Picture this: a customer is ready to buy, card in hand, funds in the bank. They tap, but instead of a simple yes, the screen flashes declined.
It’s more than just an awkward moment. It’s a sale lost, a customer gone, and trust broken.
These moments are more common than most realise, and they quietly bleed revenue.
According to PYMNTS Intelligence, nearly 47% of retailers say false declines severely damage customer satisfaction, and 60% of firms say failed payments are expensive to track and resolve. In the U.S. alone, $157 billion in eCommerce sales were at risk in 2023 due to false declines, with $81 billion permanently lost.
That’s the silent killer of growth.
We’ve Levelled Up
Today, Hello Clever has levelled up. We are now officially a Visa and Mastercard–registered Payment Facilitator (PayFac) in Australia.
What does that mean?
- Direct authority. We can underwrite and onboard merchants ourselves, without third-party middle layers.
- Fewer unnecessary declines. Because we now talk directly to the schemes.
- More control. Payments decisions are closer to the businesses that actually rely on them.
For enterprises, even a 1% uplift in approvals can protect millions in annual revenue. That’s not infrastructure for its own sake. That’s tangible growth.
As our CEO, Caroline Tran, puts it: “Every lost approval is lost growth. PayFac status means fewer broken payments, stronger customer trust, and a payments foundation built for scale.”
For Business
SMB:
- Fewer awkward “card declined” moments.
- More confidence at checkout.
Enterprise:
- Revenue protection: every approval recovered is growth realised.
- Operational control: underwriting is handled directly, not through blanket rules.
- Trust: backed by Visa and Mastercard.
- Smarter economics: improved routing, more efficient fees.
The Bigger Picture
Given card payments now account for more than 75% of consumer transactions in Australia, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia. In this context, securing PayFac status isn’t just a badge. It’s a structural shift.
Hello Clever is no longer a facilitator reliant on upstream partners. We’ve moved into the backbone of payments to bring global credibility and proven performance gains. And with this milestone, Hello Clever is ready to deliver more yes in payments.
It Pays To Be Clever.
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