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13 Feb 2024

The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has called for a series of cost-saving measures in the next Budget to help boost business.

12 Feb 2024

People across England are missing out on a slew of health, wellbeing and environmental benefits due to half a century of “chronic underfunding” of its streets, according to Cycling...

12 Feb 2024

ACT member and Cytech-accredited Pauls Cycles in Dereham, Norfolk has said its electric bike sales have increased by a quarter since October, despite predictions they would drop off over...

9 Feb 2024

Guy Opperman, the Minister for Roads and Local Transport at the Department for Transport, whose focuses among other things on cycling and active travel, has attended a meeting of...

2 Feb 2024

The Department for Transport (DfT) has published new information on how to safely purchase, charge and use e-bikes and e-scooters in an effort to improve consumer safety.
Following...

30 Jan 2024

Cyclists in Warwickshire rode around the world during December as part of an initiative to encourage safe winter cycling.
 

30 Jan 2024

An  analysis of almost 380,000 people living in Scotland suggests that commuting by bike reduces the risk of mental ill-health.

30 Jan 2024

A North Yorkshire cycle shop, which has become one of the largest bike businesses in the area, is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary.

30 Jan 2024

For our latest retailer profile, we spoke with Dallas Wiseman from BikeWise & Run, a Ceredigion-based bike shop that has become a hub for cyclists in the region.

30 Jan 2024

New data from market research firm Mintel suggests the UK bicycle market could on the road to recovery, with sales of new bikes set to reach almost £1 billion this year.
Mintel...

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Updated guidance on Strong Customer Authentication (SCA)

Posted on in Business News , Cycles News

UK Finance have announced that from 1 June 2021 you must be ready to support Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) if your business accepts online card payments.

If your online checkout for card payments does not meet the new legal requirements for SCA, customers may not be able to buy from you.

Strong Customer Authentication is the way your bank or payment services provider verifies your identity or validates a specific payment instruction is changing. These changes are designed to reduce the risk of a fraudster pretending to be you to steal your money. Your customers' checkout experience will be different, they will be required to complete an extra security step to complete the purchase. 

 

What do I need to do now to minimise business disruption?

  1. Contact the organisation responsible for processing your online card payments for help getting ready
  2. Familiarise yourself with SCA and understand the impact on your customers' checkout experience
  3. Update and test your checkout processes well in advance of 1 June 2021 to minimise your customers' online card payments from being declined

The benefits of SCA:

✓ Reduced fraudulent transactions - reducing your losses
✓ Improved customer satisfaction - confidence and loyalty
✓ Shift in liability - from you to your customer's card provider
 

What could happen if I'm not ready?

X Loss of online sales - customers abandoning or being declined at checkout
X Loss of customers - to more secure competitors
X Reduced customer satisfaction - due to increased friction and payments being declined 
 
 

Finding the best card processing service for you

The ACT and ActSmart have partnered with two card processing partners to ensure the we can provide the best solution for all business.
 
We recommend Global Payments for established businesses with medium to high card turnover and Paya Card Services for new and smaller businesses with lower card volumes.
 
To find out more about which service is best for your business please visit the ActSmart site here or ACT site here.

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