AltoPay

Cards. Everybody's got 'em — and most have far more than just one. 💳💳💳

Because you have to play the game. Score the points.

As a merchant, you're probably like...

😒 Big deal. Who cares if people have a bunch of different cards?!

Who cares? You should.

Every card comes with its own quirks, costs, and risks.

BIN ranges.

Interchange fees.

Cross-border rules.

Mystery fees.

Currency conversion.

And don’t get us started on “business” vs. “commercial” vs. “corporate” vs. “purchasing” cards.

The purchase is made in seconds. But behind the scenes?

🧩 It’s often a puzzle.
🕳️ A trap for your margins.
🌀 That's rarely as simple as it looks.

Because...

💸 Not all cards cost the same to process
🌍 Cross-border = higher fees, more risk
⚠️ Some card types drive more chargebacks
📉 Approval rates, fraud scoring, and pricing all shift depending on what your customer pulls out of their wallet

But there's good news.

🧩 It's not a puzzle to us.

We help merchants decode card types, cut through pricing confusion, and stay ahead of risk — without needing a decoder ring. (Okay, some of us do have the rings, though).

SO HERE'S WHAT WE RECOMMEND...

Collect and analyze your BIN data. (BIN = bank identification number)

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CAVEAT: We know data analysis is time consuming. But it is so important. Every business is different. You need to know what YOUR customers are like. And analyzing your data is the only way to figure that out.

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BINs share valuable insights like the type of card (debit, credit, prepaid, etc.), the bank that issued it, and the country where the bank is located.

Once you have your data, you can start to look for trends.

🤔 Which card type is most commonly used?
🤔 Which issuers dispute the most purchases?
🤔 Where are disputes and fraud coming from?

Then, start to make some changes.

✅ If the majority of your customers are using cards with high interchange rates, maybe you need to adjust pricing to improve margins.

✅ If there are BINs with higher-than-normal chargeback activity, maybe you need to block future purchases from them.

✅ Check regional activity. Maybe cards aren't as popular as you assumed, and you need to consider alternatives.

When you understand what you're processing, you can make smarter decisions and keep more of what you earn. 💵

Chargebacks aren’t all created equal. Some are worth fighting, and others… not so much. 🥊 Let’s break it down with some tips on when it’s wise to dispute a chargeback.

🎯THE ABSOLUTE WINS (Fight these every time!)

✅ Refunded Transactions
If you refunded the customer before the chargeback was issued, the cardholder's account is credited twice. Which obviously isn't fair!

These situations are called "dual enrichment", and the card brands (Visa, Mastercard, etc.) have policies in place to handle these situations. Issuers are required to fix a double refund — but you have to tell them it's happened.

If you receive a chargeback for a transaction that has already been refunded, simply respond to the chargeback with proof that the refund was issued before the chargeback was filed. You should have a 100% win rate on these cases.

✅ Noncompliant Chargebacks
The card brands heavily regulate the chargeback process. Sometimes, an issuing bank might inadvertently file a chargeback that isn't compliant with rules. For example, it might be filed after the deadline.

In these situations, go for the win by providing documentation that shows the violation.

🤔 THE PROBABLE WINS

✅ Friendly fraud with compelling evidence
When customers dispute legitimate purchases, you can and should fight back — if you have compelling evidence to support your case.

Compelling evidence varies by reason code. So make sure you check what is is needed. If you have a strong case, you can challenge the chargeback and attempt to recover lost revenue.

🚨 WARNING
In all situations, make sure there is positive ROI. You don’t want to spend more on the response than you are able to recover. Not every chargeback deserves your time and energy.

🗨️What’s your current strategy for picking which chargebacks to fight?

Do you need a new merchant account? Here are 1️⃣8️⃣ questions to ask as you hunt for the right account and solution provider.

1. Do you have experience managing payments in my target market?

2. Do you have experience with my industry?

3. Do you offer more than just a merchant account — like chargeback prevention alerts?

4. Do you have your own payment gateway? If so, is it integrated with my CRM already?

5. What kind of customer service and support is available? What hours is your team available?

6. Do you offer routine and proactive consultations to help optimize my ROI?

7. Can you also help me with alternative payment methods?

8. What kind of risk reporting is included? Chargeback ratio? Fraud ratio? VAMP ratio?

9. What is your fee structure for transaction processing?

10. How much are chargeback fees?

11. Is there a setup fee?

12. Is there a cancellation fee?

13. How long will my contract be?

14. Is there a transaction or volume minimum or maximum per month?

15. Will the account have a reserve? How much? Which type?

16. What is the average approval rate for other businesses in your region and industry?

17. Do you have any case studies or client testimonials?

18. How soon can I get up and running?