Looking at Google Analytics (yes, I’m addicted…) I noticed Google referred to our site someone who was looking for: “what does card not supported mean on a credit card machine”. Knowing the answer to this question is not there, I couldn’t leave that spot unattended…
When you receive the notice: “card not supported” on your credit card machine, it means just that – the specific card brand (or type) you are attempting to charge is not supported by your processor (or you are yet to register for processing that card brand).
99.99% of credit card processing providers will enable Visa and MasterCard processing, yet for processing American Express and Discover you almost always need to apply separately. If you failed to do so, or was not approved for processing these brands, trying to charge Amex or Discover will generate the notice you received.
There are plenty of other card brands: Diners Club, JCB, China UnionPay, BC, Maestro (Switch, Solo), Visa Debit, Carte Bleue, Girocard and many others… Check what card brands and types are supported by your processor, so you’ll know in advance which cards you can charge.
If your processor can only accept Visa and MasterCard, it might be the right time to look for alternatives… I personally switched to iPhone credit card processing, yet this has to be reported on a separate post.
Gidi Argov, Founder and CEO
www.CreditCardProcessing-r-us.com
Tags: card not supported
Hi Gidi,
thanks for the enlightening post. I myself knew the answer, I mean I managed to get to it after I saw the first “card not supported” on the screen; But I wanted to ask you about what I should do if I want to take it to the next level. How can I determine what brands I should accept and how much will it cost me?
Wow, Daniel, you just asked ‘The Million Dollar Question’…
You could surely search for the prevalence of the different brands and make sophisticated analyses, yet most chances are you don’t have to…
If you are the one making the sale, just ask yourself when was the last time you lost a sale due to not supporting a card brand, what was the brand and how much you lost.
When you have a couple of those that hurts, that’s the time to accept that card brand…
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