processing companies of this size have branched out into general business management tool deve...
Read Article
Reviews
Feb 9, 2019
8 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: TrustCommerce
TrustCommerce is a well-known and well-liked payment gateway provider that has been in operation since 2000. At Verisave, we have worked with TrustCommerce often on behalf of our clients to save money...
Read Article
Reviews
Feb 7, 2019
2 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: Easy Pay Direct
Based out of Austin, Texas, Easy Pay Direct offers their services as a payment gateway and merchant account provider to businesses of all sizes. Easy Pay Direct is a midsized provider focusing most of...
Read Article
Reviews
Feb 5, 2019
2 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: ShopKeep
ShopKeep offers a user-friendly iPad POS system that retailers, food and beverage vendors, and services providers alike will find useful. They gear specifically toward the small to mid-sized business....
Read Article
Processing Fees
Feb 3, 2019
5 min read
Credit Card Processing Audit For Businesses Using Paypal or Shopify
PayPal and Shopify are well-known PAYFAC (payment facilitator) Models used by small to mid-sized business. On top of offering credit card payment processing, they both offer a number of business manag...
Read Article
Reviews
Feb 1, 2019
8 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: eProcessing Network
eProcessing Network for Credit Card Payment Processing
Read Article
Reviews
Jan 30, 2019
9 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: Square
Square is a popular platform for eCommerce as well as in-store purchases. Originally, it was more optimal for small business but is growing it’s capabilities to offer services to larger companies as w...
Read Article
Reviews
Jan 29, 2019
2 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: BlueSnap
BlueSnap offers merchant accounts and provides a payment gateway for retailers to accept credit card payments. While you can use BlueSnap as your gateway for in-person transactions, they focus mostly ...
Read Article
Reviews
Jan 29, 2019
2 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: Shopify POS
Shopify POS is a popular cloud-based POS tool for small businesses in the US and other countries. It’s built specifically for retailers. Even more so, it’s best tailored to eCommerce retailers; though...
Read Article
Reviews
Jan 28, 2019
7 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: Stripe
Stripe’s strengths lie in their wealth of customizable eCommerce tools. They are growing in popularity for merchants across eCommerce platforms. While Stripe is a great option for small businesses wit...
Read Article
Reviews
Jan 26, 2019
9 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: Heartland Payment Systems
Heartland Payment Systems operates under the parent company Global Payments (since 2016). However, Heartland has been a credit card payment processing company since they were originally established in...
Read Article
Reviews
Jan 24, 2019
6 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: Worldpay
Worldpay offers credit card processing services in 40 different countries across the globe. Since Worldpay’s merger with Vantiv in 2017, their global presence has grown to include businesses of all si...
Read Article
Reviews
Jan 22, 2019
4 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: PayPal
PayPal is an aggregator: a wholesale buyer or broker of a utility service, such as electricity or long-distance telephone service (or credit card payment processing), who packages it and sells it to c...
Read Article
Reviews
Sep 2, 2018
10 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: Elavon
Verisave has years of experience working with merchants who use Elavon’s credit card processing services. Elavon is a part of U.S. Bank’s Payment Services division and works with nearly 1.3 million me...
Read Article
Reviews
Sep 1, 2018
2 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: TSYS Merchant Solutions
TSYS (Total System Services, Inc.) for Credit Card Payment Processing
Read Article
Processing Fees
Aug 31, 2018
3 min read
Reduce Elavon Credit Card Processing Fees
Elavon provides merchant accounts and credit card payment processing to small business owners as well as large enterprises. Fees for these services run a wide range but one thing is shared between all...
Read Article
Processing Fees
Aug 30, 2018
3 min read
Reduce Worldpay Credit Card Processing Fees
WorldPay merged with Vantiv in 2017. As two major players in the credit card processing industry, this giant company offers a wide range of merchant services with a specific focus on secure payment pr...
Read Article
Reviews
Aug 29, 2018
13 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: CyberSource
CyberSource is a global payment gateway. They were first established as an online payment/fraud management service in 1994 and acquired Authorize.Net in 2007. CyberSource was then able to focus their ...
Read Article
Processing Fees
Aug 28, 2018
1 min read
Reduce Credit Card Processing Fees For Elavon Customers
Elavon is another giant company in the credit card processing industry. They offer merchant accounts, credit card payment processing, their own payment gateway, and more. This company can offer servic...
Read Article
Reviews
Aug 27, 2018
3 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: First Data
First Data is a massive credit card processing company, with a client base of approximately 6 million customers across the globe. They were first established in 1969 and since then, have grown conside...
Read Article
Processing Fees
Aug 7, 2018
3 min read
Credit Card Processing Audit For Companies Using Vantiv
Credit card payment processing is a standard expense all businesses can expect. But what many business owners don’t realize is that they could be paying less for payment processing and other merchant ...
Read Article
Processing Fees
Aug 4, 2018
5 min read
Reduce Credit Card Processing Fees For Vantiv
Vantiv is a large company offering merchant accounts and credit card processing. They have also developed numerous support services to business owners. In 2017, Vantiv was acquired by Worldpay. Curren...
Read Article
Reviews
Aug 1, 2018
9 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: Vantiv (Now Worldpay)
Vantiv (now Worldpay) is one of the largest merchant services company in the United States, operating since 1970. This company has gone by the names of Midwest Payment Systems, Fifth Third, and Vantiv...
Read Article
Processing Fees
Jul 4, 2018
4 min read
Reduce Cybersource Credit Card Processing Fees
CyberSource is a highly utilized payment gateway. With CyberSource, merchants can accept credit card payments using all available sales channels (web, mobile, call center, and POS). CyberSource proces...
Read Article
Processing Fees
Jul 4, 2018
3 min read
Reduce First Data Processing Fees
First Data is another credit card processing company that is well-known in the merchant services industry. Like many credit card payment processing companies, they offer their own version of enterpris...
Read Article
Processing Fees
Jul 4, 2018
4 min read
Reduce Sage Credit Card Processing Fees
Sage payment solutions is a well-known credit card payment processing company used by startups, small and large businesses, growing companies, and enterprises alike. Sage boasts quicker payments with ...
Read Article
Reviews
Jul 4, 2018
1 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: Authorize Net
Many eCommerce merchants use Authorize.Net for their credit card payment gateway solutions. While they do offer a package that gives users a merchant account, this merchant account is run by a third-p...
Read Article
Reviews
Jul 4, 2018
2 min read
Verisave Merchant Services Review: Sage Payment Solutions
Sage acts as a direct processor so they can offer merchant account management as well as credit card processing. This provides a benefit to merchants in the case of a chargeback or account hold by hav...
Read Article
Processing Fees
Jul 2, 2018
3 min read
Reduce Authorize Net Credit Card Processing Fees
Authorize.Net is a widely used company for their available merchant solutions. You can use Authorize.Net as an entire enterprise solution. Or your company can choose to use only portions of their serv...
Read Article
Merchant Services
May 19, 2018
3 min read
Finding Benchmarks For Your Merchant Statement Analysis
One key aspect of successfully lowering your monthly merchant account fees is understanding the industry as a whole. There are countless facets to consider which is why truly understanding this indust...
Read Article
Reviews
May 13, 2018
4 min read
NetSuite Credit Card Processing Review
NetSuite started in 1998, creating the first cloud-based business management software. They offer financials / Enterprise Resource Planning and omnichannel commerce software for companies, organizatio...
Read Article
Processing Fees
May 9, 2018
3 min read
3 Steps To A Credit Card Processing Audit: Audit, Restructure, & Monitor
Verisave is a merchant account auditing firm that was created to help businesses acquire the lowest possible credit card processing fees starting with a free credit card processing audit. We aim to ac...
Read Article
Processing Fees
Apr 30, 2018
2 min read
Ask The Experts: Is It Possible To Lower My Credit Card Processing Fees?
Many businesses simply accept their credit card processing fees with no attempt to lower the cost. While credit card processing fees are a part of running an effective business nowadays, our savings e...
Read Article
Merchant Services
Apr 19, 2018
2 min read
Lower Merchant Fees by Working With Auditing Experts
Your fees, as a business that accepts credit card payments, end up costing you thousands of dollars each month. Without the necessary time it takes to learn and understand the credit card processing i...
Read Article
Merchant Services
Apr 14, 2018
3 min read
Discover More Savings With A Free Merchant Statement Analysis
Verisave specializes in reviewing and locating savings within merchant account statements and every-day merchant processes. On average, we’ve been able to save our clients an astounding 25% to 35% in ...
Read Article
Processing Fees
Apr 9, 2018
3 min read
Credit Card Processing Consultants Can Save You Thousands Each Month
Merchants pay fees for each sale that is made using a debit or credit card. Though it may be a small percentage, the numbers can really add up over the course of a year. Let’s go through a basic rundo...
Read Article
Processing Fees
Apr 4, 2018
3 min read
Can You Reduce Credit Card Processing Fees On Your Own?
Many business owners are beginning to recognize the strain of merchant fees for allowing their customers to use credit and debit cards to purchase their goods and services. That tiny percentage of eac...
Read Article
Interchange Fees
Mar 28, 2018
5 min read
Varying Levels Of Interchange Rates For Credit Card Processing
The interchange rate is a percentage of a sale the merchant pays the different entities involved in processing the payment. This includes the issuing bank, the credit card network, and acquiring banks...
Read Article
Interchange Fees
Mar 25, 2018
3 min read
Credit Card Processing: Level 2 Interchange
Merchant account processing has many complicated facets. A particular facet that Verisave’s saving experts have learned to manage is a company’s credit card processing level. There are several things ...
Read Article
Interchange Fees
Mar 22, 2018
4 min read
Credit Card Processing: Level 3 Interchange
A key aspect of credit card processing fees which can affect a merchant who sells to other businesses (B2B) is the interchange level of the selling merchant. This is different than transactional inter...
Read Article
Merchant Services
Mar 1, 2018
6 min read
From Beginning To End – Every Step Of A Typical Credit Card Transaction
There are multiple entities involved in processing a credit card payment. When a customer inputs their credit card information into your website and complete their purchase, their information is run t...
Read Article
Merchant Services
Feb 26, 2018
4 min read
Credit Card Cost Reduction For Restaurant Owners
Most restaurant owners would agree that their primary source of payment is a credit or debit card. Very few restaurant goers these days pay for their meal with cash anymore. That means that restaurant...
Read Article
Processing Fees
Feb 19, 2018
4 min read
Lower Credit Card Processing Fees By 25%
On average, Verisave has been able to lower our clients’ credit card processing fees by 25%, with many of our clients even seeing a 35% savings in their monthly merchant account fees. There are severa...
Read Article
Processing Fees
Feb 14, 2018
3 min read
How To Minimize Credit Card Processing Fees For Online Retailers
Online retailers are limited in their ability to transact funds. Cash is not an option so every sale is subject to a credit card processing fee. Minimizing credit card processing fees for online retai...
Read Article
Processing Fees
Jan 30, 2018
3 min read
Reducing Credit Card Processing Costs Via Chase Paymentech And Other Payment Gateways
Credit card processing costs seem minuscule when you consider one individual purchase. But as a business owner looks over their monthly statements, they will see how these small percentages really sta...
Read Article
Interchange Fees
Dec 5, 2017
4 min read
Merchant Account Fee Basics: Visa and Mastercard Interchange Rates
Merchant account processing is a topic that involves so many variables, it is difficult to fully understand. Understanding credit card processing involves a variety of topics ranging from Visa, Master...
Read Article
Interchange Fees
Dec 5, 2017
3 min read
Optimize Your Interchange Rates To Save On Merchant Account Fees
Too often, companies accept losing money on merchant account fees when they would not accept those kinds of losses in other areas. But merchant account fees are presented in such a way that it can fee...
Read Article
Merchant Services
Dec 5, 2017
3 min read
Understanding American Express Discount Rates
When referring to the percentage merchants pay for accepting credit card transactions, Visa and Mastercard use the phrase “Interchange Rate”. American Express uses the phrase “Discount Rate” when refe...
Read Article
Processing Fees
Nov 29, 2017
3 min read
Tips for Managing, Monitoring, and Controlling Your Credit Card Processing Fees
We have found that nearly every company is overpaying their credit card processors. Some companies are paying thousands of dollars each month unnecessarily due to high rates and miscellaneous fees att...
Read Article
Merchant Services
Nov 27, 2017
5 min read
Merchant Services Expense Reduction Strategies for 2018
As we approach the end of the year, we know many companies are once again looking to reduce their merchant services expenses. Below we have provided three different merchant account expense reduction ...
Read Article
Processing Fees
Oct 30, 2017
4 min read
3 Tips for Lowering Your Credit Card Processing Fees and Costs
If you are looking to cut company spending, have you considered reviewing your merchant account statement? While completely eliminating credit card processing fees is a non-starter, reducing them is a...
Read Article
Merchant Services
Oct 30, 2017
4 min read
How Verisave Helps Reduce, Manage and Control Merchant Account Fees
At Verisave, we specialize in helping businesses lower their monthly merchant account fees. With years of experience and back-end knowledge of the credit card industry, we managed to secure $5.3 mill...
Read Article
Merchant Services
Sep 25, 2017
4 min read
Merchant Account Fees: Not Just Another “Cost Of Doing Business”
When it comes to doing business, most companies factor into their spending plan a number of unavoidable fees. One of which is often their merchant account fees. It’s set aside, unassessed, and assumed...
Read Article