Credit Cards as Liabilities The balance owed on a credit card can be treated either as a negative asset, known as a “contra” asset, or as a liability. In this article we'll explore the optional method of using liability accounts, however, there are several advantages to using the Contra Asset Approach.
Merchant Card Receivables: Amounts owed by banking companies for sales of goods, services, and/or special functions from credit companies. This account will be used for all credit card sales regardless of the credit card company involved.
To report accounts receivable, gather information about outstanding amounts owed by customers, create an accounts receivable ledger, categorize the accounts by age, prepare a report that summarizes the outstanding amounts, analyze the report, and take action to collect payments and manage the balance.
Therefore, when a journal entry is made for an accounts receivable transaction, the value of the sale will be recorded as a credit to sales. The amount that is receivable will be recorded as a debit to the assets. These entries balance each other out.