Queercents Professional Directory

Janice Langbehn and her partner Lisa Pond

By Barb Elgin, LCSW

I’m deeply honored and happy to announce that Janice Langbehn, one of the GLBT community’s biggest ’sheroes’ will appear on my podcast

GLBT Talk with Barb and Donna

on Tuesday evening 10/27/09 at 6:30p ET.

Janice’s story has been in the national spotlight recently as well as much of the last two or so years since her life took a dramatic turn.

In 2007 Janice’s partner of 18 years, Lisa Pond, died suddenly and unexpectedly due to a brain aneurysm, while they were getting ready to enjoy a family vacation together.  Janice and Lisa probably treasured the vision of that vacation more than most; over the years they’d been amazing foster parents of over 25 children!

As if Lisa’s death wasn’t painful enough, the way Janice was treated in the hospital during Lisa’s final hours was unthinkable.  I can promise you the details will anger you.

And, recently, Janice was treated wrongly again when she learned her lawsuit against the Florida hospital that mistreated her was thrown out of court. We are amazed by Janice and we can’t wait to talk to her to learn more about her life today, her loving family and to find out what’s next for her.

Donna and I are humbled that Janice has chosen to share with us personal information about her life and the details of her own tragedy.  I am certain that Janice’s continuing sacrifice is part of the fabric of gradually changing hearts and minds and leading society closer to full rights and equality for gay and lesbian couples.

Please come to the live show, meet Janice, ask her questions and give her support. We’re giving this show a full hour to be sure we have enough time.  If you are already a podcast subscriber, look for attendance details to arrive in your email inbox soon.  If you aren’t yet a podcast subscriber, click here to sign up.  It’s free!

Barb Elgin, MSW, LCSW, Certified Singles Coach, is Coach Sappho: America’s Favorite Lesbian Love Coach and Matchmaker.  Are YOU ready for love? Ready to find out?  Take Coach Sappho’s FREE Love Quiz.

© Copyright 2009, Barb Elgin.  All Rights Reserved.  Feel free to forward this article as long as attribution remains intact.

Disclaimer: The suggestions and feedback offered in this column are but one perspective of multiple approaches to dealing with problems or challenges. Information provided in articles and advice columns should not be used as a substitute for coaching or therapy when these services are needed. None of this information should be your only source when making important life decisions. This information should not be used for diagnosing or treating a particular problem, nor should it take the place of a consultation with a trained professional. It is your responsibility to consult a professional prior to making any life decisions.

I speak to so many women who are putting their love lives on hold.  Even women in long term relationships.  Are you putting your love life on hold?  Or, let me say it another way:

Could you be enjoying a more luscious lesbian love life?

Ohhh…la la!  I mean it.  If you are single and you can’t seem to ‘get it together’ to reach your dream of being ’settled in’ with a woman you can build an exciting future with, what are you waiting for?  I speak to too many single lesbians who complain of this fact.

Eternally single lesbians

I point out to the 30-something single lesbians I talk to that they may think they have ‘plenty of time’.  However, I then tell them that I talk to many 40 and 50-something single women who were amazed how fast time had gone.

There are one too many 40 or 50-something women who say they always ‘thought’ by now they’d be in the relationship of their dreams, but they are still single and they don’t understand why.  Or, they’ve had relationships but they were short-lived or unsatisfying.

Could it be many single women are working too hard and not playing enough? Could it be they have shame about celebrating their sexuality by having an amazing relationship with another woman?  Could it be they are telling themselves it just must not be ‘in the cards’ for them?

Most single lesbians are probably telling themselves some or all of these things and more.  Many express their inner insecurity by being cynical or by blaming the universe.  That’s what I observe…

Whatever has tripped you up, you can get over it.  I truly believe all of us are born ready to be loving (and be loved).  That’s a start.  Yes, it takes more than that, and you can learn those secrets too!  I promise…you may not always feel crazy about doing what you need to do to have a luscious lesbian love life, but you can learn what will work and do more of it.

If you are successful in your work, great.  Now take that success and use it to get some balance in your life.  Uncover the secrets to having a love life… 

Seriously…all of those lesbian event companies and activity organizations will love me when I say this: there are plenty of you single ladies out there that need to inject more socializing into your week.

Betcha didn’t know that it’s the ladies who go out at least two times a week who are most likely to be in a relationship in one year.  It’s true, according to one recent study of single women.

Long-Suffering Coupled Lesbians

In the old days they called her the ‘long suffering’ wife.  Is that you?  If you are in a relationship but you aren’t happy most of the time, and you are accepting that state of affairs, I would say you have put your love life ‘on hold’ too.

Only you can decide this and do something about it.  Yes, I know it can be scary to admit things aren’t so hot or copacetic these days.  But, don’t just assume your partner will take it personal.  Maybe she’s feeling the same way and afraid to talk about it like you are.

The bottom line for couples is that you are so fortunate to have what you have.  Perhaps part of your unhappiness stems from taking that fact for granted? No, you say, you do all you can to make things great and your partner won’t play along.

Well the good news is that just because it feels that way, that doesn’t make it so.  If you tend to blame your partner for the state of your relationship or your feelings about your relationship, you’ve gotten caught up in a rut.

Maybe it’s time to take a whole new path…the path of luscious lesbian living and loving.  Let’s start with your perspective.  The glasses through which you see reality.  Have they gotten a bit mud-clogged?

Perhaps it’s time to ‘clean off’ those glasses.  Did you know that in relationships where partners evaluate their partner and their relationship through rose-hued glasses, that is, where they tend to give their partner some ’slack’, the happier they are?  Makes sense doesn’t it?

When it comes to luscious lesbian loving, each partner takes responsibility for what she can control in any situation.  Not more, not less, but just what it is.  If my partner has a negative response to something I’ve said or done, even if I wouldn’t change what I did or said, I’d at least empathize with their feelings about it.  That in itself may be a simple start to something more yummy…try it…

No you can’t change your partner.  Nor should you try to as that will only irritate your partner.  But, you can change how you are responding to your partner.  You don’t have to just ‘react’ to her.

Reacting may seem more ‘honest’ to some, however, I would argue that successful couples seek their ‘best’ honesty in any situation, not whatever wants to spill out of one’s mouth.  Any old honesty is not necessarily the best policy…hehehe….

I know myself, I have to be careful not to be too ‘vocal’ when I am stressed or tired.  It is then I am most thoughtless.  How about you?

I’ll even go so far to say, why not give yourself that space?  How often do we forget to give ourselves such empathy?  Try it out and see if that wonderful lusciousness doesn’t spread to your relationships with others…

Give yourself a luscious moment, just for you, today, okay?  See you soon!

Barb Elgin, MSW, LCSW, Certified Singles Coach, is Coach Sappho: America’s Favorite Lesbian Love Coach and Matchmaker.  Looking for a fun, easy and inexpensive way to get more of what YOU want when it comes to love?  Be sure to join Barb as she launches Coach Sappho’s new book club ‘Let’s Talk About Love’, which begins 10/14/09.

© Copyright 2009, Barb Elgin.  All Rights Reserved.  Feel free to forward this article as long as attribution remains intact.

Disclaimer: The suggestions and feedback offered in this column are but one perspective of multiple approaches to dealing with problems or challenges. Information provided in articles and advice columns should not be used as a substitute for coaching or therapy when these services are needed. None of this information should be your only source when making important life decisions. This information should not be used for diagnosing or treating a particular problem, nor should it take the place of a consultation with a trained professional. It is your responsibility to consult a professional prior to making any life decisions.

A Greenwich Village restaurant in New York City recently stopped accepting cash payments from diners, now taking only credit or debit cards.  The owner states that it has sped up checkout and reduced concerns over employee pilferage and security concerns for bank deposits after hours,  As well, by shifting all of his revenue stream to his merchant account, he hopes the increased volume will result in a reduced rate from his bank card processor.

In Miami, Florida, a new policy will soon be implemented of no cash fares.  Instead, passengers will load funds onto special debit cards.  The cards will be “contact less”, meaning the rider merely taps the card against a terminal and fare is paid and deducted from their card balance.  Miami operates an extensive public transit system over one of the largest counties in the United States, and their system includes not only hundreds of buses but the elevated Metrorail train and downtown driverless elevated People Mover system.  The cost to count and process the vast daily load of coins and paper dollar bills has become prohibitive.  Passengers may still purchase weekly or monthly unlimited-ride passes as well.

These are only two examples of a growing and worldwide trend.  Handling cash requires extra security and background checks on employees and there is always the risk of robbery of the store or perhaps while making late-night bank drops.  Banks usually charge commercial customers to obtain rolls of coins and bills needed to stock cash registers and make change.

The cash register itself is now more and more replaced by a point of sale system (POS) that has the capability to scan bar coded merchandise and swipe plastic payment cards including credit, debit, gift and loyalty cards and get instant approval through a high-speed Internet connection.  The steel “cash” drawer below is becoming almost an afterthought and more often a storage drawer for signed customer receipts.

The Internal Revenue Service always more closely scrutinizes the tax returns and accounting records of traditional “all cash” businesses which have often been found to be hiding income or involved in illicit money-laundering schemes.  Accounting is simplified when all payments are processed electronically and direct-deposited into the business checking account, and those banking records easily integrated into any standard accounting software program.

And if cash is dying or dead, paper checks are definitely terminal.  Those businesses that do still accept checks from their customers almost always now utilize a process of check verification that compares the bank account number and customer drivers license to a national bad check database and then approves and electronically processes the transaction as an ACH debit out of the customer’s checking account that is direct-deposited into the merchant’s own business checking account.  The paper check is then handed back to the customer as a receipt.  No need for a daily trip to the bank to deposit checks!  This process of electronic check conversion is secure and has eliminated the risk of bad checks but is still more time-consuming than accepting the customer’s check card, and for this reason many businesses no longer accept checks at all.  Even business checking account customers are usually provided by their bank with a debit card for making purchases.  In addition, monthly invoices are often encouraged to be handled as automatic debits from the customer’s account, or paid via their bank’s online bill pay system.

For both consumers and businesses alike, the new federal Checks 21 regulation has made life easier.  A paper check may be scanned in and emailed or transmitted to their bank and deposited with Remote Deposit.  The new regulation states that such an electronic image of a check is just as valid as the presentation of the original check.  Bank of America’s ATM system now directly scans in deposited checks, no envelope is used, and the deposit instantly credited.

We are in the twenty-first century and truly entering a cashless world.  A business that is not utilizing these and other forthcoming electronic payment systems is wasting time and money and will find themselves increasing inefficient and competitively disadvantaged.

Your go-to expert and free consultant for electronic payments processing is your account executive with your merchants services provider.  They are familiar with all of the above strategies and can set up your accounts and provide all necessary hardware and software.

I recently added a new page to my site for merchants interested in setting up a gift card or loyalty card program for their retail business. The page includes links to sample cards, brochure, application and my contact information.  Just click the link below to visit my site!

Gift Card & Loyalty Card Programs

I, and most lesbians, face the proverbial ‘catch 22′ when it comes to getting adequate, competent health care.  If we come ‘out’ to our providers we take the chance it may negatively affect the treatment we’re given and if we’re not ‘out’ to our providers it may negatively affect the treatment we receive.

However, after reading an excellent article by Bonnie Osborn in the September 2009 issue of Jane and Jane Magazine entitled, ‘Feeling the Pinch: Health care inequities result in financial penalties for lesbian couples’, I was reminded that health ‘care’ is only one problem lesbians face in our current health care system.

Did you know lesbian couples are also penalized economically by the way our current health care system is set up?  And that this penalizing is repeated and compounded?

For example, even though two of my sisters stay at home and don’t work, they have health care through their husband’s employers.  And, even though another sister works, her husband stays home and receives full ’spouse’ benefits (including health care, life insurance, etc.).  And, I’m not even talking about all the children they have – eight between the three of them – who are covered on these various health care plans as well. Read the rest of this entry »

Your presence is often the best present.
- Quote on a piece of Dove chocolate I ate today

Now that we are past Labor Day and, in fact, living the day of 9/9/09, I just have to ask you…

Will you take time today, with all the hustle ‘n bustle (hehehe – I know silly ol’ saying), to enjoy the present? Yes it sounds so trite, however, I am just reminding you that you always have a choice to slow down and savor whatever it is you are doing, anytime YOU choose today.

When you do, notice what you ‘love’ about that moment.  And, make note of it.  Are you enjoying as many ‘presents’ as you can?  Are you enjoying what you are doing and, choosing to do more of what you enjoy? Read the rest of this entry »

Most non-profit organizations obtain the bulk of their revenue via various fund-raising strategies. Donations made online, In person, via mail or telephone. Sales of pumpkins for Halloween and Christmas trees. They run thrift stores, community centers, canteens and other retail enterprises. Accepting credit cards is a basic business necessity for them, and setting up the right kind of merchant account and having the optimal processing equipment are key to efficiency and savings for them.

Let’s first discuss merchant accounts. There are two basic types-retail and MOTO. MOTO stands for Mail Order / Telephone Order but has come to also include online (Internet) credit card processing.

A retail merchant account is best utilized at the point of sale when the customer is physically present and presents their card for payment. In fact, if this type of account is used to take cards for mail or phone or online orders, the merchant may be in violation of their contract, and manually inputting credit card numbers into a terminal also will result in the merchant paying a much higher “Non-Qualified” rate for that transaction. If the non-profit is running a store, great. A retail account will work fine.

The next question for a retail merchant account holder is what sort of terminal to utilize. Many non-profits have a “bricks and mortar” store, and in that case a conventional credit terminal next to the cash register or integrated into a computerized point-of-sale (POS) system is fine. However, what about selling those Christmas trees in a shopping center parking lot with electricity but no phone line? Or at fairs, festivals, etc., with similar conditions? For these events the non-profit would be best served to employ a wireless credit card terminal to swipe customers’ cards and get the lowest retail rate. The terminals usually work off packet radio signal and that service is available almost everywhere in the country now. The terminal prints a receipt for the customer to sign.

A MOTO account is often mandated by the merchant service provider if a majority of credit cards are not being physically presented by the customer, and this type of account will save the merchant money. Manually keying in credit card numbers and paying a non-qualified rate of 4% or more, versus around 2% for a MOTO account…the savings are obvious and will also keep the merchant compliant with processor regulations.

Some non-profits have a website and accept donations online. Some have employed Paypal or a similar service to process those donations. Paypal is easy to use but expensive, around 4%. The web designer who set up the non-profit’s website can easily build a new “Donate Now” button to route those transactions through a MOTO account and save the non-profit a lot of money.

There is a great service I offer many of my own merchants, non-profit and for-profit alike, it is called Trinity and allows processing of transactions three ways- online, cell phone and in-person retail via a swipe bar attached to a personal computer.

Sorting out the options is largely a matter of examining the number and type of transactions and dollar volume of same. If a non-profit is not selling very many items per month, a special wireless terminal will not save them money but be actually cost-prohibitive. If they only get an occasional online donation, Paypal may be more convenient than setting up a MOTO account.

As always, it is important to not try to make decisions in a vacuum, but in consultation with an experienced and trustworthy account executive from your merchant services provider (MSP) or bank.

Barb Elgin, MSW, LCSW

When it comes to today’s world, and especially the ‘internet world’, all of us are awash in a sea of information, aren’t we?  The same is definitely true when it comes to online dating and matchmaking.  And, as in all things in this life, there are some pros and cons to this state of affairs.

On the positive side, I look at today’s online environment for singles as a banquet or feast.  In addition to the ability to reach out and search practically anywhere in the world to find other women, the addition of testing to online search sites gives us some really cool ’systems’ and ‘theories’, if you will, that we can dive into, learn, take their tests and determine things like ‘your type’ and ‘those who might be attracted to or, complementary to, you’.

Then – on the negative or, ‘realistically optimistic’ side, or devil’s advocate position – think of the feeling you get when you’ve eaten (or drank) too much!  I don’t know about you, but its’ easy to become ‘overwhelmed’ by all of the ‘newfangled’ theories and methods available about love and dating on the internet today.

The good news is that there is significant power and resources being put behind the ‘problem’ of ‘finding a date, soul mate or life partner’.  There are several big time corporations now organized and powerful enough to do large scale research and development, beyond what your typical university or professor can do, and, for the most part, the results (and benefits to you) are worth considering.

One example of a ‘cutting edge’, research-based ‘compatibility’ system added on to your basic online dating is the Chemistry.com system.  I might be somewhat positively-biased on this one because I know Helen Fisher, the anthropologist who created the heart of their ‘personality typing’ and ‘matching’ system.

Helen’s system is based on her love: evolution and biology.  Her system attempts to define all of us as having a dominant ‘temperament’ based on four brain chemicals: testosterone, estrogen, dopamine and serotonin.  Sound similar to any other ‘personality typing’ systems you know?  Those of you who are into psychological testing might say: Myers-Briggs or the Enneagram.

I don’t know if Helen’s system is any more ’scientific’ than the Myers-Briggs, or if that even matters, anyway.  Has Fisher actually tested the brains of her subjects?  I doubt it.  I don’t even know if this sort of testing is even possible at this point.

It seems that these typing systems are intriguing, but, they have their critics.  I read an industry blog pretty regularly where a diverse group of business folk and researchers fight this out.  The social worker in me asks,

• What about the impact of social and psychological factors?
• What about those of us who don’t fall so strongly into one of the four categories?

From what I can see (from my corner of the universe – I am not, for example, a researcher), the state of the industry on this thing is that we may know, like we do with Helen’s system, who we are initially or naturally attracted to, but we still don’t really understand much about what separates those couples who do stay together over time from those who don’t.  Well, that’s not entirely untrue, but that’s a subject for another post.

It’s like the thing about finding a gay gene:  most likely there isn’t one gene, but a combination or interaction of many genes and, frankly, I hope they never find that exact combination out!

Now, what is really cool and undisputed about Helen’s work is the number of people she has access to study.  Helen says she has been able to study the responses of at least 4 million men and women, to date.  That is huge.  I’ve been communicating with Helen over the years and advocating for her to focus in on the lesbian community a bit more and, I emailed her earlier today to see if she is getting any further with that project.  (Of course I’ll let you know what I find out!)

So, Barb, you say, what does all of this mean for me?  Why should I care?  And, how do I use today’s online dating tools to my advantage?

To help you make greater sense of this ‘big ball o’ love’, I’ve come up with some simple tips you can follow, to help you use today’s online dating resources to your advantage.

TIP #1: Get clear what you are looking for before you look.

When a client says to me, ‘which dating site do I use or which one is best?’, I have to answer that first with a question: What is your vision for the ‘romantic relationship’ area of YOUR life? Your vision is very important, in terms of deciding what I would advise you do in terms of dating, partner searching, etc.

My bias is that lesbian women benefit in many ways when they make the conscious decision to value a deeply satisfying and lasting relationship as a centerpiece or, foundational element, of their life.  So my passion is helping the lesbian woman who is ready to become the kind of woman who does this well and help her find a woman she can build a deeply satisfying, lasting relationship with in this lifetime.  I believe it makes the most sense to focus most on becoming capable of long term love and finding a woman who is likewise capable of building a deeply satisfying, lasting relationship with you, in this lifetime.

Do you see the difference? I take this approach with my clients because I believe that creating a great love life for a lifetime is about so much more than who you are most naturally attracted to in a ‘chemical’ sense or ’static’ sense.  That’s because no one fits perfectly into a box and people change, over time.

Also important in the mix is the issue of envisioning the type of relationship (not just person) you want to create with another woman.

Looking at these other very important aspects, I think, round out the limitations of systems that test and type and put you into a box.  What I mean by ‘putting yourself’ (or a potential match) into a box is limiting yourself too much, or, relying too heavily on these types of assessments and tests.

Systems like Chemisty.com are incredibly useful and important, just don’t make them the only means of assessing, experimenting and observing you do.  For example, while these systems may help you save time and really focus in on women you would really be interested in dating, you still need to date each person you are attracted to, to determine if this is someone you want to build your life around.

So – to answer the question, ‘Which dating site is best for me?’, I would say there is no, as of yet, one ‘perfect’ method of finding your ‘perfect match’ (even if there is an online dating company named that).  So, don’t worry, chances are you aren’t ‘missing anything’!

While Helen Fisher may love the method she’s created, and many others love it too, Helen is smart enough to know that even her method has limitations.  The worst thing anyone can do is forget the ’spirit of the law’ or hit someone over the head with one of these methods.  Sorry to disappoint, but that’s important to remember!

TIP #2: Like investing in the stock market, your best bet is to diversify.  Use more than one resource – on and offline – when it comes to dating, up to the point of your feeling overwhelmed.

I suggest to all of my clients that, when it comes to finding compatible women to date, that they ‘cast the widest net’ possible, with the caveat – until you find it overwhelming.

Casting a wide net also includes using OTHER methods of meeting women, such as…

• telling your friends and family you want their help
• attending social events highly aligned with who you are and what you want
• using lower tech, higher touch services from a resource such as Coach Sappho (where I teach you how to take care of yourself and how to date in ways that result in you choosing a partner you CAN build an amazing future with)

So what’s my bottom line to date, on using online dating tools to your advantage in Attracting Mz. Right:

• Most importantly, have fun, no matter which tools and resources you choose!
• Try out different tools and ideas and approach each with a spirit of experimentation.  For example, why not take the next six months and date one woman each (either consecutively or, perhaps better, concurrently) from a variety of self-selected and ’selected for you’ resources, such as Lez Rendezvous, Chemistry.com, an introduction from friends or family who know you well and one woman you met at an event or activity that is highly aligned with your values.
• While you date these women, be clear up front if you are ‘dating non-exclusively now with the intention of finding a life partner in the near future’.  Most of us don’t take enough time to really ‘play the field’.  Now you are free to do so, if you so dare!  HINT:  date coaching can help!
• When it comes to the information these various online matchmaking and dating sites spit out on you and the women you date, remember, be careful about relying solely on this information.  You’ve still got to ‘date’!  Remember?  One of the processes I’m very wary of in today’s information saturated culture is becoming influenced too much or controlled by what we read.  When we take something that may not even be true for us to heart, we may stop being free to take the actions we could take ‘because this is the way I am’ or ‘because it’s hopeless’.
• Don’t overwhelm yourself by engaging in more systems than you can enjoy.  Everyone is different – some people may have time and energy to sign up for – and use – 5 of these types of systems whereas others should  instead focus on one or two.  I think it’s a waste to sign up for systems you end up not using or you barely use.  It’s better to get the most use you can out of one or two systems rather than spread yourself too thin and not achieve the best results you can from any one of them.

I think you’ll agree this is a fascinating subject and something I will probably spend more time blogging about!

Barb Elgin, MSW, LCSW, Certified Singles Coach, is Coach Sappho: America’s Favorite Lesbian Love Coach and Matchmaker.  Be sure to stop by www.coachsappho.com, pick up your FREE gifts as well as to learn about our exciting new singles club for lesbians and our community for lesbian couples.

© Copyright 2009, Barb Elgin.  All Rights Reserved.  Feel free to forward this article as long as attribution remains intact.

Disclaimer: The suggestions and feedback offered in this column are but one perspective of multiple approaches to dealing with problems or challenges. Information provided in articles and advice columns should not be used as a substitute for coaching or therapy when these services are needed. None of this information should be your only source when making important life decisions. This information should not be used for diagnosing or treating a particular problem, nor should it take the place of a consultation with a trained professional. It is your responsibility to consult a professional prior to making any life decisions.

By Barb Elgin, MSW, LCSW

I was a shy child.  Yes, it’s true.  If you don’t believe me, ask my classmates and friends from childhood.  And, I’m still not (and will never be) a total extrovert.  But I’m also living proof one can overcome and/or manage the type of shyness and, frankly wimpy-ness, that holds us back from the bigger opportunities and joys of life.

Why was I a shy (and maybe wimpy) child? Perhaps some of it is inborn.  But I think most of my shyness developed out of occurrences such as feeling different from others (the whole gay thing), being a girl (socialized to ‘be nice’ and ‘not have my own mind’) as well as a lack of understanding and support from authority figures such as parents and teachers and, perhaps even bullying from others who may have been just as shy as me, but compensated in that way to overcome their shyness.

I was sitting in the hairdressers yesterday waiting to have my hair cut and I came across an article on shyness, in, of all magazines, Ladies Home Journal (okay, hold your jokes!).  So, between running across this article and, having my fair share of discussions with clients recently on this very topic, particularly as it relates to lesbian dating and relationships and career advancement I thought I’d post about shyness.

Read the rest of this entry »

Debit card issuance is rising in the United States, according to both Visa and Mastercard.  Visa reported a 16.5% increase in debit card issuance  last year; Mastercard says debit card issuance rose 10.5% in the same period.  Not surprisingly, both credit card associations also reported a substantial dip in credit card transactions and an increase in debit card transactions.

What does this mean to you, the merchant?  Well, with more debit cards coming into use, you will see an increase in the number of your own customers that will present a debit card for payment at the register, versus a credit card.

In today’s economy many people have maxed out their credit cards or have damaged their credit and can’t qualify for an actual credit card.  Then there is the growing sector known as “The Unbanked”, individuals who are not in the banking system, either by choice or due to credit problems.  These people often carry pre-paid debit cards purchased at check cashing stores, etc.  They load cash onto the cards and use them just like any bank-issued debit card.  The cards carry either the Visa or Mastercard hologram.

Debit cardholders may elect to have you swipe their card as either debit, requiring the customer to enter their Personal Identification Number (PIN), or have you swipe their card as “credit”.

Most merchant normally actually ask the customer, “Debit or credit?”  This is not the way to save yourself money on transaction processing costs.  As most merchants know, the cost is much less to process a transaction as debit than credit.  Debit transactions do not run through the Visa or Mastercard interchange network, and thus bypass their fees.  A typical credit card transaction might cost a merchant 1.6% and 20 cents transaction fee.  To process that same transaction as a debit, the cost is typically 0.7% and 30 cents.  The difference will average roughly $100 savings per $10,000 in sales. ( In this example, 1.6% would represent a transaction at the lowest tier, known as Qualified.  If the card has rewards, such as cash back or airline miles, it would run as Mid-qualified at around 2.7% or more.  A business or corporate or foreign card at 4% or more.)

So why would you leave the choice of processing to the customer?  They don’t care, trust me.  What you should be doing every time you take a debit card is swiping it as debit and presenting the PIN keypad to the customer so they can enter their PIN.  If you ever get a customer who for some odd reason really prefers to run the transaction as credit, just hit your cancel button and re-swipe as credit.  Some pre-paid debit cards do carry a transaction fee to the cardholder for credit swipe transactions and I have met people who incorrectly believed their bank would charge them a fee for a PIN debit transaction.

Being proactive like this can save you thousands of dollars a year, and with debit card use on the rise, processing debit cards properly will become ever more critical.

What’s that you say?  You don’t have a PIN keypad?  Well, contact your account executive with your merchant processor and order one today.  They cost anywhere from $100 to $300 and are often available refurbished.

Many credit card terminals actually have a PIN pad function built in, the customer enters their PIN directly on your terminal keyboard.  Check if your terminal does this.

One final remark about the savings by processing a debit card as debit versus credit.  Depending upon what your merchant services provider (MSP) is charging you for debit card PIN-based transaction versus credit card, there is a price point below which you may save money by choosing to swipe a debit card as a credit card.  Example:    You sell ice cream cones.  Average sale ticket is $10 for a family’s purchase.  To process as a PIN-based debit,  the cost to you will be .70% plus 30 cents.  That comes out to 7 cents and 30 cents= 37 cents to process as debit.  As a credit sale it would be 1.6% and perhaps 15 cents so that comes out to 16 cents plus 15 cents = 31 cents.  6 cents lower that a PIN-based debit sale.  Not a big difference for one sale, but multiplied out to a month’s sales volume it amounts to a bit of money you might be wasting.  You will have to run your own numbers depending on your own processing costs.

What’s that you say?  You don’t know exactly what you are paying to process plastic?  Well, you need to find out!

My own company, the merchant services provider for whom I am an account executive, offers a free analysis of your recent merchant account statement.  We break down what you pay for all three tiers of credit cards (known as Qualified, Mid-qualified and Non-qualified) as well as the various monthly fees that may be tacked on, and we the, side by side, show you what we propose to charge and what your bottom-line savings could be by switching your merchant processing to us.  All in one neat and easy-to-read page.  Free.  I have looked at many merchant account monthly statements in my time and most can be very confusing to the customer.

We are entering a cashless era in society and the ability to take electronic payments – credit and debit cards, gift and loyalty cards, electronic check processing and more – is a crucial aspect of running your business, and managing the associated costs is just good business.