INTRODUCTION
SHELTER
FOOD & DRINK
TRANSPORT
TO DO
MAPS
FORVM
SEARCH
POST NEW TOPIC
Puerto Rico

The current weather in Culebra

RSS feed
New Topic  |  Go to Top  |  Go to Topic  |  Search  |  Log In Newer Topic  |  Older Topic
credit cards
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Michael (---.ny325.east.verizon.net)
Date:   10-12-06 21:39

To all people taking or giving credit card info to reserve a room:

Please, under no circumstance fill in web forms with your credit card info. The https on top does not mean, that the credit card info will not be mailed from the secure server to the merchant who then manually processes your credit card.

Sending cc info in an email is like posting it on the Internet!

Merchants, if you are still getting emails with customers' credit card info, even if your server is secure, you may lose your merchant account!

I found the following on a vacation rental discussion group:

"1) You put your merchant account at risk by doing this. It is
against their policies for credit card information to be sent by
unsecured means, and if they should become aware of this they will
likely cancel the account.
2) Your merchant account must be set up for online transactions. A
standard merchant account cannot be used for online transactions, and
extra fees are usually charged to do so. If your merchant account is
not set up to handle online transactions and they become aware of
this, they will likely cancel your account.

Handling credit cards online is very serious business, and should not
be done without taking extreme care and using very secure means of
doing so. Usually this means using a Payment Processor or Payment
Gateway to do so, or a system in which a 3rd party cart can securely
collect the credit card information for you to retrieve.

As I've mentioned before, even having the information go directly into
a database you have set up with your website will not be secure
enough, especially if on a shared server (which everyone normally is).
This means if you do use a system in which you collect only part of
the credit card information, and view the rest on your site through a
secure page, that information may still not be adequately protected.
Be sure any system set up in this manner will meet your Merchant
Account requirements!"

For the tourist this means, be extra careful, look for the verisign logo on the payment processor, use one that you know, like paypal and maybe ask a couple of questions over the phone before you book!

Enjoy Culebra!

Michael

Reply To This Message
Re: credit cards
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Arroz (---.direcpc.com)
Date:   10-12-06 22:44

That's why I like my credit card company. I can have a virtual card number generated for each transaction on line. The card allows one transaction and the expiry date is usually one month later. I can also set an upper limit on the transaction.

Abe Ross

Reply To This Message
Re: credit cards
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Michael (---.ny325.east.verizon.net)
Date:   10-12-06 22:59

Abe that does sound like a nifty feature, because a majority of the merchants do not even understand these issues.

Stick with big name processors like paypal if you don't have Abe's card ..

Abe, which company are we talking about anyway?

Enjoy Culebra!

Michael

Reply To This Message
Re: credit cards
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Arroz (---.direcpc.com)
Date:   10-13-06 06:44

The company is Citibank and the system works like a charm. I can go back and review all of the old virtual transactions with their numbers. I have even had refunds to the virtual numbers 6 months after the card "expired." I suspect that it is transparent from the merchant's side.

Abe

Reply To This Message
Re: credit cards
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Debbie (---.asm.bellsouth.net)
Date:   10-13-06 08:08

Discover Card features that as well.

Happy Diving!
Debbie

Reply To This Message
Re: credit cards
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Michael (---.ny325.east.verizon.net)
Date:   10-13-06 10:29

I have a citibank platinum card as well and had never heard of it .. Is that a special feature one has to buy, or did they just tell you about it?

Enjoy Culebra!

Michael

Reply To This Message
Re: credit cards
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Arroz (---.direcpc.com)
Date:   10-13-06 12:21

Michael,

Go to their web site https://www.citibank.com/us/cards/index.jsp and log on. In the upper right hand corner You will see a box "Virtual Account Number." After that it's straight-forward.

Abe

Reply To This Message
Re: credit cards
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Michael (---.ny325.east.verizon.net)
Date:   10-14-06 11:19

Abe thank you so much, I will get on it :)

Still, please encourage merchants to use secure ONLINE processors! Ask them, how are you processing the info, since it is not only the cc, but also your personal stuff that is being transmitted!

Enjoy Culebra!

Michael

Reply To This Message
Re: credit cards
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Arroz (---.direcpc.com)
Date:   10-14-06 15:06

Michael said:

"...but also your personal stuff that is being transmitted!"


Good point, I didn't think of that.

Abe

Reply To This Message
Re: credit cards
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: aileen (---.dyn.optonline.net)
Date:   10-18-06 13:43

this is great info.. that most of us did not know.. thanks for the heads up.

aileen

Reply To This Message
Re: credit cards
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Author: Michael (---.ny325.east.verizon.net)
Date:   10-18-06 15:54

Aileen, that was not really a heads up - or was it? lol

Enjoy Culebra!

Michael

Reply To This Message
Threaded View Newer Topic  |  Older Topic