In this article:

  • Minimize the chance of chargeback

  • Tips for taking card payments

  • Security tips to prevent fraud

  • Important Reminders

Minimize the chance of chargebacks

A chargeback happens when the customer contacts their bank to file a dispute instead of contacting the merchant for their money back. (Learn more about chargebacks here.) To minimize the chance of an accidental chargeback, consider the following steps: 

  • Your business name should be recognizable. Make sure that the business name you entered during your SumUp account registration is recognizable to your customers because this is the name that will appear on your clients’ bank statements. If you’d like to change the business name, please contact our Support Team.

  • Avoid duplicate payments. When using the SumUp App, you’ll receive live confirmation as to whether or not the payment was successful. This is marked by a green checkmark in the Sales tab of your SumUp App, at which point you can provide the customer with a receipt. If it wasn’t successful, you will see a red cross or a red exclamation mark. Additionally, you can always check your Sales History in your SumUp App or in your SumUp Dashboard at sumup.me. For a guide on how to check your Sales History, click here.

  • Respond promptly to retrieval requests from SumUp. Any retrieval requests will be sent to the email address associated with your SumUp account. Both customers and card-issuing banks may request copies of sales and credit drafts. Learn more about retrieval requests here.

  • Tell your customers what to expect. Inform your customers in advance that SumUp will appear on the bank statement, and your business name will be shown in the reference (SUMUP* business name). This will help to prevent a situation when your customer can’t identify the charge on their bank statement.

  • Send a receipt or invoice. Through the SumUp App, you can send a receipt to your customer by email or text message (or connect a compatible printer). Providing your customers with a receipt ensures they have a reminder/proof of the payment in case they have difficulties identifying the charge on their bank statement. If your customer wants to make a payment with a company/corporation credit card, please request to send a copy of the receipt to the company's accounting department. Learn more about invoices here.

Tips for taking card payments

  • If you need to refund a customer for a transaction, always issue the refund directly back to the payment card. If you must provide a refund via cash, check, or money order, make sure to get a signed agreement that your customer received the refund.

  • In-person payments are the best way to ensure a successful and secure card-present transaction.

  • Chip-and-signature provides added security when used with the SumUp Card Reader.

  • Make sure the credit card is not damaged—physically holding the card during the payment transaction will allow you to examine the card.

Security tips to prevent fraud

  • Make sure that the credit card belongs to the client.

  • Match billing and shipping addresses. If you are shipping an item, check whether the billing and shipping addresses match. If they don’t match, ask your customer why. Their answer should make practical sense. If it doesn’t, do not accept the payment. If you have any questions about accepting a payment, always feel free to contact us.

  • Validate the payments with the customer’s signature. In certain cases the customer will be asked to sign on the screen of your smartphone/tablet. Compare the signature to the back of the card. Check additional identification if necessary. If the card is unsigned, request to see a photo ID that has a signature, and have the cardholder sign the card. If possible, request the payment to be performed with another card. Never sign the screen on behalf of the customer. Remember, with the Chip and Signature payments, the merchants have the responsibility to check the legitimacy of the signature.

  • Double-check identity for large transactions. For a high amount (e.g. $1,000 or more) transactions make sure to request a photo ID to check the card belongs to the client, and keep copies of signed invoices. Learn more about invoices here.

  • Delivery Confirmation. If you are shipping a product, make sure to keep the tracking information and a delivery receipt. For large orders, require a signature confirmation at delivery.

Important Reminders

  • Always enter the full amount of the sale—do not break the sale into several smaller amounts. It’s against the terms and conditions of our banking partners to split one amount into several transactions to avoid the security limits of your customer’s card. Our SumUp security system does include measures to detect split transactions. Additionally, in the event of a split transaction, the chargeback would occur on all of the transactions, not just on the one.

Never sign the screen on behalf of the customer. When prompted, always validate the payment with a signature (without a signature, the official representation of the information request/chargeback won’t be acknowledged by the issuer).