June 24, 2009
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News: Merchant Link Introduces Secure CC Processing
Merchant-Link, LLC (ML) a provider of technical support and credit card processing to point of sale (POS) and electronic payment industry for the hospitality industry will soon be offering TransactionVault to hotels that would protect them from credit card breaches. The new upgrade will protect guest data and provide cost effective maintenance of Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS). The new system uses "Keys" which removes the customer's credit card information and replaces it with a unique key for added security. The actual card information is kept at a Merchant Link secure data center. The new technology has already been successfully implemented across the restaurant industry over the past two years.
TransactionVault will be offered as an upgrade to users already running with Micros Opera Property Management System (OPERA PMS) version 5.0.2.0. Hotels typically retain credit card information longer than other industries due to the nature of their business. Services are provided on a longer time period than a single transaction in a restaurant and retail environment. The hospitality industry holds credit card numbers on file from the time the guest makes their reservation to the time of check out. The information often passes through several employees hands putting the customers' information at great risk for fraud and identity theft. Additionally, some hotels keep customer's card information on file for the convenience of corporate accounts.
TransactionVault benefits hotels by providing the cost savings in meeting PCI-DSS requirements and gives greater peace of mind to customers knowing their card information is fully protected. The systems new card-to-key process gives hotels operating within the same corporate or chain the same key for each guest's card. It also allows hotels to track guest transactions and provide analysis for marketing purposes in a secure environment. Merchant Link became an industry leader when it co-developed and certified technology to securely process credit card transactions via the internet back in 2004.