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The gig economy is upon us, and that’s great news for parking industry business owners. But how do you pay a gig worker, 
and how are they different from full-time employees? This article will give you an overview on what gig workers are, why you should use them, and how they are paid.
What is a Gig Worker?
A gig worker is someone who earns income beyond the traditional setting of long-term employment. They are often known as independent contractors, contingent employees, or in certain industries, freelancers. They often work for different companies at different times, but may have clients they work for 
on an ongoing basis.
Gig workers tend to be temporary hires typically brought on board to complete or contribute to a specific project. In other instances, instead of contributing a single project, they are brought on for a pre-set period of time. In today’s world, full-time jobs are becoming less common as short-term gigs and contract work takes over.
Why Are More People Choosing Gig Work?
Gig work, or “contingent work,” offers a high degree of flexibility, especially when contractors can work remotely. Gig workers have also been shown to have a higher overall level of job satisfaction than long term, full-time employees.
Being a contingent worker also gives you greater variety in terms of the companies you can develop relationships with. In some cases, these relationships can be nurtured for repeat work over a period of many years. Occasionally, they can also turn gig workers into permanent hires.
Why Are More Companies Hiring Gig Workers?
Gig workers are attractive to companies for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, gig workers are a great solution for projects that require extremely specialized talent that you won’t immediately need again.
For example, say you need to migrate your company’s website from the HTTP protocol to the more secure, modern HTTPS
protocol. While your typical website upkeep can be done in-house, this sort of more specialized task might require outside help. That means it’s time to hire a gig-based web developer to help you make the upgrade. Once they’re done with the update, their services will no longer be needed.
Choosing a gig worker is inexpensive, since you won’t be expected to provide benefits such as health insurance coverage or a 401(k). Worker’s compensation and other insurance may still be required, but not in all cases. It depends on what kind of work you are hiring for.
Overall, the smart use of gig workers can reduce your overhead costs substantially.
How Do You Pay a Gig Worker?
Gig workers are usually paid by the task or project, though some are paid hourly. Today, more and more gig workers are asking to be paid up front, at least in part, for their services. This is due to the explosion of activity in the gig economy—with more and more independent contractors in the workforce, worker’s rights coalitions have sprung up throughout the country to encourage gig workers to demand more from employers.
Freelancers are taking more precautions to avoid ending up with clients that don’t pay them, and requesting partial upfront payment is one trend that reflects this.
Alongside the explosion in gig workers, there have been huge leaps forward in the digital payments industry. This means more and more contract workers seek to be paid digitally, whether in cryptocurrency, or their native currencies on digital platforms like PayPal. The days of mailing checks are quickly ending.
Oftentimes, paying a gig worker involves fees from middlemen like payment processors or costs associated with currency conversion. Any side costs need to be factored into the gig worker’s final payment. Make sure to research what these are before you agree on a price.
Also, when you hire contract workers for gig jobs, take note of the different tax ramifications. The required tax forms are different for different types of workers, and ignoring the issue could result in harsh penalties. Freelancers are often responsible for self-employment taxes and, as the hiring company, you may have to deal with different tax implications as well.
Final Thoughts
From minimum wage positions to high-paying freelance assignments, independent work and gig-based positions are more common than ever and can be very beneficial in the parking industry.
Gig workers offer many benefits to employers, but they come with different rules and considerations. Always make sure
the terms of the project, payment guidelines, and other factors are clearly agreed-upon in writing before you start. A contract signed by both parties is a must, both to protect the rights of the freelancer, and to protect yourself as an employer.
CBD products are taking the world by storm. However, CBD is a unique chemical that has a murky legal status, confusing customers and merchants alike. To make matters more complicated, there are lots of misconceptions about what CBD is and what it all means for 
takes its effect without intoxicating you. Both CBD and THC are cannabinoids, which means they are chemicals taken from the hemp plant. However, there are different effects and legal implications regarding different cannabinoids. That’s where people start getting confused.
Hemp and cannabis are often confused, and with good reason: there are strains of the cannabis sativa plant that can be grown without THC…that is, they don’t get you high. These plants fall into the category of industrial hemp.
beta test a payment processing solution for CBD sellers. It’s a huge opportunity for them that could come with pitfalls, but also the chance to fill a need and corner a rapidly-expanding market. The forward-thinking approach could pay off hugely for Square.
No one knows for sure, but when they do, the industry will have an opportunity to expand faster than ever. And as more states legalize THC itself, there will be a whole new flood of cannabis products on the market with merchants in need of payment services. As the cannabis plant gains further acceptance, doing business in the industry will become easier and easier.
In the age of ecommerce, data security protocols are needed to protect merchants and their customers. Enter 3D Secure. 3D secure provides extra layers of authentication for each credit card and debit card transaction, making it harder for hackers and fraudsters to steal your customer’s identity. This article will explain what 3D data is, and how to use it to decrease fraud and reduce the chances of identity theft for your customers.
major credit card brands are implementing their own version of 3D Secure for their customers. Visa has branded their service Verified by Visa, and Mastercard calls their version Mastercard SecureCode.
Not all transactions on your website need to be 3D Secure enabled. You can reserve them only for certain transactions, such as those that are higher-risk or are above a certain dollar amount.
can cause a reduction in conversion rates if customers decide to leave before finishing the transaction. Many ecommerce buyers are used to “one-click ordering” and a fast transaction process, so be sure to clearly notify them early in the process that your site uses extra protection to keep them safe.
A reduced conversion rate is possible when any new step is added to the checkout process. For customers, phishing fraud is still a risk with 3D Secure. Phishing is when someone creates a fake web page that impersonates yours, getting customers to click on their fake website instead of your real one. Then, when they check out, whoever set up the scam website collects your credit card information and pin code as the customer enters it.
implementation.
Payments have come a long way from cash and cards. As a business owner, to accept payments in as wide a variety of forms as possible is just good customer service. That’s why it’s important to stay up to date on developments in the world of payment solutions. With this guide, we’ll tell you more about why it’s so important to stay up to date, and then give you some tips showing how it’s done.
One of the big benefits to offering these sorts of payment types is increasing your customers’ loyalty. When customers decide they love a new way to pay, whether it’s through a mobile app on iOS or Android, or some other way, you offering this payment method through your payment processor will keep them coming back.
asking, getting an idea of what their expectations are. To accommodate them, you might need new software or hardware.
Your 
EMV chip-based credit cards are taking the payments world by storm. It’s clear now that the further spread of EMV is inevitable, so merchants are left wondering how it will end up affecting their business in the long run. This article will give you a full rundown on what EMV is. From there, we’ll tell you what you need to know about how it will impact your business on a day to day basis.
which has appeared on debit cards and credit cards since they were invented. The magnetic strip contains card payment data and while EMV cards still have the strip, sensitive cardholder data is now protected in the microchip instead of the much more vulnerable magnetic strip system.
In addition, EMV cards can’t be hacked using card-skimming machines. ATM skimmers are essentially fake ATM card swipe readers that can be installed over an ATM machine by a thief. Since they seamlessly integrate with ATM machines, skimmers look and feel just like real ATMs. But when you swipe your card, your personal data is stolen and stored in the skimmer. Later, when the fraudster retrieves the skimmer, they have the debit and credit card info of everyone who used it.
matter much for you. While modern retailers are doing fewer and fewer of their transactions this way, it is sometimes necessary to use a mail or telephone ordering system. Since these systems collect credit card data by hand, the existence of a microchip makes no difference.
If you don’t upgrade your POS equipment, your business could be held liable in cases of credit card fraud. The reduction of fraud liability can make all the difference when just one 
happier customers.
accumulate “frequent flyer miles” that they can cash in for flights anywhere in the world. As a result, customer loyalty is rewarded, which in turn keeps those customers coming back to the same airline. In short, it creates loyal customers for life.
Card companies shifted to interchange fees for more profit, and those fees are passed onto merchants. Merchants have had to charge more, but customers paying with rewards cards will earn reward points that are funded by these same fees.
airlines and credit card brands, loyalty to both is rewarded, while merchants bear the cost.
Another potential way to offset the costs is to make your company more financially efficient. By lowering your bills and finding better ways to budget, you can make your business lean, saving precious pennies on things like payroll, inventory, even electricity. This frees up money for paying the hidden costs of loyalty programs, but will also make your business work better in the long run.
Credit card processing is involved in every digital transaction using a credit card or debit card. This process transfers credit card information to and from the issuing and acquiring banks involved in the purchase. These transactions must be secure and PCI compliant to prevent data breach and confidential information from being stolen. For security and 
details for verification. This transaction is initiated by the consumer’s personal credit card. The only data required for this purchase is the credit card number, expiration date, and amount of the transaction.
from levels 1 and 2. In addition, the following information must be provided: line items and categories of shipment, destination of shipment, invoice number, freight amount, and duty amount. These transactions are only performed via eCommerce and primarily for government agencies. However, business-to-business transactions may occur at level 3 as well. Based on the severity of clearance required for level 3 processing, these transactions often cost the least of the three levels. As previously stated, an increase in information verified, lower the transaction risk, and therefore, reduces the transaction cost.
can save an average of 1% on interchange rates and processing fees. This can add up to a hefty savings for any business. When processing transactions at a Level 3 clearance, an itemized invoice is provided, allowing for simplified billing and accounting. Additionally, businesses and government entities can place restrictions on when or how the 
If you’re an ecommerce merchant processing card-not-present transactions, you need to be PCI compliant. PCI stands for “Payment Card Industry,” and being compliant means 
By being ready for the PCI security questionnaire, you’ll be in the best possible position to stay compliant. That means avoiding costly penalties for non-compliance, staying one step ahead of hackers, and protecting your company from customer lawsuits resulting from credit card fraud.
brand—one company will have different criteria for meeting each level than another.
Level 2 merchants are those processing fewer transactions than those in the Level 1 category. To be a level 2 merchant, you have to process at least one million transactions per year. But process more than six million per year, and you’ll be bumped to level 2.
assessment questionnaires and PCI representatives called Qualified Security Assessors, or QSAs. However, the details and frequency of validation varies according to which level your business qualifies for.
If you’ve ever asked yourself, “How do I become PCI compliant,” the first step is in adopting the proper security management procedures. Proper security ensures that customer credit card information like account numbers and expiration dates are protected at every phase of checkout, both on your end and on the part of your acquiring bank.
ecommerce websites should be Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, and use https. HTTPS-active sites display “https://” at the beginning of a website address, before the “www.” On https sites, information moving across the servers is more secure than on non-http sites.
system. For example, updating your computers or switching to a new provider would both be situations where you should be re-scanned to stay compliant.
By putting in the effort to become DCI compliant with the standard PCI protocols, you’re saving yourself the hassle of dealing with a data breach. These breaches can cause a loss of customer trust that can take years to earn back. The investment in avoiding serious data leaks with a regular PCI DSS assessment could be one that saves your business.
The process of opening and on-boarding merchant accounts in Puerto Rico is quite different than in the US. From different providers and standards to tax considerations, there are lots of differences between the business environments of Puerto Rico and the mainland United States that affect the process.
payment industry. These consultants have a combined industry experience totaling hundreds of years, and are the best and brightest in the business. Finally, after long conversations with some of the most knowledgeable and experienced people throughout the space, we were able to figure out how the Puerto Rican system works.
and time-consuming daily reporting process. The island’s Treasury Department also retains a high level of control over smaller aspects of business, so to navigate that influence, we had to look at higher-risk banks to partner with. Even though the charge higher rates, they would be the most adept at wading through all of these factors: the debit network, the tax issues, and the influence of third parties.
Thanks to this relationship, we are now able to offer our clients underwriting and merchant accounts in Puerto Rico, opening up whole new avenues for business owners looking to open up or move to the island. As a result of going through the process from beginning to end, GAM is also now one of the most knowledgeable firms when it comes to merchant accounts in Puerto Rico. That allows us to bring incredible value to a whole new group of clients.