Q:
Must I have a merchant credit card account to accept credit cards over the internet through Americart?

A:
Yes. We are not a charge processing service. Americart supports facilitation of sales via credit card. You do need a merchant account to run the charges through.

If you already have a merchant account and a method you are currently using to run charges, you are welcome to continue to use that account/method with Americart. There is no need to switch merchant accounts or to use any sort of "realtime" processing if you have no desire to do so.

If you need a credit card merchant account, and are a US client, or have US accounts, Advanced Merchant Services can get you set up quickly, and at a reasonable cost. Like Americart, a low fee does not mean you get less, it just means you pay less.

You can take payment online via PayPal, checks by mail, Paybycheck, (the online check), fax, and phone orders, without a merchant account, of course.

Q:
Do you offer automated charge processing at Americart?

A:
Yes. There are three choices: Authorize.net, Linkpoint API and VeriSign PayFloPro.

You should realize before you set up for automated processing that raw orders direct from the Internet may contain errors or be jokes or even fraud.

We recommend our standard non-realtime set-up, where you can review each order, then process it on your own equipment as if it were a phone order. We automatically check vital fields for correctly FORMED information, but no such system is foolproof. When you receive an order through us, you should review it for legitimacy, check to make sure all needed information has been included by the customer, enter it into your records, and only then key charges into your merchant POS terminal (or equiv). Charge difficulties are avoided, and you maintain total control over your merchant account. The customer doesn't know the difference, and it's a lot safer for you.

Q:
Will you support additional credit card payment gateways?

A:
Not in the near future. The ones we selected to integrate with Americart are three of the largest in the world and have the greatest name recognition.

Q:
Do these gateways provide payment processing or do they simply authorize a transaction for processing by the vendor? My business is small and I do not have a Visa/MC merchant account due to the high % the credit companies take out of their small dollar amount orders.

A:
They just process. You must still have a merchant account.

Q:
If Authorize net doesn't offer this, do you have any recomendations for a payment processing service?

A:
Most people think they must get internet processing on-line, but that's mainly needed for high volume businesses. With all such things, you still must have a merchant account. Once you get that, you may simply use the terminal you get with your account to process orders at your location.

It is the most cost effective way to go since internet transaction processing bumps up the %fee by one or two points.

Q:
I need to get the card security code (CVV) with the orders. How can I set Americart to do that?

A:
Look for this option in the account configuration form:

[] Acquire the card security code from card rear signature strip (in front on Amex).