BluePay Blog

“It’s time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I’d much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure.” – Ernie Harwell The old adage states all good things must come to an end. That being said, this is the last post for the BluePay Blog. In December 2017, BluePay was acquired by First Data, a global leader in commerce-enabling technology and solutions. Although we have maintained the BluePay name for the past two years, it is now time to transition our brand to First Data.

Topics: Awareness

There are many industries that experience peaks and valleys throughout the year. It doesn’t make sense for businesses in these sectors to maintain a full roster of employees during the less busy seasons. This phenomenon obviously applies to: Hospitality, restaurant, and vacation businesses that cater mostly to tourists Retailers that need extra staff during the busy holiday shopping season — from Black Friday to New Year’s

Topics: Small Business Tips, Awareness

Welcome back to the next installment in our ongoing series on National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (recognized every October). In previous articles, we covered: Cybersecurity habits to incorporate in your life right away. Cybersecurity careers worth exploring today and tomorrow. In this post, we’ll discuss one of the biggest threats affecting mobile banking — Trojan malware that cybercriminals use to steal financial data.

Topics: Financial Institutions, Mobile Payments, PCI Compliance and Fraud Prevention, Awareness, Consumer Education

Starting a new business can be both exciting and terrifying. If successful, you face the possibility of leaving your day job and earning more money than you ever dreamed possible. At the same time, there are so many expenses to cover — all before making your first sale. Even for seasoned veterans, navigating the business landscape is inherently risky. However, it’s possible to mitigate some of these risks if you prioritize your finances and spend wisely.

Topics: Small Business Tips, Getting Started with Payments, Awareness

According to The  Nilson Report, payment cards generate more than $6.5 trillion in purchase volume annually in the U.S.  That’s a lot of money.  As a merchant, it obviously makes sense to add “plastic” to your list of accepted payment options. Doing so allows you to tap into this multitrillion-dollar pie.However, this volume includes many types of plastic, with credit cards generating the largest share at $3.7 trillion a year.

Topics: Small Business Tips, Getting Started with Payments, Awareness, Consumer Education

Credit reporting agencies (aka credit bureaus) are responsible for collecting consumer credit data that businesses then use when assessing a person’s ability to meet certain financial obligations: A bank, for example, might use a borrower’s credit score to determine what interest rates to charge. The lower the score, the greater the risk of not being paid back. As such, that lender would likely charge a higher interest rate.

Topics: Awareness, Consumer Education

The concept of “consumer credit” dates from 3500 B.C. Mesopotamia. Yet, what most of us would recognize as a “credit card” didn’t come along until 1950 — courtesy of the Diners' Club.  This earliest form of plastic wasn’t even plastic. It was cardboard, and you could only use it at select restaurants.  However, the credit card has evolved substantially over the years. Politicians had to step in occasionally to help make the credit card industry fairer and more transparent.

Topics: Payment Trends, Awareness

In today’s day and age, accepting credit card payments is essential to the success of your business. The technology and processes working in the background of electronic transaction processing can be quite complicated. You may have heard the terms Payment Processor and Payment Gateway. What do they mean? Do you need them for your payment processing solution?

Topics: E-Commerce and Online Payments, Payment Technology, Getting Started with Payments, Awareness

Credit card processing can be complex. Even more so when you’re presented with an industry-related acronym that has you reaching for your smartphone or tablet to Google search the meaning.   In short (no pun intended), an acronym is an abbreviation formed by the initial letters of multiple words, ex. ISV stands for Integrated Software Vendor.

Topics: Small Business Tips, Getting Started with Payments, Awareness

Finding clients used to be the most challenging thing about running a small business or freelance operation. However, that challenge has been surpassed by the struggle to get paid by clients. Even one unpaid invoice for the month can lead to problems covering expenses or even getting a paycheck. Now, double those late payments by five or ten invoices and see how quickly your credit and business stability are impacted. 

Topics: Due.com Partner Posts, Recurring Billing and Electronic Invoicing, Small Business Tips, Getting Started with Payments, Awareness