Pearson New International Edition International pcl tp indd 1

MODERN FRONT OFFICE ISSUES AND TACTICS
Several Numbers to Remember
Credit and debit cards have generally replaced cash and traveler’s checks as Americans’
preferred method of payment for travel services such as airline tickets, car rentals, hotel
rooms, and restaurant meals. FOMs realize the importance of regular monitoring of signif-
icant changes in the payment card industry, and they assign the daily summing and sub-
mitting of the hotel’s payment card receivables to the night auditor.
One of the standardized and yet unchanging features of payment card issuers is the
numeric sequences associated with their cards. Several numbers are worth learning, remem-
bering, and teaching all front office personal who submit, accept, and process payment
cards. Each card issuer maintains its own standards for card processing; therefore, it is
helpful to know the type of card being processed.