Questions to Ask your Vendors is a supplement to the Guide to Safe Payments, part of the Data Security Essentials for Small Merchants. By providing questions to ask your vendors and service providers, this is intended to assist with your understanding of how those entities support the protection of your customers’ card data.
Vendors and Service Providers, and How They Function
Small businesses/merchants may come into contact with a number of payment vendors or services providers, and it is important for merchants to understand the type of vendor they are working with and ensure the vendor has taken appropriate steps to protect card data.
The table on page 2 describes the most common types of payment vendors and service providers and what merchants should look for with each vendor.
The table starting on page 3 provides merchants with questions they can ask their vendors or service providers to help them understand what the vendor’s or service provider’s role is in protecting card data.
