Miles by Discover Card

Book any travel, anytime with no blackout dates or restrictions
Double Miles on up to $3,000 in travel and restaurant purchases each year
1 Mile for every $1 on all your other purchases
Unlimited Miles that never expire as long as you use your card
Redeem for travel credits to your account, gift cards from any of our 80 brand-name Partners or cash starting at just 5,000 Miles
No Annual Fee
Online Account Access
Online Bill Payment
Complete Fraud Protection for Your Peace of Mind
$0 Fraud Liability Guarantee
Advanced fraud early warning alerts
Secure online account numbers
Fraud specialists dedicated to helping you 24/7
Customer Service That Puts You First
One call, we take care of it
Talk to a knowledgeable person in less than a minute
Easy online Account options that put you in control
Timely e-mails to help you avoid fees

Let your everyday purchases take you where you want to go with the Miles by Discover® Card and Travel with no Restrictions - book any travel through any airline, travel agent or online travel site with no blackout dates or advanced bookings.
Earn Miles Faster - Double Miles on up to $3,000 on travel and restaurant purchases and 1 Mile for every $1 on all your other purchases.
Redeem faster with more options - choose a travel credit to your account, gift cards from 80 brand-name Partners or cash.
Plus, receive 12,000 Bonus Miles* and enjoy 0% Intro APR*. APPLY NOW!
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DID YOU KNOW?

	When talking about Rental Property Investments, the term ‘working capital’ has to be understood. There are two concepts of working capital: gross working capital and net working capital. Gross working capital is the total of all current assets. Net working capital is the difference between current assets and current liabilities. It may be mentioned here that though this concept of working capital is commonly used, it is an accounting concept with little economic meaning. It makes little sense to say that a firm manages its net working capital. What a firm really does is to take decisions with respect to various current assets and current liabilities. The management of working capital refers to the management of current assets as well as current liabilities. The major thrust, of course, is on the management of current assets. This is understandable because current liabilities arise in the context of current assets. Working capital is a significant facet of rental property investments because investment in current assets represents a substantial portion of total investment. Moreover, investment in current assets and the level of current liabilities have to be geared quickly to changes in sales. To be sure, fixed asset investment and long-term financing are also responsive to variation in sales. However, this relationship is not as close and direct as it is in the case of working capital components. The importance of working capital management is reflected in the fact that financial managers spend a great deal of time in managing current assets and current liabilities. Arranging short-term financing, negotiating favorable credit terms, controlling the movement of cash, administering accounts receivable and monitoring the investment in inventories consume a great deal of time for financial managers. In the management of working capital two characteristics of current assets must be borne in mind. Firstly, short life span and secondly, swift transformation into other asset forms. Current assets have a short life span. The life span of current assets depends upon the time required in the activities of procurement, production, sales and the degree of synchronization among them.

Of course, the number one way you can improve your client's online purchasing experience is to accept credit cards on your site, because most of your clients will prefer to use their debit or credit card, rather than send checks through the mail. Credit and debit card purchases are immediate and secure; paper checks are the least secure method of making a purchase from an online seller.

Accepting payments online will also make it far less likely that customers will forget about your site or its address, decide to buy from a competitor who accepts online payments, or put off making a buying decision.

Once you're accepting credit cards online, there are several other ways that you can improve the buying experience, particularly for those who are new to the Internet and may be apprehensive about completing a transaction online.

#1 - Explain what will happen during checkout and keep the customer informed during the buying process.

Giving a brief description of the process, reassures the customer that they're on the right track to a successful purchase and let them know when the transaction is complete. For many people, buying online is something they do with great hesitancy; anything you can do to lessen their concerns will be appreciated by your customers.

#2 - Let your customers know that their information is protected and their transaction is taking place on a secure server.

Ensure that your payment page can be clearly identified as a secure site. The components of a secure site include a web address that starts with https; that indicates that the payment page is located on a secure server, and the display of a padlock symbol or logo that can be ‘clicked on’ to confirm that there is a valid secure certificate associated with the secure server.

It can also help if your secure page starts with the word "secure" as the first part of the web address.

#3 - Send automated Thank You Notes and Personal Receipts to your customers

The transaction isn't necessarily over when your customer has paid their money and collected their goods. One of the ways you can follow up with your client is to send them an automated note thanking them for their business, as well as a means to contact you after the sale. This also allows you to mention other services and products that you sell, that your customer may be interested in at a later date. Many merchants don't do this - going the extra mile sets you apart from the crowd.

Subsequent to the thank you note, give your clients another indication that you've received their order, by sending a personalized receipt once the order is complete. That way, they have an immediate record of what they've bought and can print it for their records.

#4 - Brand your Payment Pages

Having a branded payment page not only makes you look more professional, it will increase your ‘conversion rate’ and reduce your ‘abandonment rate’. Customers will be more trusting and therefore more likely to complete a purchase online if your payment page has the look and feel of your web site. This is especially true of individuals buying online for the first time and those who are buying from you for the first time. Trust, comfort and confidence play a major role in the buying decision of all online customers.

A branded payment page will also allow you to determine what information your customer must provide to complete a purchase rather than having to provide account numbers and other extraneous information that generic payment services require. The simpler and more intuitive your checkout process is, the less likely it is that a potential customer will ‘abandon’ a purchase mid sale because they were confused or didn’t understand what was required to complete a purchase.

#5 - Place your Logo on your Payment Pages

A generic payment page can imply a generic company. You want your company to stand out in your customer's mind so that they will remember you and buy from you again. There are millions of generic payment pages online; no-one remembers them. Take every opportunity to brand yourself and your business. Generic is grey in a colored world; branded done right, gets noticed and remembered.

#6 – Put your business name on your customer’s credit card receipt

An important part of accepting online payments is ensuring that your customers can tell to whom they made a payment when they receive their credit card or bank statement. Ensure that your payment services provider can put your business name on your client’s credit card or bank statement. This will save you from dealing with chargebacks and provide you with another way to reinforce your brand and keep it in the mind’s of your customers.

#7 - Make Checkout Simple

The easier it is to take an order from you, the less likely it is that the customer will abandon the sale at the ordering page. Simple is best; simple and branded is better.

Keeping those guidelines in mind will enhance the purchasing experience at your site. All that remains is finding your next customer.

Copyright 2006 John Tedeschi