Processing credit cards

The Machine

The Verifone NURIT 8400 credit card terminal can be confusing to operate until you understand the basic logic of the interface. The machine has a large keypad and display on the top, along with a receipt printer. On the side is a slot through which you can run cards, magnetic strip pointing towards the machine. You can run cards up or down, the machine doesn't care. On the front of the machine is a slot for Chip-And-PIN cards, we don't use these in the US. Note the Backspace key (to the left of 0) and the Alpha/Copy key (to the right of 0), both are very useful.

When the machine is in its normal operating mode, the display will say "CREDIT...SALE" at the top, with "ACCOUNT?" below it. This indicates that it's ready to make a sale on a credit card and it wants you to enter the account number to use. Whenever it asks for an account number, you can either key it in with the number keys (enter the CC number, press enter, it'll ask for expiration date, press enter, it'll ask for CVV code, press enter again) or by running the card through the reader.

The horizontal arrow keys at the top of the keypad let you switch through modes. Useful modes are "CREDIT...VOID" (void a credit transaction) and "CREDIT...RETURN" (return money to a credit card), although RETURN is only marginally useful since we don't do refunds. Note that we run all cards, including debit cards, as if they were credit cards (this is because debit transactions require the customer entering their PIN, and we don't have a PIN pad).

The ALPHA/COPY key opens a menu that allows you to print copies of receipts, which may be necessary if the printer jams, the paper roll runs out, you accidentally set the receipt on fire, etc. The Menu key opens a menu of more options, including the one that allows you to print reports (as you do at the end of the day). Both of these options will require you to enter a password, which is the current date in MMDDYYYY format, just to keep random customers out. Or at least make them read this article before screwing with the machine.

Basic transaction

This is what should normally happen during a normal sale or donation.

The display should say "CREDIT...SALE...ACCOUNT". If not, hit the red MENU ESC/CANCEL button
Get the credit (or debit) card from the customer.
Swipe the card with its magnetic stripe to the inside
The display should say "CREDIT...SALE AMOUNT?"
Enter amount without decimals and then hit the green ENTER key.
- For instance enter $15.75 as 1575 ENTER
- Double-check the amount with the database amount. They should be the same.
Wait for system to print the credit card slip.
- Use this time to ask if they want an itemized (FGdb) receipt
- Do not actually complete the sale or donation in the database until the credit card transaction has cleared.
- Do not return the card to the customer yet.
- The display will say "RESOLVING, COMMUNICATING, PROCESSING, CAPTURE"
The machine will print out a merchant receipt (for the customer to sign and us to retain). (Don't tear it off until you see the signature line.)
Check that the machine's display said CAPTURE (this is flashed quickly) or that the receipt says CAPTURE in bold with a Capture Number on it. This indicates that the transaction was approved. The bold text DECLINE, CALL, NOT A SERVICE, HOLD CARD, etc. on the receipt indicates a problem.
If the Merchant Receipt has "IMPRINT" or "IMPRINT CARD" in bold on it, see Imprint Card below to imprint the card before returning the card to the customer.
Have the customer sign the slip.
While the customer signs the slip, press any button on the terminal to have it print the customer's copy of the receipt.
Check that the signature on the slip matches the signature on the back of the card, and check the expiration date on the card.
Finish database transaction (and print itemized receipt if desired).
Give customer the card and the customer receipt.
Write the FGdb transaction number on the merchant's receipt.
Put the merchant receipt in the cash drawer.

Manual Transaction

The display should say "CREDIT...SALE...ACCOUNT". If not, hit the red MENU ESC/CANCEL button
Manually key in the account number and press enter
Key in the expiration date
The display should say "CREDIT...SALE AMOUNT?". Enter the amount of the sale without decimals.
Choose yes or no for whether the card is present. (No would only be for "Remit Envelope" transactions below.
Enter the three digit number from the back of the card (the CVV2)
Enter the zip code
If the card is present, imprint the card via the procedure below.
The rest of the transaction should go the same as above.

Imprint Card

Hold onto the card until the slip is done printing!
IMPORTANT: if you see a note on the slip like "IMPRINT CARD" you MUST do it before handing the card back.
Use the manual credit card imprinter (in the second drawer from the top in the filing cabinet behind the donor desk) and - "ker-chunk" - take an imprint of the card onto one of the slips provided. DO NOT imprint the card on to the credit card receipt. We need an imprint of the entire card. Richard can show you how it works.

Why do we have to do this? This imprint is our proof that we had the card and person present and the sale is allowed by the card holder. Without imprinting cards when asked, we have no security should the card holder dispute the charge and we'd just have to return the money.

Please read the credit card slips before handing them off so we don't miss these.

Security concerns

Other than "kerchunking" when a card needs to be imprinted, never record a full credit card number on paper or in any electronic form.
It is very important that anything that does have a full credit card number, such as a kerchunked slip, be kept under lock and key.
any paper with a credit card number on it that has a business purpose needs to be in the cash drawer and then go to the safe at the end of the shift.
any paper with a credit card number on it that does not have a reasonable business purpose should be shredded in a cross-shredder (such as is at the front desk)
Credit cards and credit card info found inside Free Geek should be given to a staff member ASAP to be put in the safe.
Credit card information should never be emailed or otherwise transmitted electronically for any reason.

Transactions from Remit Envelope (aka over the phone)

Remit envelopes have a space for a credit card #, expiration date, and signature. If these are filled in, we then need to call the donor to actually run the card.

From the remit envelope you should already have the following information. If you are missing any component, ask for it while you are on the phone with the individual, in addition to the information requested in the numbered steps below.

Credit Card # and expiration date.
Full Name (as it appears on card)
Phone number
Billing Address for credit card (credit card machine needs this)
Zip code for Billing Address.
Mailing Address & Zip code (we mail receipt here)

Then:

Call the person listed. You must reach them in person to tell them you will be processing their card.
Ask them for their BILLING address AND the 3-digits from the back of the card (CVV).
Verify amount they opted to donate before running the card.
Ask them to hold, place them on hold, then run the card as a Manual Transaction (above)
IMPORTANT: When the receipt prints, make sure it has an Auth. Code. This means the transaction went through.
NOTE: You may get a message saying "AVS doesn't match" or "Zip doesn't match". This does NOT mean the card was declined. It still may have gone through. Again, check for an approval code on the receipt. The approval code is the indicator that the card was accepted & charged, even if the zip or address didn't match.
Pick up the call and tell the person the transaction is complete. We can mail them the customer copy of their receipt. Verify their mailing address, which may differ from their billing address.
The transaction should be entered in the database as a monetary donation (no gizmos).
Any remit envelope that contains a full credit card number needs to be stored in the safe until such time as it is destroyed (shredded).

Response Codes

Before working with credit cards, you should have at least a rough knowledge of what each of these response codes means. The response code is printed on the receipt in bold and briefly displayed on screen when you run at transaction.

CAPTURE - Capture means "authorized". The transaction has been approved and the card charged.
DECLINE - The bank issuing the credit card has declined to give us the money. This could mean a debit card with an empty or insufficient account behind it, a credit card that is at its credit limit, a card that has been cancelled, etc. Tell the customer that the card has been declined. They may pay in cash or with another card, if they can't, be sure to cancel or delete the FGdb transaction.
CALL - For security reasons, the bank would like further information on the transaction. On the side of the credit card machine is a sticker from the provider, near the top there's a 1-800 number labeled "Authorization Number" or similar. Call this number and tell the operator you have a CALL response. They will instruct you on how to proceed, they'll probably just ask for the card holder's address or other info and then tell you to rerun the card.
PICK UP or HOLD - The card has been reported stolen or is otherwise invalid. Don't return the card to the customer (if you can do so peacefully, if the customer is angry just give it back) and call the voice authorization center to report the card.
NO MATCH - The card network has never heard of the card in question. This likely means a problem with the magnetic strip, try again, and if it still doesn't work try a manual entry. If this works, tell the customer they might want to request the card replaced and then proceed with the transaction. If it still won't work, the card may be a fake. Once the customer has left call the Voice Authorization number on the side of the machine about it.
NOT A SERVICE - Chances are it's an AmEx (American Express) card. We don't accept those, ask the customer for Visa or Mastercard.

End of the day procedure

Hit the MENU key
Enter todays date at password prompt (MMDDYYYY)
Hit ENTER (on first item) for REPORTS
Hit ENTER (on first item) for DEFAULT REPORT
Machine will print out the report.
Find the Overall amount at the bottom and record it on the Till worksheet.
Attach the report to the End of shift form.

Refunds, mistakes, and other miscellaneous transactions

Communication errors: If a transaction is cancelled due to a communication error, it is possible for the transaction to have gone through at the server end. If you get such an error,call Total Merchant and verify whether the transaction went through. If it did not, or if you cannot get verification, kerchunk the card and process later by calling Total Merchant and manually keying the transaction in with their help (after verifying that it did not go through).

If you're entering the amount and you get it wrong: Use the backspace key if you just need to correct a number. Otherwise, hit the red ESC/CANCEL button to start over.

REPRINT a transaction

The display should say "CREDIT...SALE...ACCOUNT". If not, hit the red MENU ESC/CANCEL button
Press the yellow ALPHA/COPY button.
Enter date MMDDYYYY at password prompt
Choose the appropriate option - Last Merchant or Last Customer will immediately print the merchant (signature slip) or customer receipt for the most recent transaction immediately. Any Transaction will let you reprint any transaction in the same day.
Select CREDIT CARD (we run all cards as credit)
Enter the transaction number. Hit ENTER
The machine will print out a slip for the customer to sign.

VOIDS: Void a transaction if you accidentally entered the wrong amount, the customer changes their mind, or you for some other reason need to undo a transaction, and it is before the end of the day.

Press the sideways arrow keys at the top of the keypad until the screen says "CREDIT...VOID"
Run the card through the reader
Enter the amount of the transaction to void and press Enter
The machine will print receipts for the void, which the customer may want to retain for their records.

RETURNS: Use the Return function if you need to undo a transaction that happened on a previous day.

The display should say "CREDIT...SALE ACCOUNT?"
Press the up arrow 3 times. The display should say "CREDIT...RETURN ACCOUNT?"
Swipe the credit card or manually key in the account number and expiration date. The display should say "CREDIT...RETURN AMOUNT?"
Enter the amount of the return (no decimals) and press ENTER
The machine will finish the transaction
Make sure this gets recorded on the till worksheet at the end of the day.

CASH BACK: What if people want cash back?; We cannot do this at this time, since it requires processing debit cards with PIN verification. We do not offer this service at this point, but may be able to do that in the future.

Notes

We are imposing a $5.00 minimum on all credit card transactions.
We may NOT give cash back on credit or debit cards ever! Not even internally with staff. If you have overcharged, process a refund on the same machine.
- If we want provide this in the future, we need to upgrade to terminals that allow customers to enter their pin. This costs more money.

Tech support and troubleshooting

If our network connection is down, the machine will try to connect via the phone lines. This could take a little while, and if the phone line is in use you will have to wait longer. This could happen if:
- We are sending or receiving a fax
- The other till is conducting a credit card transaction
- Tech Support is testing a modem
Talk to Richard or Michael for questions.
Our contact is Eric Jenks at Total Merchant Concepts: 888.249.9919 (tech support or other issues, open 9-5)
- Alternately, 877.564.5656 (option 1) is the number for Nationwide Payment Solutions which can also handle tech support issues 24/7.
If you need to void or refund when the card is not present, call 1-877-533-7380 and have the merchant ID # ready. They'll walk you through it.

Configuration of the NURIT 8400

To change the Date & Time:

Hit "Menu" button
Enter Password
Screen will list "System Options"
Select "1. Set Time/Date
Push "Down Arrow"
Type in Date (MM/DD/YY)
type in Time (HH/MM)
Hit "Menu" 3 times to return to main screen

This process will be necessary for Standard Time & Daylight Saving Time, as well as after any power outage.

Credit Card Fees

Need to check to see if this is still correct.

We are charged 22 cents for EVERY credit card transaction. In addition, there is a percentage fee per transaction:

1.75% for credit cards swiped in person
1.60% for debit cards processed as credit in person
2.35% for rewards credit cards
2.35% for hand entering number with all CORRECT contact information
2.99% for hand entering card with any INCORRECT contact information
2.99% for corporate or business cards