When it comes to payment processing for cruises, or purchasing something while on a cruise, you need to know whether the payment processing is done in a safe way or not, as you don’t want to risk your financial information. Here are a few standard industry practices to process cruise-related payments.
Identity Verification
Stolen credit card details can be easily used by anyone to pay for a cruise, if there are no relevant processes for identity verification. The payer should be asked for a government ID with an address on it, or any information that is usually not found on credit card. Since the practice is aimed at electronic processing of payments, there is every possible reason that an agent’s office can be set up to ask for such data. Asking for a photo ID makes a lot of sense, if the transaction is taking place across the desk. Comparing name or date of birth on the picture ID, along with signature on the documents is a great idea too.
Fund Availability
This is another important step to ensure you are not being hitched in any way. One should have processes in place to carry out fund verification, in order to make sure that sufficient funds are available to cover the costs. It should be confirmed that there is enough credit left to cover the transaction. On verification, a provisional hold is placed on that amount.
The process works in a similar way, if the cruise line is accepting electronic checks. A paper check is written by the client, followed by scanning a copy using a POS terminal. The scanned data along with the amount is transferred to the issuing bank. This procedure makes it easy to confirm that the check has been written on an active account.
Proprietary Data Protection
Regardless of what practices or policies are employed by the cruise line, client data protection is of utmost importance. This means utilization of secured hardware and software, which restricts unauthorized access. Unfair usage of stolen data is the last thing you need with your credit card. As a part of the plan, the cruise line ensures that all safety measures are in alignment with the standards employed for ACH processing. This is not only done for protecting the cruise line and the client, but also for many reasons beyond that. By taking this precaution, it is guaranteed that none of the parties will end up with loss, in case there’s a security breach.
If you are looking to book a cruise, always check out the type of protection provided, and the payment options you have. By doing this, you can easily avoid becoming a victim of identity theft or credit card fraud. Nobody would enjoy spoiling their cruise party, with the headache of erroneous payment processing.
Give us a call today at Nationwide Merchant Solutions, which is focused on bringing loyalty, transparency and integrity to the Merchant Services Industry. We are available 24/7 to assist you with payment processing solutions.