Credit Card Processing

Modified on Sun, 24 Sep, 2023 at 4:38 PM

What do I need to process credit card orders through the shopping cart?

You will need a merchant account, which is a special bank account that is used for the settlement of credit card transactions, and a payment gateway account or virtual terminal software.

If you have a payment gateway account, you will be able to process credit card orders online and in real-time. The shopping cart will securely pass your customer's credit card information to your payment gateway, as each order takes place.

Virtual terminal software is used for offline processing, which requires that you manually enter all billing and credit card information needed to process each sale. In this case, you would only use the shopping cart as a way of collecting your customer's order information.

Should I use a payment gateway (online processing) or virtual terminal software (offline processing)?

We recommend using a payment gateway, because it allows you to automate the online purchasing process. All credit card transactions are processed automatically, night or day, and without you having to key in each order by hand. A payment gateway will also save you time because you will not have to contact each customer if their credit card is declined.

How do I set up my shopping cart if I process credit card orders online?

Follow these steps:

1. Click on Settings in the top menu bar.
2. Click on Online Payments.
3. Select the type of credit cards you accept.
4. Click on the Save button.
5. Click on Payment Gateway.
6. Click on the Payment Gateway you use.
7. Enter the requested information.
8. Click on the Save button.

How do I set up my shopping cart if I process credit card orders offline?

Follow these steps:

1. Click on Settings in the top menu bar.
2. Click on Online Payments.
3. Edit settings in the "Credit Cards" section.
4. Click on the Save button.

If you selected the "Require CVV2 Value" option in step 3, you can view CVV2 values by following the steps below:

1. Click on "Orders" in the top menu bar.
2. Click on "Update" next to any order.
3. Click on the "View Secure Account Information" link.

Credit card issuers, such as Visa and MasterCard, require all merchants to comply with PCI Data Security Standards. CVV2 values must only be stored long enough to process credit card transactions. To insure that your company does not violate PCI Data Security Standards, immediately update transaction result information on the "Orders Update" page after processing each transaction. This will permanently remove CVV2 data from the order record.

NOTE: CVV2 information will be permanently removed from the order record 7 days after viewing or 30 days after the order is placed if not viewed.

I'm setting up my Payment Gateway, should I select "Authorize and Capture" or "Authorize Only?"

"Authorize and Capture" means that you would like your payment gateway to gain authorization to charge your customer's credit card and also to capture the funds needed to complete the sale.

"Authorize Only" insures that your customer has the available funds needed to pay the order total but does not actually charge the credit card. If you choose to use this method, you will need to log in to the administration area provided to you by your payment gateway provider and manually capture the funds for each order.

In general, businesses that sell products select "Authorize Only." This allows them to verify their customer's credit card at the time of sale and capture the funds later, when the order is shipped.