What is a Merchant Account?

A merchant account is a special bank account that enables your business to accept payment by credit card.  Credit card payments can only be processed through a merchant account.  You must have a merchant account in order to be able to accept credit cards.

How quickly can I establish a merchant account?

The estimated ETA on merchant account approvals are 5 - 7 business days (sometimes less). Please note that this only apply to those who have everything in place when submitting the application forms back to us. This includes your website, needed documenation (if applicable) and everything else that is on the Merchant Account Checklist. Please be sure to have everything we need before submitting your application to avoid delay on your merchant account approval.

What is a Payment Gateway?

A payment gateway links your buy page (i.e., the page on your web site where your customers enter their credit card information) to the credit card associations and to your merchant account.  Within seconds, the gateway obtains authorization for payment from the credit card associations.  The gateway also handles the transfer of funds into your merchant account.  Total Pay's gateway is powered by Authorize.Net, one of the most reliable payment gateways in the industry.

What is a Discount Rate?

The discount rate is the processing fee associated with your merchant account.  It is a percentage of your gross sales.

What is a Per Transaction Fee?

The per transaction fee is a nominal amount charged on each transaction, which is associated with the processing of each transaction through the payment gateway and the merchant account.

What is a Chargeback?

A chargeback occurs when a cardholder informs the credit card company that the charge was not authorized, or that goods were not delivered as promised.  If a customer alleges the goods or services paid for were not delivered, the merchant has 7 days to produce evidence that the goods were received or that the cardholder’s account was credited.

Do I need to have SSL?

In order to ensure that your customers are protected when they enter their credit card information onto your buy page, the Total Pay's gateway utilizes Secure Socket Layers (SSL) to encrypt sensitive personal information, including credit card numbers, when transmitted to the payment gateway.  If your server does not support SSL, your buy page can be hosted on our gateway’s server at no extra cost.

How often will I receive payment (funding)?

Payments (fundings) are deposited into your account in one of the two time periods. 2 day funding - These are for retail merchant accounts. OR 5 day funding - Internet Based merchant accounts. The reason for a longer funding period for Internet Based accounts is because there is minimal security when customers are purchasing online. Therefore the bank requires more time to evaluate the transactions and credit card information that has been submitted. Some Internet Based accounts may fall into the 2 day funding under a certain circumstances, such as if your business products are low in pricing and there is not much risk in holdings of liabilities.

What type of Equipment do I need to process credit card transactions using Total Merchant Services?

All you need is a personal computer and an Internet connection.

How do I integrate my web site with TotalPay Gateway?

Integration is simple; it typically takes less than an hour.  For details on integration issues please see the developer’s guide for our gateway located at:

http://www.authorizenet.com/support/docs

What is an Acquiring Bank?

The acquiring bank is the bank in which the merchant’s merchant account is held, and from which funds are transferred into the merchant’s local bank account twice monthly.

If I all ready have a shopping cart can I use it with your system?

Absolutely!! Our Virtual Terminal can integrate with almost all shopping cart systems. You can upgrade your current shopping cart system to live real-time credit card processing by following the instructions at this website: http://www.authorizenet.com/support/docs

Do you provide solutions for merchants outside of the US?

Total Merchant Services does not approve merchant account applications from outside the United States, unfortunately. However, if you do submit an Express Application, we will forward your information to an associate of ours who specializes in establishing merchant accounts for International businesses. If you have any questions about the International merchant account program, please email internationalmerchants@marketingtips.com

I am not an expert web designer. Will it be difficult to integrate your package with my web site?

It would be preferable if the applicant did have some kind of knowledge on web design. But if not we do have tech support that can help you out with integrating your package with your website. There isn't much to do on your end after you've been approved as everything will be set up for you.

Can I process manual orders with the Virtual Terminal?

Yes you can. If you have online access and a computer all you have to do is log on to your Virtual Terminal and simply enter the information of your customers to process your manual order. This is ideal for merchants who take part in Trade Shows.

Do I have to install any software on my site?

No.

Are there any programs to download or install?

No. There is no necessary downloading or installation on your end. Everything is set up for you upon approval of your merchant account.

Do I need a Secure Server?

No. This is included with the gateway that is provided with your merchant account.