E-Commerce FAQ
What
is a merchant account? Do I
need one?
Merchant account gives your
business the ability to accept
credit cards as payment for the
goods and services you sell to
your clients. It provides your
customers with an extremely
popular payment option, beyond
cash and checks.
How
does it work?
When a client pays for services or
goods from your website, the
transaction is submitted to a
merchant gateway - e.g.
authorize.net, Cybercash or
Linkpoint. The merchant gateway
processes and authorizes the
charge on the credit cart and in
turn submits this information to
your merchant bank - e.g. Nova
Systems. The merchant bank then
processes the authorized
transaction and deposits the funds
into your bank account. From when
the credit card is initially
processed up till when the funds
get into your bank account can be
anywhere from 24 hours to 3 days.
How do
I get a merchant account?
Opening a Merchant account can
sometimes a tedious and time
consuming. However,
Trinity31.Net has made the
process easier for our clients.
Simply email billing@trinity31.net and
a representative will contact
you directly to set the ball
rolling on your merchant account
application.
How
long does it take to get a
merchant account?
The application process could take
anywhere from 24 hours to 48
hours. It will all depend on how
soon you submit the required
documentation. Once all your
documents are received, they are
immediately processed and an
approval email with all the
information you need to begin
using your account is sent out to
you by email or regular mail.
Which credit cards can I accept?
Once approved, you may begin
accepting Visa and MasterCard. If
you wish to accept Amex or
Discover credit cards, you shall
need to contact both Amex and
Discover to set up credit card
processing. This process is easier
since you shall already have set
up a merchant account.
What
kind of equipment do I need to
process credit cards?
A computer terminal or PC with
Internet access can be used for
Internet, mail, and telephone
orders. In the retail environment,
a specialized terminal/printer
designed to read the magnetic
strip on the back of the
customer's credit card is used.
This device provides the customer
with a paper receipt at the time
of purchase. An imprinter, which
takes a physical copy of the
customers credit card, may also be
used.
Can I
use my merchant account to accept
credit card payments in my online
store? Is it safe to process
credit cards over the Internet?
Yes, Authorize.Net's Secure
Socket Layer Application
Programming Interface (SSL API)
offers an encrypted connection to
its Secure Payment Engine. By
using the Authorize.Net Secure
Payment Gateway technology, Our
merchants receive fraud screening
on each transaction and real-time
reporting via their Web browser.
Using Authorize.Net's SSL API, all
orders and payment information
sent from the merchant's web site
will be encrypted with SSL. This
secure data is routed to
Authorize.Net, where it is
decrypted and processed. All
processed information
(Approved/Declined transactions)
is then re-encrypted and sent
securely back to the Web site,
where it is decrypted and
displayed to the consumer. Order
confirmation e-mails are sent to
the consumer and to the merchant.
The Authorize.Net SSL API
guarantees that the orders and
payment information generated by
the merchant's Web site remains
totally secure.
Will
the Authorize.Net Secure Payment
Gateway work with my shopping
cart?
The Authorize.Net Secure Payment
Gateway works with a wide variety
of shopping carts. Trinity31.Net
will give you the directions on how
to set up your payment gateway to
interface with your shopping
cart.
Internet technology changes so
fast, will I be able to use my
merchant account with my Internet
store in the future?
Yes, absolutely. As Authorize.Net
upgrades its products in the
future, you will receive free
upgrades to keep you on the
cutting edge.
