FBOs and aviation service providers will soon have to stop using credit card processing services that are not compliant with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Security Council’s new payment application data security standard (PA-DSS), according to FBO software company Horizon Business Concepts of Broken Arrow, Okla. Over the next several months, Horizon noted, major oil companies will begin enforcing deadlines on FBOs and other service providers and mandating use of PCI-compliant computer software and hardware. Horizon’s TotalFBO software is compliant with PA-DSS, which protects consumers with higher standards for processing, storing and transmitting cardholder data.

According to Horizon, “With the new standards now in place, merchants can no longer capture, transmit or store critical customer credit card data, including the entire credit card number, unless strict encryption and operations guidelines are followed using certified software. Noncompliant companies that maintain a relationship with a branded card, either directly or through an acquirer such as a major oil company, risk losing their ability to process credit card payments and being audited and/or fined.” Horizon is holding a seminar on PCI compliance at its annual Total FBO users conference September 17 and 18 in Kansas City, Mo.