#payments
Payments
Manage payment processing, tracking, and reconciliation efficiently
U.S. Bank's $25 Enhanced Payments Bundle: When Paying for Faster Money Movement Actually Makes Sense
U.S. Bank's Enhanced Payments bundle charges $25/month to cut same-day ACH from $3 to $1.70, instant payments to $0.75, and domestic wires to $16. Break-even math shows it pays off at roughly 11 instant payments or 19-20 same-day ACH transactions a month — here's how to run the numbers for your business.
Wise vs. Payoneer for Freelancers: What Cross-Border Payments Really Cost in 2026
Wise converts at the mid-market rate for roughly 0.4%–0.6% on major pairs; Payoneer charges 1% to receive non-local currency plus up to 2% FX markup. A fee-by-fee comparison for freelancers, a use-both workflow that routes marketplace payouts through Payoneer and conversions through Wise, and how to book realized FX gains and losses.
Fiserv's July 2026 Rate Hike: How to Spot It on Your Clover or First Data Statement
Fiserv's July 2026 increase raises interchange-plus markups by 0.05% plus $0.03 per authorization and tiered rates by up to 0.40% — the fourth hike in 18 months for Clover and First Data merchants. Here's how to calculate your effective rate, identify your pricing model, and find the fees hiding on your statement.
SAS 150 Explained: Auditors Must Now Confirm Cash Held by Payment Processors, PEOs, and Escrow Agents
The AICPA's SAS 150, issued July 2026, requires auditors to independently confirm cash and cash equivalents held by third parties — payment processor balances, PEO trust accounts, and escrow arrangements — effective for audits of periods ending on or after December 15, 2028. Here is what the standard changes, why it exists, and how audited businesses should prepare.
Your Auditor Will Soon Have to Prove Your Cash Actually Exists — Even If You Never See It
AICPA SAS No. 150, issued July 2026 and effective for periods ending on or after December 15, 2028, requires auditors to externally confirm cash held by third parties — payment processor reserves, PEO payroll trust accounts, and escrow balances — unless narrow risk-based conditions are met. Here is what changes for audited businesses and how to prepare your books.
Check Fraud Is Still the #1 Payment Threat in 2026 — Here's What to Do About It
The 2026 AFP Payments Fraud Survey found 76% of U.S. organizations faced payment fraud in 2025, with paper checks the top target at 58% — ahead of ACH debits (30%) and wires (25%). Here's a practical small-business defense checklist, from Positive Pay and ACH filters to callback verification and weekly reconciliation.
Friendly Fraud Is Now 75% of eCommerce Disputes: A Small Merchant's Guide to Fighting Chargebacks
Friendly fraud costs eCommerce merchants an estimated $132 billion a year and now accounts for roughly 75% of all disputes, yet merchants win only 8.1% of manually contested chargebacks. Here's how small merchants can prevent disputes, use Visa CE3.0 evidence, stay under the 1.5% VAMP ratio, and track the true cost in their books.
Nuvei's $2.75 Billion Payoneer Acquisition: What It Means for Freelancers and Cross-Border Sellers
Nuvei is acquiring Payoneer for $7.40 per share in a $2.75 billion all-cash deal announced June 15, 2026, expected to close mid-2027. Here's what the merger means for freelancers and marketplace sellers who rely on Payoneer — and why fees, FX spreads, and platform integrations are worth watching over the next year.
Swift's Blockchain Ledger Goes Live: What Tokenized Deposits Mean for Small-Business Cross-Border Payments
On July 9, 2026, Swift announced its blockchain-based shared ledger for tokenized deposits is ready for live pilots with 17 banks including HSBC, Citi, UBS, and Wells Fargo — a move that could turn 3-5 day international wires into same-day, 24/7 transfers. Here's how tokenized deposits differ from stablecoins and CBDCs, and what small businesses paying overseas contractors and suppliers should do now.
The $38 Billion Visa–Mastercard Swipe-Fee Settlement: What Small Businesses Can Now Surcharge, Decline, and Discount at the Register
In June 2026 a federal judge preliminarily approved the $38 billion Visa–Mastercard settlement, cutting average credit interchange by about 0.1 point for five years, capping standard consumer cards at 1.25% for eight years, and — with no sunset date — letting merchants surcharge by card type or decline premium card categories. Here is what the settlement permits, which states still ban or cap surcharging, and the network compliance checklist to follow before changing point-of-sale pricing.
How Merchant Category Codes Control Your Business Credit Card Rewards — and Your 1099-K
A Merchant Category Code (MCC) is a four-digit classification assigned to merchants by payment processors. It decides whether a business credit card's bonus categories trigger, shapes a merchant's interchange fees, and appears in Box 2 of IRS Form 1099-K — which returns to a $20,000 and 200-transaction threshold for tax years 2025 and beyond.
NCUA Preempts State Interchange-Fee Laws: What the Credit Union Rule Means for Your Business
On June 30, 2026, the NCUA issued an interim final rule declaring that federal law preempts state laws — like Illinois's Interchange Fee Prohibition Act — that bar interchange fees on the sales-tax and tip portions of card transactions for federal credit unions. Here is what the rule says, why the litigation is far from over, and how small businesses should track card-processing costs while the rules stay unsettled.