This FAQ details how Americart works with Verisign's Payflow Pro gateway to process charges in "realtime" over the internet. If setting up Payflow Pro, be sure to read this entire page!

Q:
What is Payflow Pro and what can it do for me?

A:
Americart in normal mode acts strictly as a shopping cart and order forwarding system, orders from which you then process on your existing merchant charge terminal. For many merchants, this is just what you want. A great system, and you review each order as it comes in, running a charge only after you've verified inventory, the legitimacy of the order, and so-forth.

There also exists another case, when you get a lot of orders, you know the products are available, and you want the convenience of charging the orders and getting approval on the cards before you even see them. That's where the Payflow Pro payment processing gateway comes in. Americart sends billing information directly to them for approval and charge processing. Only after receiving order approval do you even have to look at the orders!

Q:
Is there an extra charge for using Payflow Pro?

A:
We charge nothing extra, but you must have an account with Verisign Payflow Pro. In most cases, your existing merchant account provider can set you up with Payflow Pro, or you can purchase from them directly. Visit VeriSign Payment Services for more information.

If you don't have a merchant account, you can get both a merchant account and a Payflow Pro or Authorizenet gateway account for one low charge at Advanced Merchant Services

Let us stress that if you already have a merchant account and a method you prefer to run charges, you can continue to use that account/method with Americart. You do not need to switch merchant accounts or to use "realtime" processing via Payflow Pro or any other internet charge processing gateway at all.

Q:
I want to use Payflow Pro, can I set-up and test Americart before I get an account with them?

A:
Yes. If you don't yet have an account with them, you can add it at any time, and reconfigure Americart to use it at that time. There's no need to wait for that to be set-up if you can process normal charges at your location. Just use our usual non-realtime forms, and key the charges as if you've received a phone order.

Q:
I've got my Payflow Pro. How do I make it work with Americart?

A:
Setup at Americart:

1) Load the Americart account configuration form.

2) In the "Mode Select" section of the configuration form, select "RECONFIGURE EXISTING CART", enter your cart-id and password, and click "Reconfigure My Cart!" to call up your present account settings. (Note that this assumes you have filled out the form once and have an Americart account already).

3) Scroll down to the "Checkout/Payment Options" section of the configuration form and check the checkbox for "By Credit Card Online. (Verisign Payflow Pro)".

4) In the text boxes to the right of the checkbox in #3 above, enter your Paylow Pro Login name and password. Be careful to make them match EXACTLY.

5) If you have any "non-realtime" checkout with credit card forms "checked" at Americart, uncheck those. They are named "By Credit Card Online using your own transaction equipment".

6) Scroll to the bottom of the page and submit the form to commit the changes.

Setup at Payflow Pro:

At this time, accounts at Payflow Pro are set correctly by default.

Place an order via the cart and be sure it comes through. You should get an invoice copy from Payflow Pro and an emailed order from Americart. The Americart order should contain the authorization and AVS codes for the order. If you got ????? marks in the order, you have done something wrong above, or incorrectly entered your Payflow Pro login or password in your Americart configuration.

Q:
Is there anything I need to do to my site besides the setup above to use Payflow Pro with Americart?

A:
No. Although it seems too good to be true, it's not!

Q:
What do you recommend we do as far as "realtime" vs. "non-realtime" charge processing goes?

A:
We think you should get set-up and run your site for a while without realtime processing to get a feel for how things are going. When your order volume goes up enough, you can add realtime then.

Q:
Can I customize my Verisign checkout form?

A:
Yes. See the Creating Your Own Checkout Forms FAQ. Be sure you use the Payflow Pro template files so the variable names will be correct. Look for the Payflow Pro template links in the custom form documentation with the standard templates. Don't try this until you're more familiar with the system.