Author: electricpulp

Business owners need their money to be easily accessible. With Business checkcards, business owners can purchase equipment and office supplies, make utility payments, or withdraw cash at millions of ATM locations.

Business checkcard holders can order multiple cards for their business, allowing employees access to company funds without carrying the business checkbook. Each employee will have his or her name printed on the card, along with the business name for easy recognition. Each card can have customized spending limits to determine the amount of access each cardholder has to company funds.

Business checkcards also include fraud protection, including transactions made by phone or online.

As an issuer of Visa debit cards, any Advantage checkcard comes with following perks for cardholders:

• Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver

• Purchase Security/Extended Protection

• Travel and Emergency Assistance Service

• Emergency Card/Cash Disbursement

• Cardholder Inquiry Service

• Lost/Stolen Card Reporting

Visa Savings Edge

Advantage Business Checkcard holders are automatically eligible for discounts on qualifying purchases at participating merchants. A mobile app is also available for cardholders to download to stay up to date on all the latest deals and offers. http://www.VisaSavingsEdge.com

Rewards

Your institution may choose to offer a rewards program for your Business Checkcard holders. Rewards enhance cardholder relationships and encourage increased checkcard usage, earning additional interchange for your institution. We can assist you with creating and implementing rewards programs for your consumer and business checkcards.

Small Business Resources

Cardholders can share advice, resources, and ideas for taking care of a small business. This Facebook page offers connections with other small business owners, a variety of blogs, and helpful videos. https://www.facebook.com/visasmallbiz

Contact us to learn how you can start a Business Checkcard program at your institution!

Membership in the Allpoint ATM Network is free to Advantage member financial institutions.

Your cardholders receive surcharge-free cash withdrawal transactions (and other account access) at Allpoint ATMs, conveniently located in regional and national retailers such as Target, Kroger, and Costco. This means you are not sending your cardholders to ATMs at competing financial institutions.

As an ATM owner, you are not required to participate in the Allpoint Network if you want to keep your surcharge income. Issuers may also choose to charge or waive foreign service fees for Allpoint transactions.

Other benefits of membership include:

• Freedom to market Allpoint ATMs as your own in messages to your cardholders.
• Browser-friendly web-based ATM locator and customer FAQs (www.allpointnetwork.com)
• Free ATM locator app for mobile devices including iPhone®, Android® and Blackberry®.
• 24/7 IVR phone system with English and Spanish options.
• Comprehensive “members only” Allpoint website which provides access to Allpoint graphics, marketing tips, and web banners, as well as the ability to download and customize marketing collateral. For an additional fee, you can create a customizable ATM locator which incorporates your ATM locations as well as Allpoint locations.

Click here to find Advantage, In Balance, and Allpoint locations around the world!

ATM skimming occurs when a criminal inserts a device onto the card reader of an ATM to collect the information from the card. This type of fraud has increased over the past several years, and it’s important to take steps to protect yourself. Here are a few things you can do:

Do a quick scan

Before using any machine, take a look to make sure it hasn’t been tampered with. If the card reader seems loose, crooked or damaged, if the graphics aren’t aligned, or if part of the machine is a different color, don’t use it. If there is another machine nearby (such as two ATMs next to each other) compare them to see if there are obvious differences. For example, if one machine has a flashing slot to insert your card and the other doesn’t, that may be an indication that there is something wrong.

Be wary of non-bank ATMs

FICO reports that 60% of skimming occurs at privately-owned ATMs. These are typically cash-dispensing machines and tend to be located in convenience stores, bars, restaurants, grocery stores, or check cashing establishments.

Check the keypad

If the numbers are hard to press or feel too thick, it might have a false keypad installed and you should move to the next machine.

Block your PIN

When entering your PIN, cover the keypad with your other hand in case a camera is recording your number.

Stay in public view

Always try to use machines that are in public view with security monitoring – these machines are less likely to be tampered with. For additional protection, use a machine inside the store or an ATM inside your bank.

Check your account regularly

Technology is advancing and so are skimming devices, so the best thing you can do is monitor your account. Rather than wait for your monthly statement, check your account regularly using online and mobile banking. This way, if anything were to happen, you can catch it immediately and report it to your bank.

Sign up for alerts

See what type of fraud alert system your financial institution has in place and take advantage of it.

Above all, trust your instincts. If you suspect foul play, or if you’re in doubt about the authenticity of a machine, use a different machine or payment method.