- With a mobile merchant account, a retailer can process a credit card transaction by entering the customer's card information on his cellphone to get an approval. But with a mobile account, he doesn't have a way to print a receipt and get a signature electronically. This is the most common scenario in which a retailer may need a card imprinter plate. The business owner uses the imprinter to get an impression of the credit card on a printed sales receipt after getting an approval. He then writes the approval code on the sales slip, asks the customer to sign the slip and gives a copy of the receipt to the customer. Any merchant account that doesn't come with an electronic printer terminal may require the use of a manual imprinter for the same reason.
- An imprinter is a rectangular device that has a handle on top to slide across a credit card. The imprinter plate is a piece of metal that you must place inside of the credit card imprinter before sliding the handle over the credit card. The plate contains raised letters and numbers that identify the merchant. You can purchase an imprinter plate from the same company that sold you the imprinter or from your merchant services provider.
- The imprinter should list the merchant's full business name along with contact information, including the business phone number, address, email and website address. In addition, you must add the merchant account you received from your merchant services provider and the establishment number that you use if you process American Express and Discover Card cards.
- The purpose of providing this information on an imprinter plate is to allow the customer to identify and contact the business, if necessary, regarding the charge. It is also necessary to have this identifying information on the transaction receipt for your own purposes as the merchant in case you have to prove the validity of the charge. You cannot transfer your imprinter plate to another business as it is unique to your own merchant account.
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