Past Articles
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MAG 2022 Annual Conference and Tech Forum Heads to Texas
Jun 15, 2022The MAG is putting together a dynamic program of events for the upcoming 2022 Annual Conference and Tech Forum that you won’t want to miss. We are excited to welcome attendees from across the country at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas, September 18 – 21.
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It Is Like Trying to Fit a Square Peg in a Round Hole: Today’s Commerce Adhering to Payment Industry Rules of the ‘90s
May 12, 2022Merchants respond to historic pandemic with innovative shopping experiences. It’s time the rest of the industry reacts responsibly.
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MAG Releases Merchant Payments 203, a new eLearning course focused on Fraud and Chargebacks
May 5, 2022The MAG's newest eLearning class is now in session! The Merchant Advisory Group is excited to officially introduce Merchant Payments 203: Navigating Fraud and Chargebacks. This eLearning course is designed to enable the learner to effectively detect and analyze fraud in their environments while optimizing chargeback responses in order to minimize loss.
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Communicating Payments Strategies and Insights to Executive Leadership
Apr 14, 2022As payments professionals, we have a lot to offer our companies although we may deal with a perception that payments processing is mostly an expense that needs to be minimized. Whether we work in Treasury, Finance, IT, or Customer Excellence, payments provide invaluable insights into our businesses – much of which may be underutilized. By distributing a Payments Newsletter with timely insights to executive leadership you’ll be able to help drive profitable customer retention and acquisition strategies while building important relationships and an understanding of the value of efficient payment processing.
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Merchant Members Take Advantage of MAG’s Benefits and Resources
Apr 11, 2022Merchant Advisory Group merchant members have the advantage of accessing many of our benefits and resources. A summary of MAG membership levels and benefits is available in our Membership Brochure. We now offer two membership levels: All Access and Digital Access. MAG currently has over 170 merchant members enjoying these benefits.
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What Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) could mean for merchants
Mar 29, 2022Do you ever wonder why we still have paper money in a world that continues to become more digital? Maybe it is because of the anonymity or the cost associated with using financial institutions to store and transfer a dollar. It could also be that there is not a viable substitute in the market. For whatever reason, consumers still like cash. It is not only consumers who like cash, though; for the most part, so do merchants. Cash settles at par, meaning if someone pays you a dollar you receive the whole dollar. It is also settled instantaneously and once received it can be spent seconds later. In addition, cash is irrevocable. Once you receive it no one can take it back from you. You own it. Now imagine a world where this is all done digitally versus physically.
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And I get paid to do this?
Mar 22, 2022Having just wrapped up 2022 Mid-Year Conference and Tech Forum and participating in my first conference from ‘behind the curtain,’ I couldn’t help but be amazed by the energy of the attendees and the enthusiasm of the MAG staff. It was obvious to me our members appreciate the value the MAG provides, and our sponsors value the opportunity to engage with the merchant community. The future of the MAG is certainly bright, and I feel fortunate to now be part of that future and the great MAG team.
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Spring Network Changes: Merchants, pull out your wallets
Mar 16, 2022Spring brings payment card networks’ rules changes. Networks communicate these changes to the acquirers, who then inform their merchants. This chain of events must happen in a matter of three to four months before the next round of changes come in the fall. This year, the impacts are more unique as the networks have delayed a number of fee increases due to the pandemic and they will implement them in April. The financial implications to the merchant community will be significant.
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MAG 2022 Mid-Year Conference and Tech Forum
Feb 25, 2022The MAG held the 2022 Mid-Year Conference and Tech Forum at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, GA, and virtually February 14-17. The successful event brought together merchants and industry partners, and speakers covered a range of timely payments topics.
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8-Digit BINS: Who Would Have Thought 2 Little Numbers Could Cause This Much Grief?
Feb 10, 2022Back in 2016, the International Standards Organization (ISO) announced a forthcoming change to the length of the Issuer Identification Number, also known as IIN or Bank Identification Number (BIN), due to the increasing number of card issuers in the market and the expectation that there would eventually be a shortage in the available supply of BINs. While the standard change had several impacts, the most prominent for merchants is that the existing fixed-length 6-digit BIN standard will be converted to 8-digits.
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Infographic: 8-Digit BINs
Feb 9, 2022Merchants, and the industry overall, will experience significant challenges if there is not a solution to properly identify the BIN at the point of sale (POS). The PCI Security Standards Council recently updated their FAQ#1091 in January 2022 to allow visibility to the first eight digits of a PAN on 16-digit cards. The update to the FAQs is extremely tight with the April 2022 requirements.
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MAG releases Merchant Payments 202, a new eLearning course!
Feb 2, 2022The Merchant Advisory Group is excited to officially introduce Merchant Payments 202: Exploring Card Types and Products, an eLearning course designed to enable the learner to effectively analyze and manage the payment card products a merchant accepts. At the end of this course, learners will exhibit knowledge of how to optimize the card product mix to successfully achieve their organization’s payments, customer relationship, and expense goals.
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Payments Policy: A look back at 2021 and high expectations for 2022
Jan 11, 2022Arguably the most exciting thing to happen in payments policy in 2021 was the Federal Reserve’s proposed rulemaking to clarify the debit routing provision of Regulation II to apply to all online transactions. Merchants have said for years that ALL debit transactions should have routing choice; however, they have faced many hurdles routing debit transactions in the ten years since the law was enacted.
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The Joy of Gifts. A Gift of Joy?
Dec 30, 2021Holidays bring joy to many – including sellers as ‘tis the season’ for sales – traditionally a LOT of sales. One always popular gift is gift cards. Who hasn’t bought or received one during the holiday season, or throughout the year for that matter, to recognize other celebratory occasions? While many have joy in receiving these gifts, shouldn’t we all share that joy by selling those gifts? Let’s hear more.
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Payments…the “Pandemic Effect”
Dec 27, 2021Rewind twelve months and some aspects of life and business look very similar to the end of 2020, while other aspects have changed. We hear the continued urge to wear a mask, get vaccinated, and be aware of in-person and indoor gatherings. The Covid-19 virus, and its variations, created what I call the “pandemic effect.”
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Creating a Payments Strategy
Dec 22, 2021Today, merchants are faced with a plethora of choices on not only how consumers pay but how to ensure the payment is valid. Developing a strategy will help you both prioritize initiatives and gain alignment within the organization. The end of the year is a great time to either revise or create a new payments strategy document.
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Join Us at the MAG 2022 Mid-Year Conference and Tech Forum
Dec 20, 2021Plans are well underway for MAG’s upcoming 2022 Mid-Year Conference and Tech Forum that will take place February 14-17, 2022, in Atlanta, GA. We look forward to welcoming both Mid-Year Conference and Tech Forum attendees back in-person at the Hyatt Regency.
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MAG Announces New Digital Access Membership
Dec 20, 2021The Merchant Advisory Group (MAG) recently added a Digital Access Membership option for merchants with under $1B in revenue. This new opportunity gives more merchants access to MAG’s networking, education, live and recorded webinars, and best practice resources.
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Coming Soon - Merchants Payments 201: Managing Your Payments Program
Nov 30, 2021Earlier this year, the MAG launched its first eLearning course, Merchants Payments 101. We will also release Merchants Payments 201: Managing Your Payments in 2021. Merchant Payments 201 is the first in a series of five 200-level courses that will dive deep into topics like card products, fraud and chargebacks, touchless payments, and debit routing.
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BNPL: Adding Another Acronym To Our Payments Vocabulary
Nov 15, 2021Buy Now, Pay Later, or BNPL, is a service offered by providers that allows consumers to purchase goods or services and to pay them off over an extended period of time, the length of which can vary from a few weeks to much longer. A short-term loan, consumers typically can pay off their purchases interest-free and with relative ease. Third-party companies offer these ‘pay over time’ arrangements to consumers, and services can be directly integrated with merchants or not. Many of the providers claim that BNPL services extend a line of credit to consumers who may be hesitant or otherwise unable to make a purchase and, as a result of access to the credit, may ultimately spend more and more frequently with the retailer.
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