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Security & PCI-DSS

Your guide to security and PCI-DSS

What the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard means for your business - and how AdvoCharge keeps you compliant without the up-sell.

What PCI-DSS is

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) is a worldwide information-security standard assembled by the PCI Security Standards Council. It was created to help organizations that process card payments prevent fraud through stronger controls around cardholder data - how it is stored, transmitted and handled.

How compliance is validated

Validation depends on how many transactions you process. Larger merchants undergo an external assessment by a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA); smaller merchants typically validate compliance through a Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ). Either way, compliance is an ongoing requirement, not a one-time task.

The AdvoCharge difference - no up-sell

Many sales agents up-sell PCI compliance well beyond what it actually costs, treating it as a profit center. AdvoCharge does not. We treat compliance as part of the service - guiding you through the questionnaires and scans and helping you stay validated, rather than turning it into a surprise charge.

Compliance should be a service you receive, not a fee you are surprised by. If you have a question about your current PCI status, get in touch and we will walk you through it.

In their words

What our customers are saying

"They read our statement, found the markup our last processor buried, and switched us with zero downtime. The savings were exactly what they promised."
Liquor store ownerMadison, WI
"The Advo100 program took our processing fees to zero. Setup was simple and our customers barely noticed the change."
Coffee shop ownerPortland, OR
"Switching to AdvoCharge was painless and our monthly statement finally makes sense. We are keeping more of every arrangement we sell."
Florist ownerCalgary, AB
"AdvoCharge understood our billing before we finished explaining it. Advo20 cut our processing costs and the support has been steady ever since."
Senior care operatorDenver, CO
"One agreement covered every location, and the combined-volume pricing beat anything a single store could reach. Onboarding a new site is now effortless."
Multi-location franchisePhoenix, AZ
"We were overpaying for years and never knew it. AdvoCharge showed us exactly where, in plain language, and the switch paid for itself in the first month."
Pet care businessAustin, TX
"Their interchange-plus pricing held up under our finance team's review. No padded tiers, no surprises - just a transparent statement every month."
CorporationChicago, IL
"Honest, straightforward, and they explain everything on one page. For our members it has been a genuinely better deal."
Chamber of CommerceLafayette, CO
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See what you are overpaying

Send us a recent processing statement. We will analyze it and report back in plain language - what you pay now, and what you would pay with AdvoCharge.

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