9.3 Merchant Card Services
(Last Modified on June 13, 2019)
Pursuant to OCGA §§ 50-1-6, the acceptance of any merchant cards must be approved by the SDB. The OST has adopted the Statewide Merchant Card Services (MCS) Policy, which prescribes policies and procedures for participating in the MCS program.
The State Treasurer, as administrative officer for the SDB, shall have the authority to carry out the provisions of this policy. The State Treasurer will enter into agreements with one or more financial institutions, credit card companies, or other entities for processing merchant card service payments and accepting credit cards, charge cards, debit cards and other forms of electronic payment.
All state entities, including USG, must use the statewide agreements entered into by the OST. Any state entity wishing to use a provider outside of the statewide contract must obtain approval from the SDB. For USG institutions, if a current vendor offers merchant card services, the institution may request an exception waiver to utilize the services of that vendor. The request must be made to the BOR Treasurer, who will in turn, review request and submit to State Treasurer for SDB approval.
The MCS Policy is maintained on the OST website:
https://ost.georgia.gov