Payment Gateway FAQs   Overview

We have assembled here some of the questions most commonly asked by new Merchants.
For more information, please feel free to contact us

1. What is an IBA account?
2. Who can use the service?
3. Are there some types of businesses BookandHost does not accept?
4. What products/services can be sold?
5. Is there a minimum or maximum volume per month?
6. What are your fees and how are they charged?
7. What forms of payment can I accept with BookandHost IBA?
8. I don't have a website, or I'm about to change sites, can I still sign-up?
9. How do I integrate BookandHost IBA into my web site?
10. Can I integrate multiple websites with one IBA account?
11. Can I use my own or a third-party shopping cart or sale management system?
12. What is the Reporting Center?
13. How are orders received?
14. How do I manage my online business?
15. When does the merchant get paid?
16. What is the BookandHost IBA multi-currency platform?
17. What currencies can BookandHost merchants process in?
18. What currencies can BookandHost settle in?
19. What is a reserve account, why do I need it and how does it work?
20. Can BookandHost IBA be used for telephone, mail or fax orders?
21. Can I enter customers' orders myself?
22. Can BookandHost IBA manage recurring customers?
23. Can BookandHost IBA manage free trials and promotional offers?
24. Can BookandHost IBA automatically calculate shipping costs?
25. Can BookandHost IBA manage one-time promotional discounts?
26. Can BookandHost IBA manage my inventory?
27. What is BookandHost refund and dispute policy?
28. How can I cancel or refund an order after it's been placed?
29. What is cardholder fraud? And how can BookandHost help me reduce cardholder fraud?
30. What is merchant fraud? And how does BookandHost manage merchant fraud?
31. What is a chargeback dispute?
32. What are BookandHost merchants' experiences with chargebacks?
33. Why are BookandHost chargebacks so low compared with industry statistics?
34. Does BookandHost IBA use SSL encryption?
35. Do I need to pay for an SSL server?
36. How long does it take for an order to be processed, and what is the sequence of events that occurs after an order is placed?
37. Can I accept payments from customers outside of North America?
38. How can I test my online shop to ensure that everything is working properly?
39. How much does it cost to accept online checks?
40. How does check acceptance work?
41. Will I be able to tell the difference between a check and a credit card order?
42. Can online checks be used for recurring billing?
43. Who can pay by check?

ANSWERS
1. What is an IBA account?
A PaySystems IBA account is a complete payment processing solution, allowing merchants to accept credit card and online check payments through their website. The IBA comes with a turnkey service, where refunds, chargebacks and 1-800- customer service calls are handled by the experienced staff at PaySystems. The merchant also gets an IBA Reporting Center, for managing all their sales, inventory and promotional needs; as well as a shopping cart and access to our secure payment gateway.

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2. Who can use the service?
Anyone! The IBA account is designed for merchants selling goods, services and eproducts through their website.

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3. Are there some types of businesses PaySystems does not accept?
Yes. We do not service the following:

• Adult sites
• Internet casinos
• Pyramid sales
• Lottery tickets
• Cash advances
• Alcohol
• Firearms
• Drugs

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4. What products/services can be sold?
With the IBA account, you can sell tangible (shippable goods) and intangible products (e-products, such as downloadable software, and services).

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5. Is there a minimum or maximum volume per month?
There is no minimum and no maximum processing volume.

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6. What are your fees and how are they charged?

One time set-up fee	$49.00
Type A Discount Rate and Per Transaction Fee	3.95%*	and	$1.00*
Type B Discount Rate and Per Transaction Fee	5.5%*	and	$0.35*

You may choose the fee structure which best fits your business model. We recommend a Type A 3.95% and $1.00 per transaction fee if your per sale amount is higher and a Type B rate of 5.5% and a $0.35 per transaction fee if your per sale amount is lower.
All rates are subject to approval.

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7. What forms of payment can I accept with PaySystems IBA?
With the IBA account, you can accept credit card and online check payments.
You can process Visa, MasterCard, Amex, Diners and JCB.

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8. I don't have a website, or I'm about to change sites, can I still sign-up?
In order to apply for an IBA account, you should have a working website; however, some exemptions may apply.

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9. How do I integrate PaySystems IBA into my web site?
Our short 2 page online form sets the variables required for generating the simple html code you'll need to connect. A merchant can be integrated with an IBA account in less than 1 hour.

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10. Can I integrate multiple websites with one IBA account?
You are able to integrate multiple websites with an IBA account

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11. Can I use my own or a third-party shopping cart or sale management system?
The IBA account includes a sales management system, the Reporting Center as well as a shopping cart but also offers the flexibility of integrating with any third party systems: our system consists of very simple and "easy to use" components which can easily be integrated with any other shopping cart. PaySystems has designed the IBA account to be as convenient as possible, allowing merchants to use any tools and management systems they like.

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12. What is the Reporting Center?
The IBA Reporting Center is a state-of-the art, web-based, transaction management and reporting software, developed by PaySystems. Some of the highlights of this tool include: real-time reporting, transaction status views, uploads of files and sales management. The Reporting Center is available 24 hours/day, 7 days/week.

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13. How are orders received?
Through the Reporting Center, you have the option of setting up a notification e-mail containing all order information, which will be sent to you and your customer.

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14. How do I manage my online business?
Many Management Reports are available with the IBA, including:

• Product Distribution Summaries; graphical reports outlining product distribution based on quantity and sale price.
• Daily Sales Activity; graphical reports outlining daily sales activity.
• Marketing/Promotion Analysis; the marketing report outlines all sales associated with special offers and allows you to compare with your standard sales report.
• Payment Medium Analysis; a detailed analysis of payment medium usage frequency.

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15. When does the merchant get paid?
The merchant has a choice of being settled by check, wire or ACH deposit.
Merchants are paid once a week, as opposed to monthly with most processors.
Our settlement period runs from Sunday midnight to Sunday midnight. All settled orders processed during that week are paid out to the merchant on the following Thursday. Once a period is closed, all orders that were saved in the "settled orders" section of the main page of the Reporting Center will be cleared. They are then archived in your account statements.

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16. What is the PaySystems IBA multi-currency platform?
This platform allows merchants to accept payment in USD, CAD, GBP and Euro.

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17. What currencies can PaySystems merchants process in?
With the IBA, you can accept payment in USD, CAD, GBP and EURO.

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18. What currencies can PaySystems settle in?
PaySystems will settle in the following currencies of your choice: USD, CAD, GBP and EURO

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19. What is a reserve account, why do I need it and how does it work?
A reserve account is a portion of the revenue from a merchant's credit card transactions, held in reserve by PaySystems to cover possible disputed charges, chargeback fees, and other refund related expenses. The amount of holdback is determined according to the business' past experience with chargebacks and refunds. After a predetermined time, holdbacks are turned over to the merchant.

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20. Can PaySystems IBA be used for telephone, mail or fax orders?
No, with the IBA account, only the customer can enter their own billing information through the secure payment pages on the merchant's website. PaySystems has top of the line fraud and security screening. By only allowing the customer to input their billing information, PaySystems can ensure low customer fraud, and high merchant profit.

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21. Can I enter customers' orders myself?
No. The IBA is specifically designed for website sales and the customer must be the one to enter their billing and shipping information.

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22. Can PaySystems IBA manage recurring customers?
Yes. An IBA allows for recurring billing monthly, quarterly and yearly for services such as web hosting, memberships, etc.

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23. Can PaySystems IBA manage free trials and promotional offers?
Yes.

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24. Can PaySystems IBA automatically calculate shipping costs?
Yes. Shipping costs can be entered per product or per pound. The shipping cost is automatically added to the price of the product.

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25. Can PaySystems IBA manage one-time promotional discounts?
Yes.

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26. Can PaySystems IBA manage my inventory?
Yes. Management reports are available with the IBA. Also, you can set up the Reporting Center so it notifies you of depleting inventory.

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27. What are PaySystems refund and dispute policy?
If the customer of a merchant contacts PaySystems about a charge on their card or for a refund, PaySystems will contact the merchant and give the merchant 48 hours to respond to the customer. If after 48 hours, the merchant does not respond, then the customer's order will automatically queue for a refund. If the merchant does respond, then the customer will be notified by email of the response: customer and merchant can thereafter resolve the issue.

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28. How can I cancel or refund an order after it's been placed?
Every merchant is set up with a Reporting Center which gives the ability to cancel and/or refund the client. The merchant can perform a search through the control panel to bring up the charge and cancel or refund the order.

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29. What is cardholder fraud? And how can PaySystems help me reduce cardholder fraud?
Cardholder fraud occurs when a stolen credit card is used to purchase products or services. Another form of fraud is when a customer purchases and receives a product, and then demands a chargeback, claiming to have never received the goods or services.
PaySystems prevents cardholder fraud with the aid of proprietary screening software, such as AVS (Address Verification Software), extensive database technology and cross-referencing.

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30. What is merchant fraud? And how does PaySystems manage merchant fraud?
Merchant fraud occurs when a merchant charges credit cards or credit card numbers without the cardholder's authorization. Merchant fraud also occurs when a merchant claims to be selling a product or service that "is not what it seems", or does not exist. PaySystems works diligently to prevent merchant fraud through proprietary software and confirmation of cardholder authorization and receipt of purchase.

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31. What is a chargeback dispute?
A chargeback is a payment dispute initiated by the cardholder with their credit card issuing bank. The amount of the disputed transaction is immediately withdrawn from the merchant's bank account, and the merchant can dispute the chargeback with proof of purchase, signature, proof of delivery, etc. A chargeback fee is usually assessed to the merchant on top of the actual transaction. A chargeback is usually generated when a cardholder disputes a transaction because of one of the following criteria:

• Non fulfillment of product or service
• Unauthorized purchase
• Product/service expectations not met

When a chargeback is generated, the issuing and acquiring banks must research the facts to determine which party is responsible for the transaction

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32. What are PaySystems merchants' experiences with chargebacks?
After more than 4 years of processing credit cards, PaySystems chargeback rate is less than 0.6%

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33. Why are PaySystems chargebacks so low compared with industry statistics?
Our system and business practices were designed based on the advice by various bank security experts, Internet technologists and other credit card industry experts.
This industry expertise and the key features of our system such as real-time processing to consumer's bank, our 'RTB' Risk Management/ Fraud detection process have contributed to the low chargeback rate.
We are very proud of our reputation in this area and continue to refine our system with the goal of bringing chargebacks to an absolute minimum.

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34. Does PaySystems IBA use SSL encryption to ensure security?
Yes. PaySystems has a 128 bit encryption level. The same level as leading banks and financial institutions.

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35. Do I need to pay for an SSL server?
No. PaySystems provides the SSL server for the payment pages, free of charge.

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36. How long does it take for an order to be processed, and what is the sequence of events that occurs after an order is placed?
There are two important steps to each transaction:
1. Authorization: to ensure the card is valid and funds are available.
2. Capture: funds are captured within 24hrs of authorization.
Once the transaction reaches our servers, authorization takes a matter of seconds. The merchant will then receive e-mail notification of the order.

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37. Can I accept payments from customers outside of North America?
Yes. The IBA offers a multi-currency platform.

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38. How can I test my online shop to ensure that everything is working properly?
Before using the account, merchants can perform "test" transactions to ensure the integration was successful.

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39. How much does it cost to accept online checks?
There are no extra costs: accepting online checks is included in the IBA account fees.

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40. How does check acceptance work?
The Bank routing number, account number and check number are entered similar to how the credit card number and expiration date are entered into the payment page.

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41. Will I be able to tell the difference between a check and a credit card order?
Yes. The Reporting Center clearly indicates which payment medium was used for each order.

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42. Can online checks be used for recurring billing?
Yes. The amount automatically is removed from the customers account.

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43. Who can pay by check?
Any customers who have a checking or savings account in the USA.