Past Articles
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Higher fuel costs require a close eye on transaction limits
Sep 1, 2022A collective voice helped drive credit card brands to increase fuel pump authorization limits for merchants and consumers.
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MAG Leadership – Contribute Your Talent
Aug 23, 2022Since its inception in 2008, the MAG mission has remained consistent, and our dedication to these words is evident in our accomplishments. “Driving positive change and innovation in the payments industry that serves the merchants' interests through collaboration, education, and advocacy.” Our growing list of accomplishments is attributable to MAG’s leadership, from staff to our Board of Directors and our Committee and Community of Practice (COP) merchant members.
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MAG Member Resource: Webinars
Aug 22, 2022Over the course of the year, the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG) hosts around 15 webinars with industry experts where they explore various topics ranging from fraud and chargebacks to security and interchange.
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Tokens, Tokens Everywhere
Aug 15, 2022As the MAG considers recent changes in network payment token implementation and rules, we see a path for further collaboration among the industry to increase security while maintaining the flexibility and competitiveness in debit routing.
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Quick Response – Ever Heard of it in Retail?
Aug 5, 2022Quick Response in retail could mean a fast turnaround to a food delivery order, an immediate solution to a customer service issue, or a method that enables retailers to share inventory needs in real-time. On the other hand, it also represents an experience almost ubiquitous any longer in retail through an action triggered by the scan of an image everyone recognizes…the QR Code (short for Quick Response Code).
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Standards and specification bodies that matter to payments – FIDO, EMVCo, and more…
Jul 26, 2022In Part III of our series on Standards and Specification Bodies, we will share an overview of the FIDO Alliance and EMVCo. If you missed our earlier articles which discussed ISO and X9 in Part I and PCI and W3C in Part II, please check out our website (LINK) for more information.
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Standards and specification bodies that matter to payments – PCI, W3C, and more…
Jul 19, 2022Last week, we published an overview of ISO and X9, as part of a series examining the organizations that maintain the standards with some of the greatest impact on how the payments industry runs. If you missed last week’s article, Part I of Standards and specification bodies that matter to payments is available here. Next, we take a look at PCI and W3C.
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How to Get Chargebacks Reversed
Jul 18, 2022Chargebacks can be a persistent problem for merchants, acting as a constant drain on their revenue unless they implement effective preventive measures. Unfortunately, no matter what merchants do, chargebacks will continue to roll in. There’s no way to prevent credit card fraud one hundred percent of the time or ensure that issuing banks never err when granting a chargeback to a cardholder.
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Standards and specification bodies that matter to payments - ISO, X9, and more…
Jul 12, 2022Standards impact every aspect of life from the moisture content in your cereal to liquid rocket engines to working safely in a pandemic. Without standards, it would be impossible for the modern world to function, and the world of payments is no exception. Standards ensure consistency, reliability, security, and quality and help guide innovation. In payments, standards define how transactions are communicated, how customers are verified, how data is secured, and much more. But where do these standards come from and how are they created and maintained? To find out, join us over the next three weeks as we publish a series of articles examining the organizations that maintain the standards with some of the greatest impact on how the payments industry runs.
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Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Swipe Fees, Federal Reserve
Jun 30, 2022It has been a busy spring for the payments industry in Washington. Competition and swipe fees took center stage at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in May, and the Federal Reserve’s public comment period regarding Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) closed. In addition, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Chairman Rohit Chopra continues to make payments a top priority.
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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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