Handbooks

Handbook F-1 Revision: Policy for Accepting Credit Cards

Effective July 19, 2007, Handbook F-1, Post Office Accounting Procedures, is revised with a new policy for accepting credit cards at Post Offices™ and postal retail units.

Handbook F-1, Post Office Accounting Procedures

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3 Managing Postal Funds

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31 Acceptable Payment for Postal Goods and Services

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317 Credit and Debit Cards

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[Revise title and text of 317.3 to read as follows:]

317.3 Credit Card Acceptance Procedures

Credit card acceptance procedures are as follows:

1. Swipe all cards through the magnetic card reader; follow prompts. If the card is approved, a receipt will print.

2. If a card has been swiped three times, the terminal will prompt for a manual entry of the embossed card number.

3. The customer must sign the system-generated receipt.

 

For these credit cards…	The signature on the receipt must match…
American Express, Carte Blanche, Diners Club, Discover Card, and MasterCard	The signature on the back of the card and the name embossed on the front of the card.
Visa and JCB	The signature on the back of the card.

4. Do not accept unsigned cards; however, if an unsigned card is presented, the following must occur to accept the card as payment:

• The customer must sign the back of the credit card.
• The customer must provide two forms of identifi­cation; one must be a photo ID.
• The signature must match identification.

5. Cards with the words “See ID” or containing two sig­natures on the signature panel may not be accepted (applies to both personal and business credit cards).

6. Enter credit card transactions in AIC 762, Credit Cards Remitted, either through the system-generated process (POS and IRT) or by manual entry (eMOVES and SPORT).

In addition, business credit cards may be accepted in accordance with the following requirements:

• The cards must be signed and the signature must be that of the authorized user.
• The cards may or may not have an individual name embossed on the front along with a business name.
• Each authorized user within a business or company must have his or her own card.
• Letters of authorization from businesses allowing multiple users for one card are not allowed.

Note: Credit card receipts must be kept in a separate and secure location. They should be kept secure enough that only those with a “need to know” have access to them.

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We will incorporate these revisions into the next printed edition of Handbook F-1 and into the next update of the online version accessible on the Postal Service™ Pol­icyNet Web site.

• Go to http://blue.usps.gov.
• Under “Essential Links” in the left-hand column, click on References.
• Then click on HBKs.

— Corporate Treasury,
Finance, 7-19-07