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EU
/ American (North & Central) aggregated FAQ's
With our payment solutions we always try
and set you up with your own direct merchant account and
payment gateway - one that belongs to you, in your name
and your business details
Unfortunately however, there are some businesses we
just can't set-up in this way as the banks that we use,
as well as the card schemes, do not allow them. These
types of merchants are prone to either high levels of
financial risk, liability or the banks do not want to
associate with them due to reputational reasons. This
is where our aggregated, third party processing service
comes in.
Please note that due to the nature of aggregated solutions
the information provided below may change without notice.
However, you will be supplied with all relevant and up-to-date
information at time of application.
What is an aggregated
/ third party processing account?
A third party processor lets you accept payments
without a merchant account of your own. Instead, the
acquiring bank lets you use their merchant account
under their own terms of service. This is legitimate
and is common practice with very high risk businesses.
What is provided
as part of the solution?
As with all our
accounts we provide the following as standard:
- Both
merchant account and payment gateway provided
- Free
virtual terminal
- 3D Secure
- Comprehensive
reporting tools
- Over
100 supported trading currencies
- Full
AVS if MID issued by from the US (subject to application)
- Settlement
currency (monies paid to you) in either GBP, USD or
EUR
Can I use a payment
gateway from another company?
No you must use
the payment gateway provided as part of the complete
aggregated solution we provide. Our MID does not
work with any other gateway i.e SecureTrading, Authorise.net,
Realex Payments etc.
This is another reason that off the shelf carts
like Magento, Shopify, EKM etc. can not be used
as they do not have plugins for aggregated providers
and only develop plugins for common gateways as
mentioned above.
What integration
methods are available?
We provide a complete API integration.
Once your account has been approved you will be
sent an API document for you to review. We find
that most merchants need just the API and that your
tech / developer who does your integrating will
not typically have an issue. Please do note that
full support details are provided once your account
is set live.
Unfortunately off the shelf carts like Magento,
Shopify, EKM etc. can not be used as they do not
have plugins for aggregated providers and only develop
plugins for common gateways as mentioned above.
What is in place
to help prevent Visa (GBPP) fines?
- Once a Visa investigator
finds a website they don't like, they will use their
own card to process and track a transaction to try
and find the processor behind it. However
our risk control settings provide technology to help
prevent this, therefore helping to prevent GBPP fines.
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How
it works - We are constantly monitoring IP address,
emails, card numbers and card holder addresses. If
the same IP or name or address or email or card number
fails the first time the other transactions which
come from these same details will decline too. If
the investigator finds something wrong they are unable
to process again and again to get more details (based
on this risk control setting) - basically we stop
them from investigating too much!
On top of this we set up a maximum of three MIDs of each
business type on a single aggregated account (of which
we have many) to spread the risk.
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How
am I protected from fraud/chargebacks?
In the same way as above we
have risk control settings to stop people trying
to use stolen cards multiple times. We
use sophisticated, anti-fraud tools, which can
help protect you from fraudsters targeting your
merchant site. We are able to filter based on
100,000+ transaction rule combinations, among
some of them include:
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What
is the transaction acceptance rate like?
The industry
average is around 60-70%. However our EU and American
solution is 80-85%
What
about the currency conversion issues with transactions?
With some of our EU and US generated MIDs we use
Dynamic Currency Conversion.
(DCC) is a financial service in which credit card
holders, when making a payment in a foreign country
(in this instance a foreign currency), have the cost
of a transaction converted to their home currency
at the point of sale. DCC allows customers to see
the amount their card will be charged, expressed in
their home currency. The currency conversion is done
by the merchant or his card processor at the point
of sale instead of by the card company when the account
is charged.
Please note that currency conversion does not impact
on your settlement amount (monies paid to you), only
the transaction amount a customer is charged. However,
FX costs could be deducted on settlement if the MID
happens to be in Euro and and you wish to have USD
and vise versa.
What currencies
can I accept transactions in?
You can choose from most currencies. We use dynamic
currency conversion - please see above
What currencies
can choose to be settled in?
You can choose to be settled in either GBP, USD
or Euros.
Will I be dealing
with the EU, US or with you (UK), and what about support?
You will be allocated with a dedicated account manager
- supplied with a direct email address and direct
dial phone number. This means that you get outstanding
help and support throughout the application as well
as once live and trading and you don't talk to a different
person every time you call.
- Of course there will
be times when we will need to contact the bank on
your behalf. However, the bank that we use offers
excellent customer service and support - this not
only gives you great confidence but also give us confidence.
Another reason we continue to place aggregated accounts
with them.
Does
the acquiring bank know what I'll be really
taking payments for?
Yes. This means that you can sleep at night
and not have to worry that the payment processor
may discover the truth and close your account
down.
We also help by spreading the risk
- On top of the above we set up a maximum
of three MIDs of each business type on a single
aggregated account (of which we have many)
to spread the risk.
How long does it take to receive my money?
In most circumstances, merchants
can expect payout within 7 days after the transaction
has settled. However subject to application
this may go to 14 days.
What cards can I accept and from where?
You can accept Visa and MasterCard
transactions.
Depending on the nature of your business
and the aggregated solution we need
to use, depends on where the you can
sell to and where the cards must be
located. For instance cannabis seeds
can accept both European and US originated
cards and can sell to the US, however
MMJ dispensaries can not.
If this is something that you would
like to know when you apply please
tell us so that we can confirm for
you.
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What
is the maximum amount I can process per single
transaction?
By default, a single transaction
cannot exceed $15,000 USD. If you require a
merchant account for high ticket items exceeding
the default, contact us.
Does my merchant account have
a monthly volume cap?
This depends on business type
and is usually around $150k if needed. We try
not to impose a monthly sales cap with our EU
and US aggregated accounts, however if one in
needed (to protect everyone and limit the risk
of closure) we will inform you. Please also
note that the volume can be increased within
just a few hours of sending in a request and
receiving approval.
What descriptor can I use?
All descriptors are generic and you will share
one that will be provided (like with most aggregated
accounts). We recommend you show the descriptor
throughout the website. However all merchants
over $75K a month processing volume will have
their own 800 number on the descriptor.
How long does
it take to get initial approval?
It takes 48-72 hours to get initial approval from
the bank. Once approved agreements are then sent out
a couple of days later and the set-up of the test
MID (merchant account) and API files for integrating
the gateway will then be set-up. Will also send out
the API guide for you to review while the MID is still
being activated.
Please visit
here for a typical approval timeline.
How long does it take to have the service up and running?
Once approved the service can be up and running in
as little as 2-3 days, but usually takes 5 business
days. Of course, some circumstances can affect the
speed of the installation, which is why it is important
for you to carefully follow all instructions provided
and ensure that you send the required documentation
promptly, including your signed contract and identification.
Please visit
here for a typical approval timeline.
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