You may have read my previous email regarding Visa’s New Rules and  7 Counties in Florida that have chosen not to accept Visa in their offices.    Some of those counties chose not to accept Visa because because their vendor was making them sign a merchant agreement that was “outrageous” as described in detail in this Palm Beach Post article.

As Visa’s and MasterCard’s rules have changed, many vendors haven’t.  Non-government friendly “merchant agreements” are traditional merchant agreements designed for retailers (merchants) and include components that allow the payment processor to 1) hold your funds in a reserve account and 2) put a lien on those funds and 3) place all of the financial liability related to the transactions on the merchant (in this case the county).

While Visa now requires a separate merchant account in their New Tax Payment Program rules, payment processors are the ones that set the terms of these agreements.

Having been involved in this government in-office convenience fee market since it’s inception, we listened to cities and counties and have developed a government friendly contract merchant agreement that addresses issues that are not palatable to governments. We also have developed a solution that allows you to accept credit cards in your office, online, over the phone, even integrated into to your software, at absolutely no cost andwhich is compliant with all aspects of the Visa Tax Payment Program.

So…the bottom line is you do have a choice. Make sure at the very least, before you sign an agreement, there is no termination penalty.

If you would like more information from us please contact me directly.