While Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS) compliance has been an important consideration for merchants for many years, and reports of new breaches are constantly splashed across the headlines (think Target and Home Depot), a large number of businesses are failing to make the fulfillment of PCI DSS requirements a true priority.

Just a few years ago, the result of the U.S. economy’s financial crisis impacted countless family members, neighbors, friends and colleagues – people lost their homes and their jobs, and many companies dissolved.

As more consumers and business owners test out various ‘cashless’ methods – debit cards and mobile payments for instance – to pay and receive payment for goods and services, the days of dollars and coins may eventually become a faded memory.

From online bill payments to booking airfare and hotel rooms, consumers rely on debit and credit to fuel their daily lives. If you’re thinking about accepting cards for payment and want to know the true advantages for your business, here are some factors to consider:

Did you know that debt collection is expected to grow by 23 percent by 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics? The main reason: An increasing number of consumers and merchants are falling back on their bills.

As a busy business owner, have you had any time to actually follow the latest news about the migration to EMV payment cards?

Remember the good ol’ days of making payments?

Alpha IT partners with BillingTree for merchant services and Payrazr payment solutions

With constantly emerging technology on the horizon, it’s an exciting time to be in the payments processing industry.

By SubPrime Auto Finance News Staff – BillingTree highlighted four main observations from its Consumer Finance Business Strategy and Technology Survey 2015; a project geared to try to understand the usage of payment technology solutions and the priorities of decision-making consumer lending professionals as well as to establish a benchmark to examine year-over-year trends as the industry navigates a shifting business and regulatory environment.