Taxes on Tips: Key Issue in 2024, Crucial Feature for POS Systems

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Crypto, ecommerce, Embedded Banking, Fraud Prevention, Legislation, Member Owned and Operated, Merchant Services, Payments, Sales, sales person, Surcharging

As we approach the 2024 U.S. presidential election, an unexpected bipartisan agreement has surfaced: Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump support exempting tips from federal income tax. This policy proposal is gaining traction in key battleground states like Nevada, where service industry workers are a significant voting bloc. As the discussion intensifies, […]

BNPL Boom: How Young Shoppers Are Driving the Future of Retail Payments

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Cannabis, Crypto, ecommerce, Embedded Banking, Fraud Prevention, Legislation, Member Owned and Operated, Merchant Services, Payments, Sales, sales person, Surcharging

As the digital landscape continues to reshape consumer behavior, one payment option has been gaining significant traction among younger shoppers in North America: Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL). This payment method allows customers to make purchases and pay in installments, often without interest. It’s not just a passing trend—it’s a revolution in the way people, […]

The Rise of Social Media in Commerce

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Cannabis, Crypto, ecommerce, Embedded Banking, Fraud Prevention, Legislation, Member Owned and Operated, Merchant Services, Payments, Sales, sales person, Surcharging

When social media first hit the scene, few would have expected the central role it would play in any company’s marketing strategy. What started as a hangout for angsty college kids, then angsty teens, then everyone else, has become a ubiquitous tool for connecting and sharing information. That tool is especially powerful for companies looking […]

From Paper to Pixels: The Battle Over QR Menus  

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Cannabis, Crypto, ecommerce, Embedded Banking, Fraud Prevention, Legislation, Member Owned and Operated, Merchant Services, Payments, Sales, sales person, Surcharging

During COVID, QR codes felt like a godsend. Rather than a menu that you didn’t really know had been wiped down, a QR code gave you a truly contactless experience. In the years since, QR codes have stuck around, while our fears of contagion have not. A Morning Scan over Coffee: Convenient or Clunky? Scanning […]

Wearable Payments: Fashionable Finance

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Crypto, ecommerce, Embedded Banking, Fraud Prevention, Legislation, Member Owned and Operated, Merchant Services, Payments, Sales, sales person, Surcharging, Uncategorized

Paying just gets easier, cooler, and more futuristic as the years go by. For decades, the payment space was relatively static; people paid with plastic, cash, or the occasional check. Today, customers have a bounty of options to stylishly pay for goods and services. One option, attractive for its convenience and cool factor, is the […]

Securing Transactions: The Power of Tokenization

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Crypto, ecommerce, Embedded Banking, Fraud Prevention, Legislation, Member Owned and Operated, Merchant Services, Payments, Sales, sales person, Surcharging

Recently, I was renting a bicycle in a quiet midwestern town when I came face to face with a device I hadn’t seen in roughly twenty years. “We just need to take a copy for security, and then we’ll throw it away when you come back to pay,” the employee assured me. I handed her […]

To Tip or Not to Tip: A Tougher Question

Posted Leave a commentPosted in ecommerce, Fraud Prevention, Legislation, Member Owned and Operated, Merchant Services, Payments, Sales, sales person, Surcharging

Tipping has a fascinating history in American culture, dating back to the years following the Civil War. Though the practice comes from medieval Europe, the US has one of the strongest tipping cultures in the world today. In 2024, though, a growing number of Americans are finding gratuities, well, gratuitous. The Dreaded Question A woman […]

2024 Business Outlook: How to Thrive in Any Climate

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Crypto, ecommerce, Fraud Prevention, Legislation, Merchant Services, Payments, Sales, sales person, Surcharging, Uncategorized

For many, 2023 was a year of fear. Stubborn inflation, recession worries, and international conflict hung like a cloud over the US and the rest of the world. Despite a gloomy backdrop, the US economy proved more resilient than many expected, and there’s a stronger sense of optimism in 2024’s business outlook than there was […]

MiCamp Solutions Announces Strategic Alliance and Enhanced Stake in COCARD

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Member Owned and Operated, Merchant Services, Payments, Sales, sales person

December 4, 2023 For Immediate Release | Scottsdale, Arizona In a significant move within the financial services sector, MiCamp Solutions, an acclaimed full-service provider of Fiserv and Repay proudly announces a landmark strategic alliance with COCARD. This partnership is further bolstered by MiCamp Solutions increasing its investment and involvement in COCARD, signaling a new chapter […]

The Future of Transactions: Why OmniChannel is Essential

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Crypto, Fraud Prevention, Member Owned and Operated, Merchant Services, Payments, Sales, sales person

Picture this: a customer comes into your store, grabbing several items that catch their eye. When they approach the counter to pay, they discover that you only accept cash. Disappointment washes over their face, they replace the items and walk out. If you’re still not taking cards, you’ve likely had a few moments just like […]

The Rise of Embedded Banking – Part 2

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Embedded Banking, Merchant Services, Payments

Last month we outlined the origination of Embedded Banking and how companies are now offering a fully embedded solution that includes aspects of traditional banking, lending, processing payments, and delivering a platform that will enable a merchant to provide lending and capital to consumers at the point of purchase if necessary. The offering is incredibly […]

The Rise of Embedded Banking

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Embedded Banking, Member Owned and Operated, Merchant Services, Payments

The Rise of Embedded Banking Introduction: In recent years, the financial industry has witnessed a remarkable transformation with the emergence of embedded banking. Embedded banking refers to the integration of financial services into non-financial platforms and applications, seamlessly blending banking functionalities with everyday activities. This innovative approach to banking has gained significant traction, enabling businesses […]

How AI is Changing the Payments Game

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Cannabis, Crypto, Fraud Prevention, Legislation, Member Owned and Operated, Merchant Services, Payments, Sales, sales person, Surcharging

Picture this: your business just received an urgent message from a customer about a payment issue. Before your support team even gets a chance to respond, an AI-powered chatbot on your website steps in and resolves the problem instantly. A few days later, you wake up to learn a fraudulent transaction from a stolen card […]

Card Payments Legislation: More On the Way  

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Cannabis, Crypto, Fraud Prevention, Legislation, Member Owned and Operated, Merchant Services, Payments, Sales, sales person, Surcharging

If you want to lead in any industry, you better follow the news. This is doubly true for the payments space, whose regulations, technology, and trends are always changing. Let’s get you caught up on how the regulatory environment could change in 2023, and what it could mean for you and your clients. In an […]

2022: COCARD Year In Review

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Cannabis, Crypto, Fraud Prevention, Legislation, Member Owned and Operated, Merchant Services, Payments, Sales, sales person, Surcharging

One thing we can safely say about last year: no one was bored! Across industries, businesses grappled with a number of challenges. Customers and boardrooms dealt with rising inflation, hurting both wallets and bottom lines. From the stock market to a changing job environment, the economy looked a lot gloomier by the end of the […]

Cards and the Cannabis Industry

Posted Posted in Cannabis, Fraud Prevention, Legislation, Member Owned and Operated, Merchant Services, Payments, Sales, sales person, Surcharging

The cannabis industry is one of the nation’s fastest-growing, with more and more states moving to fully legalize it for medical and recreational use. The roughly $10 billion market is expected to maintain an average growth rate of roughly 15% through the 2020’s, an exciting prospect for investors and entrepreneurs looking to enter the industry. […]

Cash Discounting: Happy Shoppers, Lower Fees

Posted Posted in Crypto, Fraud Prevention, Legislation, Member Owned and Operated, Merchant Services, Payments, Sales, sales person, Surcharging

Who doesn’t love a discount? For both merchants and customers, cash discounting is a powerful tool to add more value in every transaction. It enables merchants to provide a promotional discount and minimize the cost that each customer pays. While COCARD leverages its deep relationships and innovative technology solutions to provide our merchants the best […]

Leading in a New Normal: The Hybrid Era

Posted Posted in Crypto, Fraud Prevention, Member Owned and Operated, Merchant Services, Payments, Sales, sales person, Surcharging

When the pandemic first hit, the panic was the gut reaction across the country. It may feel much longer than two years ago when we crowded into grocery stores for toilet paper and disinfectants. Before we knew it, we were walled off from the friends we love. The luckiest among us were walled in with […]

Consumer Data: How to Listen on Another Level

Posted Posted in Crypto, Fraud Prevention, Member Owned and Operated, Merchant Services, Payments, Sales, sales person, Surcharging

Every time a customer engages with us, they speak volumes about what works and what doesn’t. They tell us how to better reach and serve them. They give us a wealth of information, often without saying a word. Now and certainly in the future, leading businesses are defined by how well they can hear this […]

Reaching Merchants in a Brave New World

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Member Owned and Operated, Merchant Services, Payments, Sales, sales person, Uncategorized

How has the pandemic impacted your professional life? If things are a little out of whack since 2020 began, you’re certainly not alone. At COCARD, we see opportunity in any change, even the seismic shift of the last couple of years. We turned a challenge into an opportunity, growing our member-owned network by over 40% […]

Digital Wallets: Taking The POS Space by Storm

Posted Posted in Fraud Prevention, Member Owned and Operated, Merchant Services, Payments, Sales

You probably remember the first time you saw it, that moment of confusion, curiosity, and interest. You watched the person in front of you in line simply wave their phone over the credit card reader, and after the confirmation ding, the receipt was printed and they were on their way. What the heck just happened? […]

Members Capitalize on a Powerful Network with COCARD

Posted Posted in Member Owned and Operated, Merchant Services, Payments

At COCARD, we don’t just have members; we have partners. As a member-owned network of ISOs (independent sales offices), we strive to make sure our products and services add maximum value to our members, merchants, and their customers. If a single part of that chain isn’t getting the absolute most out of their relationship with […]

Crypto Rewards: Niche Market or Game Changer?

Posted Posted in Crypto, Uncategorized

Over the last few years, the frenzied speculation of cryptomania has given way to an understanding that cryptocurrency is here to stay.
More and more, businesses are accepting major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin as payment, and credit card providers are starting to offer them as rewards.
Earning cryptocurrency as cashback is a major innovation, with unique challenges and benefits for consumers.
Time will tell whether this remains a niche offering for crypto enthusiasts, or whether more people are drawn to the opportunity to earn a solid return on their rewards.