GoFuckYourself.com - Adult Webmaster Forum - View Single Post - What's wron,g with epassporte these days?

SmokeyTheBear · 12-01-2004, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kimmykim
The pending charge situation isn't really an ePassporte issue, if I looked at it correctly. (Though I did get the other one cleared for you asap once you emailed me -- you need to use kimmy@ when you email me, that other one is for my business eP account and I don't check it much fyi -- )

When a merchant puts an authorization request on an account number, be it eP or B of A or anyone, they have a certain amount of days to redeem the auth, which is turning it in for cash to the interchange system. After the number of days they are allowed to redeem goes by without them requesting the funds, then the auth is dropped and the funds are released.

Different types of merchants have different amounts of time in which to redeem their authorizations and this is indicated to the interchange system by their BIN codes, which is a part of their Merchant ID or Terminal ID when they request the original authorization.

Some merchants use older terminal systems or processing software and sometimes double authorize, or they will redeem for a different amount than they authorized for, such as a restaurant adding on the tip. Their agreement with their bank allows them to do this and there's nothing shady about it, nor is there anything that an issuer can do, since it's an agreed upon part of the card processing service.

When multiple auths are made against an account, the system -- be it eP or a bank -- or an auth is made and not redeemed immediately but is still within the redemption time the merchant has, then the auths sit there until they drop, since technically the merchant could come back for the funds in a few days and if the issuing bank released them prior to the auth dropping, it's possible to put a debit account into the negative or a credit account over the limit.

I was at B of A the other day making a deposit and heard the head teller explaining this to a very irate customer who was pissed that his debit card, and thus his checking account, didn't have all the funds he thought he should have available, just as an aside.

WOW kimmykim thats the best reply EVER !!!