Should I store my customers' payment information?

PCI Security Standards state that you should only store sensitive payment information long enough to complete a transaction. If you sell goods or services online, you should be using a payment gateway that manages the processing of credit card orders. If you use a payment gateway, you will not have to store credit card information and your customers' credit card will be charged or authorized automatically and in real-time.

By not storing payment information, you are reducing your company's liability to its customers. Your customers will also feel better about ordering from you if your website displays a notice that reads, "We do not store your credit card number. It is securely passed to our bank for processing and deleted immediately thereafter."

If your business requires that you store payment information and process it manually at a later time, please read the FAQ below "How do I process credit card sales if I don't use a payment gateway?"

Can I set how long my customers' payment information (e.g., credit card number) is stored?

Yes. Follow the instructions below:

1. Click on Orders in the top menu bar.
2. Click on Order Preferences on the side menu.
3. Review the "Save Payment Information" section.

Do I need my customers' credit card number to process refunds?

No. All payment gateway providers (e.g., Authorize.Net, PayPal, etc.) offer an administration area where you can log in and process refunds. In the payment gateway administration area, you will be able to find an order based on the order number or transaction ID.

To find the order number or transaction ID for any order that has been processed through your payment gateway:

1. Click on Orders.
2. Click on Update, next to the order of your choice.
3. Review the Payment Information section.

How do I process credit card sales if I don't use a payment gateway?

If you use software to manually process credit card orders and only want the shopping cart to collect payment information, follow these instructions:

1. Click on Orders in the top menu.
2. Click on Order Preferences in the side menu.
3. Under Save Payment Information, click on "Save payment information for 90 days."

What happens to payment information after 90 days or if I choose not to save it?

We still make payment information available to you but only in "masked" format. For example, the credit card number 4111111111111111 will appear as ************1111.