General
Credit Card Number Sharing: Security Measures Across Reservations
In the dynamic landscape of hospitality and reservation management, safeguarding sensitive information, particularly credit card details, is not just a best practice—it's a regulatory requirement. One of the primary reasons credit card numbers cannot ...
Repost an Unsettled CC Transactions
A transaction might be returned as unsettled by the credit card processor during the batch settlement for various reasons, including: Insufficient Funds*, Authorization Declined*, Technical Issues*, Communication Errors*, Cardholder Dispute*, or ...
Pre-authorizing a guest credit card before check-in
Pre-authorizing a credit card in advance with the goal of expediting the check-in process and minimizing delays is not recommended. Such pre-authorization should only be undertaken when the intention is to secure a deposit. Pre-authorization is ...
Authorization Release at Check-Out
During the check-out process, when we release an authorization, our system transmits a transaction with a $0.00 amount to supersede the initial authorization. It's important to note that we do not execute a traditional "void" operation on the ...
Saving the CVV number of a Credit Card in Visual Matrix
The CVV number is data that cannot be retained or stored. A card verification code or value (referred to as CAV2, CVC2, CVV2, or CID, depending on the payment brand) is a 3- or 4-digit number found on a payment card's front or back. These values are ...
Regular Refunds vs Independent/Blind Refunds
Regular refunds and independent/blind refunds are two different concepts related to the process of issuing refunds, typically in a financial or business context. Here's an explanation of the key differences between them. Regular Refunds Regular ...
Utilizing Visual Matrix to Mitigate Chargebacks: Strategies and Best Practices
A hotel can utilize Visual Matrix to help prevent chargebacks through several strategies. Remember that while these strategies can help reduce the risk of chargebacks, they may not eliminate them entirely. Collaboration with payment processors, ...
See the list of authorizations (Desktop)
There is not a list of every authorization in the system, however, you can view the detail of any card on a reservation to see the authorization(s) on that card. - Open the reservation, click on the Method of Payment drop down and choose credit card ...
EMV Payment posting on a Folio
The information showed in this article only applies to Elavon and Fortis Pay processors. When a credit card payment is posted through an EMV device, some extra informations will show on the folio. - APPN: Type of credit card used. - AID: Application ...
Saving Credit Cards: Manual Entry vs PinPads EMV?
In Visual Matrix Since every credit card number has been tokenized, Visual Matrix does not keep credit card information on its systems. To ensure the highest level of security, we collaborated with many credit card gateways/processors (Shift4, ...
Credit Card Authorization: Current Auth Amount vs Previous Auth Amount
The difference between these two types of authorization is very important to understand. Both can be found in the Credit Card window and should normally be identical most of the time. Definitions The "Current Auth Amount" is the amount that Visual ...
See how a credit card was entered in Visual Matrix
When a property is using EMV, Visual Matrix does not show how the credit card was entered/captured. It will show "Y" or "N" in the "Swiped" column of the credit card details but this may not recognize every method like the contactless chip. There is ...
The Life of a Credit Card Authorization
Source: https://midigator.com/blog/the-authorization-process/
My processor is changing, do I have to do anything with Visual Matrix?
Indeed, the transition process depends on whether the change is at the processor or the gateway level. Processor Change If the change is within processors (e.g., Elavon, Shift4, Fortis Pay), and the gateway/platform remains the same, there is ...
From Visual Matrix to the Pin Pad and back, the Process Flow of a Credit Card Request
(1) The Processor response includes the token and successful or decline of the authorization (more information about decline reasons). (2) It is important for the Front Desk to confirm the authorization in Visual Matrix BEFORE the guest retrieves the ...
Enter Credit Card Voice Auth (Desktop)
On VM Desktop PMS, you cannot enter a Voice Auth if your interface is not offline or if the credit card is not declined first. If you had to get voice authorization because your interface was offline or because of an outage and now you need to enter ...
What if the CLEAR button is not used before entering a new Credit Card number
If you do not use the CLEAR button before entering a new credit card number and process to the payment, the old credit card number will be the one that will be charged. Whether you are working on VM Desktop or VM Cloud, it is imperative to use the ...
Guest Credit Card swiped over the OTA Virtual Credit Card
It happens! But don't panic, the original credit card you need to use is still on file! This can occasionally happen during the check-in process. Instead of doing the check-in with the virtual credit card and going onto Folio B to save the guest's ...
Find the Voice Auth to use in the Voice Auth field (Voice Auth vs Voice ID)
A Voice Authorization is a security measure used by the credit card industry to ensure that a particular purchase is being authorized by the actual card-holding customer and not someone else. A voice authorization request occurs when your customer’s ...
Following the Status of my Credit Card Gateway Outage
Sometimes, you cannot process a credit card because there is an issue with your Gateway - Shift4, Elavon, Moneris or Tsys. Each of them has its own URL you can go to follow the status of an outage: - Fortis: https://status.epicpay.com/ - Elavon: ...
A future guest has been authorized by mistake
How long does an authorization hold last? In the case of debit cards, authorization holds can fall off the account, thus rendering the balance available again, anywhere from one to eight business days after the transaction date, depending on the ...
Credit Card Encryption Key (Desktop)
This article is only for VM Desktop users who process credit cards through Vital/Visanet/Tsys or Moneris. What the encryption key looks like The Encryption Key is a USB key/stick with a security 3/4kb file on it without which you will not be able to ...
Release an Authorization
Once an authorization is done, the only way to release it is to use it. Regardless of the action taken, whether it's releasing an authorization, releasing held funds, or issuing a refund to a credit card, it's important to note that funds will not be ...
Credit Card Authorization vs Capture vs Batch Settlement
When processing payments in a hotel setting, it's important to understand the steps involved in handling guest credit cards, from securing an authorization to finalizing the transaction through settlement. These steps—authorization, capture, and ...
See the list of authorizations (Cloud)
There is not a list of every authorization in the system, however, you can view the detail of any card on a reservation to see the authorization(s) on that card. - Open the reservation and go to the Payment Info; - Click on the pencil to open the ...
Token Number vs Real Credit Card Number
What is a Token Number? A token number is the credit card number encrypted. The number is only valid between Visual Matrix and the credit card processor. There are multiple types of token. Visual Matrix does encounter 2 types: - Merchant ...
Refund a Settled Credit Card Payment in a City Ledger Account
Once a credit card payment has been settled, whether it is in a folio or in the City Ledger, it cannot be voided. A refund has to be posted. As you cannot post a refund directly in a City Ledger Account like you would post a payment, you will need to ...
Credit Card Swipers
Credit Card Swipers are Plug and Play devices. They should show a green light when not being used. If they show a yellow or red light, the device more than likely needs to be replaced. If the light is green on the swiper and swiping a card in Visual ...
Credit Card Transaction Process
We do not think much about what goes into making the credit card process work. Simply insert a credit or debit card into a machine, and a few seconds later, the transaction is complete. However, behind this convenient payment option, the procedure ...