Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Chapter 11: Key Concept

PAYMENT SYSTEMS FOR ECOMMERCE

Key Concept
This chapter focuses on the variety of forms of payment that are available online and the advantages and disadvantages of some different options. Electronic cash is used a lot online and there are advantages and disadvantages for it as well. Electronic wallets are also used in e-commerce, along with stored-value cards. This chapter explains how transactions work online and what is more beneficial.

Payment Cards
- credit cards, debit cards, charge cards
- credit card: VIsa, Mastercard - spending limit based on users credit history
- card not present transactions: online and telephone purchases
- debit card: removes $$ from cardholder's bank
- charge card: American Express, no spending limit
- single-use cards: valid for only one transaction
Advantages and Disadvantages
A:
-
provide fraud protection
- worldwide acceptance
D:
-
charge merchants per-transaction fees and monthly processing fees
Payment Acceptance and Processing
Opened and Closed Loop Systems
- closed: card issuer pays merchangts that accept the dard directly and does not use intermediary (bank)
- open loop: third party processes a transaction
- credit card associations: visa, m/c, operated by banks who are members in associations
- custoemr issuing banks: issue credit cards to individual consumers, responsible for establishing customer credit limits
Merchant Accounts
- merchant bank: bank that does business with sellers that want to accept payment cards
Processing Payment Cards Online
- payment processing service providers: software that handles payment card processing automatically
- automated clearing house: services connect to this and a credit card authorization company

Electronic Cash
- any value storage and exchange system created by private entity that doesn't use paper documents or coins, serve as a substitute for govn't issued physical currency
Micropayments and Small Payments
-
internet payments for items costing from a few cents to approx a dollar
- small payments: less than $10
Advanatages:
- more efficient
- costs less than processing credit card transactions
- additional costs are nearly zero
Disadvantages
- no audit trail
- money laundering: convert money that they have obtained illegally into cash that they can spend without having it identified as proceeds of illegal activity
- susceptible to forgery
_ not a global commercial success
Providing Security for Electronic Cash
- anonymous electronic cash: cannot be traced back to the person who spent it
- cryptographic algorithms create tamperproof electronic cash that can be traved back to its origins
Electronic Cash Systems
- interoperable software: runs transparently on variety of hardware configurations and on diff software systems
CheckFree: largest online billing processor, provide online payment processing services to large corporations and individual internet users
Clickshare: aimed at magazine and newspaper publishers
Paypal: earns profit on the float: money deposited in paypal accounts and not used immediately

Electronic Wallets
- holds credit card numbers, electronic cash, owner identification, and owner contact info and provides that info at an electronic commerce site's checkout counter
- stores customers info on remote server belonging to particular merchant
- client-side electronic wallet: stores consumers info on his or her own computer - not portable
Microsoft . NET Passport
-
server-side e-wallet operated by microsoft
Yahoo Wallet
- completing order forms automatically with identifying info and credit card payment info

Stored-Value Cards
- elaborate smart card with a microchip or plastic card with magnetic strip that records the currency balance - smart card can store larger amounts of info and includes processor ship on card
Magnetic Strip Cards
- hold value that can be recharged by inserting them into the appropriate machines, inserting cuurency into the machine, withdrawing the card, strip stores increased cash value
Smart Cards:
- stored-value card that is plastic with an embedded microchip that can store info, can store 100 x's the amount of info that a magnetic strip can store
- safer than conventional credit cards, info is encrypted


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