DCC For Merchants

FAQ’s for Merchants

How does the Fintrax DCC system work?

When your customer uses their Visa or MasterCard to settle their bill, the Fintrax DCC software on your payments terminal will offer your customer the choice of paying the bill in either their billing currency or in your local currency. The terminal automatically recognises the currency in which the card is issued and will offer your customer the option of paying their bill in their billing currency or in your local currency. If the customer selects to pay in their billing currency, the transaction amount in their local currency will appear on their statement. (*subject to issuing banks pricing policies). The total transaction amount will appear in your local currency on your end of day report and you will be settled in your local currency. The Fintrax terminal will accept all payment cards e.g. American Express, Diners etc.

How does the Fintrax DCC terminal benefit my business?

Some of the key benefits of the service include:

• Cost Saving: You will receive a competitive monthly rebate on the credit card transactions which are processed in the cardholders billing currency. This rebate can be used to offset your merchant service fees or it can be treated as an additional source of income.
• Service: You are providing your customers with greater customer service by offering them the choice of paying in their billing currency.
• Risk Free: Although you will be offering your customers a choice of settlement currencies, you will always be settled in your local currency. Fintrax manage the treasury and risk management issues with exchange rate fluctuations so any changes in exchange rates will not affect your final settlement amount.
• Management Information: Fintrax provide you with monthly reports which will help you analyse sales and monitor the value of your rebate.
• Support: You will have access to a Fintrax helpline 24 hours a day, 365 days a year ensuring there is always someone available to assist you and your colleagues.

Your Fintrax representative will elaborate on the full range of benefits and options during a consultation with you.

How does the Fintrax DCC terminal reduce costs?

You will be paid a rebate for every transaction where the customer decides to settle the bill in their billing currency. For example, (for a Merchant in France) everytime an eligible non-Euro card (e.g. Sterling, US Dollar Cards etc) is swiped on the terminal, the customer will be offered the option to pay in their billing currency. If the customer decides to pay in their billing currency, Fintrax will pay you a rebate for that transaction thereby reducing the costs of accepting credit cards.

Do I have to input exchange rates on the terminal on a daily basis?

No, the beauty of the Fintrax system is that the exchange rates are downloaded to the terminal during the end of day banking. This ensures you always have up to date exchange rates without any manual intervention.

How are the exchange rates calculated?

The exchange rate is taken from the Reuters daily rate as informed to us by our partner bank and a margin is added before the exchange rates are issued to terminals. The margin is comparable with other foreign exchange transactions and ensures that there are always competitive rates available on your ¥€$ Fintrax terminal. The exchange rate, the source of the rate and the margin are printed on every receipt ensuring that this competitive system is easy to use and clear to understand.

How does the Fintrax system benefit my customers?

There are many benefits for your customers and we mention only a few below.

•     Choice:Your customers can chose to settle their bill in your local currency or in their more familiar billing currency which gives them peace of mind regarding the final cost.
•     Simplicity: The process is transparent, easy to use and understand with no hidden fees.
•     Business Customers: Expense claims are much simpler and less time consuming when the business customer chooses to settle their bill in their billing currency.

Do I need to change bank accounts to use the Fintrax terminal?

No. You can keep your existing bank accounts and Fintrax can arrange for the credit card funds to be paid into any business bank account nominated by you.

How long does it take to get paid for the credit card transactions?

Usually you are paid the following business day however this depends on which bank account you nominate to receive the credit card transactions. In a small number of cases, your account is credited three business days later. Your Fintrax representative will inform you of the exact payment days for your account.

How do I know the value of the cards accepted during the course of business?

Once the terminal is batched-in/banked, the terminal produces a ‘Z Report’. This Z Report will give you the value of the credit cards accepted since the terminal was last batched-in/banked. The report is broken down by card type and also informs you of the total value of the transactions in your local currency and the transactions in foreign currencies.

Will my merchant service charge (MSC) remain the same?

We expect that your merchant service charge will remain the same and in some cases you will actually pay less in merchant service fees. Your Fintrax representative will be able to advise you further.

Will my merchant statements remain the same?

You will receive a new format merchant statement and you will also receive a rebate statement from Fintrax on a monthly basis. This will make your monthly account reconciliation very straightforward. The Fintrax rebate statement enables you to monitor your monthly rebate to ensure you are getting the most from your terminal. Your Fintrax representative is familiar with the account reconciliation process and will be able to show you examples of the statements and explain the information to you.

Do I have to pay terminal rental?

Yes. Fintrax charge a monthly terminal rental fee to cover the maintenance and upgrade of your chip and pin terminal. You can discuss your existing terminal rental costs with your Fintrax representative who will advise you of the Fintrax options.

Can I control who has access to process refunds on the terminal?

Yes. Refunds and a number of other key functions are controlled by the use of a password system. You choose the password and you decide who has access to it.

Can the Fintrax DCC terminal accept tips/gratuity?

Yes. This feature can be activated on the Fintrax terminals at your request.

Can the Fintrax DCC terminal process deposits and card not present transactions?

Yes, you can continue to use the terminal to process deposits. This would be done through manually entering the card details on the terminal for card not present transactions.

Can the Fintrax DCC terminal be used to process ‘Pre-authorisations’ for guest check-ins?

Yes, pre-authorisation is a very important check on a guest’s card. The terminal can be used to do a pre-authorisation for a nominal amount e.g. €1.00 to check if the card has been reported lost or stolen. Alternatively, a pre-authorisation can be done for the estimated check-out amount so that amount is ‘held’ for your business. The merchant can also recall the pre-authorisation and process the transaction to a sale.

What happens if the terminal stops working?

When you contact Fintrax, one of our service representatives will assist you over the phone and if that does not solve the problem, Fintrax will replace your terminal. You will not be charged a call-out or terminal replacement charge.

Will the currency conversion transaction be slower than regular transactions?

No. The authorisation procedure for currency transactions is the same as that for regular local currency transactions, hence there are no delays in processing time.