Frequently Asked Questions

I'm not sure what terminal, equipment or software I should buy. What is best for my business?

Whether you are starting a new business or expanding an existing one, First Data Independent Sales has the payment solution to support your processing needs. FDIS serves traditional and Internet businesses, as well as restaurants, mail order/telephone order and home-based businesses. We will advise you as to which method would be most effective for your business.

How long before I can accept credit and/or ATM/debit cards (i.e., the account is live)?

Once your merchant account is approved,  which usually takes two business days, you will be able to accept cards the very next business day.

What is a Payment Gateway?

A Payment gateway allows you to manually enter credit card transactions on a virtual terminal.  You log on to a secure Web site and complete the credit card transaction.  For customers to make purchases on your site, the gateway will be integrated with your shopping cart. Most carts and gateways are compatible with us.

Do I need a shopping cart?

Yes, if you are selling products on line. There are many free or inexpensive carts and we are compatible with most of them.

Can I be approved if I have bad credit or no credit?

We maintain one of the highest approval rates in the industry.

How do I get my money?

There are four steps to getting your money. Initiating, authorizing, completing the transaction and receiving your funds.

Step 1 - Initiating the transaction to verify that a card is active and within the approved spending limit:

• Brick-and-mortar and retail or restaurant environments swipe the card or key in the number through a point-of-sale terminal (i.e., card is physically present).
• Mail order/telephone order environments enter the card identifiers the customer has provided you by mail, telephone or fax (i.e., the card is not present).
• Internet environments where the customer provides your Web site with card identifiers (i.e., card is not present).

Step 2 - Real-time authorizing, which reduces chargebacks and catches card-entry errors:

• Credit card number is entered.
• Terminal or software transmits the credit card number and expiration date and sales total to First Data Independent Sales.
• First Data Independent Sales transmits data to customer's credit card-issuing bank.
• Customer's issuing bank approves or declines the transaction.

Step 3 - Completing the transaction:

• Merchant's terminal or software transmits transaction details to First Data Independent Sales in a batch at close of the business day.
• First Data Independent Sales forwards transactions to each credit card company, which redirects the transactions to appropriate banks.
• Bank debits credit cardholder's account and credits First Data Independent Sales.

Step 4 - Receiving your funds:

• First Data Independent Sales credits your merchant account, usually within two business days.

How is my money protected?

First Data Independent Sales is equipped to address the key protection issues of both traditional and Internet merchants, including fraud, loss prevention and chargebacks. The company uses state-of-the-art security technology, and the First Data^SM Global Gateway and Authorize.net uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology designed to protect all merchant and payment information.

What if I need help with my account?

First Data Independent Sales has customer service representatives available to serve you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week..