At some point in our lives, most of us have signed up for one subscription or another. Whether a gym membership, a weekly or monthly newspaper, and magazine, utility bills, paying your phone bill every month, and interestingly, you can also sign up for a car service or even have shaving kits delivered to your…
There are 6.378 billion smartphones in the world. And if you think about it, this covers around 80.69% of the world’s population. Impressive, isn’t it? But if most people have a smartphone these days, what makes a smartphone stand out from the crowd? Your smartphone is a personal computer in your pocket. You’ve chosen your…
Sending and receiving money across Europe is now easier than you can imagine. All this with a little something called an IBAN number. This number is very specific, though, and it plays some important functions in transferring funds on the continent, and even beyond. Let’s find out what IBAN is and how it works! Table…
Nothing beats getting money, right? But how can you get money based on your spending? The answer lies in the concept of cashback. If this is a new idea for you and you’d like to find out more, then just keep reading to find out more. In this blog post, we focus on the meaning…
In the world of card payments, many acronyms tend to pop up, causing confusion. After all, the simple point-of-sale or POS terminal has many names. It used to be called a PDQ (process data quick) machine, and today it’s simply known by its name – POS. However, in some other countries, these payment machines are…
The world of payment acceptance is dotted with many words, one such being an “acquirer”. If this term is new to you and you’re a merchant who’d like to accept payments through a POS device or even online through your website or online shop, then this blog post is for you. Here, we cover what…
When Carlton Leach speaks, people really listen. And when Carlton Leach publishes a book, it needs to be read. CARLTON – The Final Say came out recently and became an Amazon bestseller overnight. It’s a book of unique depth that takes readers on a journey through Carlton’s story – from getting a 1960s and 70s…
Every business owner knows the importance of their customers. Customers help put a child through school, pay for ballet lessons, put food on the table, pay the bills and so much more. So, knowing this, why do so many business owners often fail to get to know their customers. The third Thursday of every quarter…
If numbers are not your strong point, don’t worry you are not alone! Nevertheless, numbers (and statistics, in particular) play a very important part of our lives. We can’t escape them no matter what sphere of life we’re in. Whether to make payments, to keep track of cash flow, analysing developments, profits and loss, income…
Photos have the incredible ability to convey emotions, take us to far-away places and introduce us to generations long gone. They tell stories and preserve moments in a magical way. In Vienna this magic is often made possible by Smiletronic, a family business that, for more than 15 years, has been creating and renting photo…
This Sunday, the 10th of October is the internationally recognised World Mental Health Day as endorsed by the World Health Organisation. As a small business owner, it’s natural to feel stress, anxiety, fear, an inability to focus etc., especially as a result of the Covid-19 lockdowns. However, experiencing such feelings and emotions over a prolonged…
Did you know that one of the very first references to credit cards came from the 1887 novel “Looking Backward” by Edward Bellamy? He mentions the phrase 11 times and although he doesn’t refer to the cards we have today, but something more similar to debit cards. Today, there are billions of credit cards used…
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), launched by the likes of Visa, Mastercard and other payment brands and acquirers in 2006, is a set of industry standards, rules and regulations for acquirers who process payments for merchants and subsequently their customers. With PCI DSS compliance, although not entirely fool-proof, merchants and their…
In the world of online business, as a merchant, you need to be prepared for all the payments terminology that’s out there so that you can keep abreast of recent developments and have a finer understanding of your enterprise and how it accepts payments. One term you might have heard being thrown around is a…
As a merchant who accepts card payments through your card payment device, it would be wise to become acquainted with the term “card scheme”. Undoubtedly, this is an important part of your payments acceptance journey, and knowing all the right players in the industry and their roles and functions can help you navigate the seas…
