One easily overlooked competency of every business player is collecting credit card information. That includes the processing of payments on your clients’ behalf later. This is where the create a credit card authorization form comes in.
Sure, that sounds boring. But if ‘boring’ can guarantee safety to both you and your clients’ transactions, it might as well jump in the boring payment form.
Say you compare it to rolling out exciting new products, building and leading a team, or stocking the break room with muffins and coffee — it might be less than thrilling. But we will show you why it’s every bit as important as those other, more fun tasks-at-hand.
Because the truth is that collecting payment for your unique workflow is challenging, but essential to maintaining positive cash flow. And today, that means you need to have a cc authorization form ready to keep the monies streaming into your company.
Besides, having a credit card authorization form on hand can save you from the later hassles of collecting fees especially on those with recurring charges.
What is a Credit Card Authorization Form?
A credit card authorization form is the legitimate document that contains the credit card information signed by the cardholder. It is as good as the credit card itself authorizing the consigner to make payments on behalf of the client.
This form is efficient in collecting both one-time and recurring future payments—weekly, monthly, annually, etc.—so that no physical presence of clients is necessary.
Credit Card Authorization Form Example
Here’s a peek at a sample credit card authorization form that’s used by travel agents to collect booking details of their clients. See what it looks like to the consumer.
Credit Card Authorization Form Use
So you are now informed on how critical it might be for you to collect credit card information, that is, without the card. You might be asking, who and when to use this authorization form we’ve been talking about? Then, read on.
Well, consumer preferences—including those of your clientele — are shifting fast and industries like the travel agency and consultancy teams doing paid ads are the few users who need to evolve with this.
Travel agents, for example, need to collect the info so they can book travel tickets and hotels on their clients’ behalf. Consultants, on the other hand, need to input cc details needed to set up and run Facebook ads for their clients.
In addition to that, a December of 2019 survey on the website Statista reveals some eye-opening updates.
- 83% of Americans aged 30 to 49 (peak buying power) hold a branded credit card
- Americans have $2.92 trillion of available credit to spend
- Worldwide, 336 million people hold Visa cards (the preferred card of Americans)
That’s a lot! And having them to appear every time you process their payments is quite an arduous task and overwhelming.
Benefits of Accepting Credit Card Payments Offline
Making a cc authorization form available you’ll reap benefits, such as the following:
- Win your customers trust in doing business with you
- Process payments on your clients’ behalf (convenient for them)
- Collect credit card payment even when the vendor goes offline
- Accept credit card transaction on remote locations (without internet—best for tourist spot businesses)
- You can conduct business around the world— unlike cash, which requires a person to be near your location.
On the other hand, if you are accepting cc payments and need credit card payment forms, take a look at this article.
Is Credit Card Authorization Form safe to use?
As a business owner, you want to ensure that your customers have a safe, convenient way to spend their hard-earned dollars with you. So you probably have this question, “Is a credit card authorization form legal?”
Well only if it complies with PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard).
As a refresher, PCI Standard is a measure to remove or reduce credit card fraud. It obliges any companies that collect sensitive credit card information to support safe transactions.
When you use a form builder from a PCI-Certified company like EmailMeForm, the process offers protection both for the consumer and for you.
One thing that is certain, internet-savvy consumers will want to be sure that you offer them a payment form that is safe. With credit card fraud on the rise, they will want reassurance.
Fortunately, EmailMeForm offers you that very assurance. We offer the safety and security of Vault—a safe space for storing data, as it requires multi-factor authentication.
We back that claim up with our PCI certification, meaning we are certified by an official body and have undergone a full-scale audit of platform development, privacy, and procedure controls.
How long is the credit card authorization form data stored?
In the business world, buyers are protected by giving out cc data on PCI certified online forms. Likewise, merchants are safe because of Card Authorization Hold. After credit card data collection and buyers purchase, merchants can put a hold on cardholder’s funds for up to 30 days.
Hence, data collected from authorization forms are valid and effective until indicated by the cardholder. If used for one-time purchases, data is only useful once while on recurring purchases like memberships or subscriptions, the frequency of use is whenever signified.
How to Create a Credit Card Authorization Form
With EmailMeForm, you can use our form builder to create cc authorization forms using either one of our templates or from scratch in our form builder environment.
We will take a look at each of these options.
1 - Use a credit card authorization template
For those who are newbies to making forms, it might be simplest to create a credit card authorization form from one of our templates.
You simply choose the template of your choice then use our form builder tools to point and click, customizing the cc payment form to suit your business needs.
Take a look at this sample credit card authorization form, building from an easy to customize template:
2 - Create a credit card authorization form from scratch
More advanced users or those who want a fully customized form may enjoy using the form builder to create their payment form from the ground up.
Here is a quick look at building another sample card payment authorization form…built in less than two minutes flat!
3 - Let our CustomWorks Team design your form
We have a third way for you to get your customer data secured in our Vault — our CustomWorks team. Our team of form pros can build your credit card payment form to your specifications.
We’re glad to help, so just reach out to us.
Best yet, you still get the safety of Vault!
EmailMeForm: Convenient Way to Create a Credit Card Authorization Form + Vault Security
Here at EmailMeForm, we work with various-sized businesses all the time. Because of that, we understand your needs, no matter how big (or new) your business is. We want to give you a form builder solution that helps you grow your business and at the same time, one that gives you a way to comply with security and business policies.
We have you covered! Rest easy, knowing that your cc forms are locked up in the Vault. And, you’ll have the flexibility to build them to suit your needs as your business evolves.
Why are you waiting? Let’s sign you up for Vault!
Deborah Tayloe
Deborah is a blogger and freelancer who often writes for EmailMeForm. When she’s not blogging, you’ll probably find Deborah working on DIY projects around her home in North Carolina.
