Customer Service General Tips

P Sierakowski
Penny Sierakowski Manager of the MRA Customer Service Department

General Tips for Credit Card Processing

  • T Baker

    MRA’s customer service representatives, such as Tamara Baker (pictured above), have received perfect customer survey responses and 5-star ratings for a year straight! Look for their feature in the upcoming April issue.

    Verify the 2021 Payment Card Transaction form 1099-K for accuracy. Contact customer service if you require changes to this form.

  • If you receive a gratuity greater than 20% of the original sale amount, and the customer is paying by credit card, the recommendation is to process a separate sale for the gratuity. Obtain signatures on both credit card receipts.
  • A minimum transaction amount or a surcharge amount cannot be imposed on debit, prepaid or gift card transactions.
  • Partial Authorization may be enabled on your terminal. If the credit card receipt displays “Amount Due,” you must collect the remaining balance by another form of payment.
  • Before the sale is complete, review the credit card receipt to verify the amount is correct and a signature was obtained.
  • Reconcile your processing statement with your daily settlement report and your bank statement. Contact customer service if you have any discrepancies.
  • We suggest processing a reversal instead of a void. The cardholder will see the pending reversal on their account immediately, however a void can take up to 10 business days for processing. In addition, you cannot void a pin debit transaction. 

Fraud Control

Terminal functions that assist with fraud control:

  • Process with a Chip-Card-enabled terminal/device.
  • Address Verification (AVS) requires the street number and zip code. If it doesn’t match the credit card, you will receive a mismatch response and have the option to cancel the transaction.
  • Security Code Verification (CVV) requires the 3-digit code on the back of the credit card, or the 4-digit code on the front of an American Express credit card. If it doesn’t match the credit card, you will receive a mismatch response and have the option to cancel the transaction.
  • Password Protection requires a password for all returns, reversals, force capture, store/forward, reports, etc.
  • Fraud Control, when enabled, will prompt for the last four digits of the credit card to be verified. If incorrect, the prompt will state invalid card number, which the transaction should be cancelled.
  • Verify the credit card receipt to make sure the customer’s name and credit card number on the front of the card are identical to the printed credit card receipt. If not, call 800.563.5981 option 4 and say, “CODE 10.”