FAQ

Here are answers to some of the more common questions that we are asked by prospective clients. If you cannot find answers to your specific question, please email us at Support@CommsXL.com.

• What is e-commerce?
• What is a Payment Service Provider (PSP)?
• What is a merchant?
• How do I set up a merchant number?
• How secure is the service?
• Which card types are supported?
• Which banks are supported?

Electronic commerce, or e-commerce is the exchange of information across electronic networks, whether within an organisation, between businesses, between businesses and consumers, or between the public and the private sectors.

However e-commerce is typically viewed as the buying, selling and payment for goods and services across the Internet.

If you are a merchant trading on the internet, then you need a method of accepting payment for the goods and services that you provide. The most convenient method, for both you and your customers, is for you to accept payment by credit or debit card. But how do you present card details to the bank for settlement?

could print out the card details you received and send them to the bank using, say, a POS terminal - but this would be slow, labour-intensive, and prone to mistakes. Or you could write software to interface your e-commerce system directly with the banking networks - but this would be a major programming project, even if the banks were willing to let you do this. The simplest solution is to use a Payment Service Provider (PSP).

A Payment Service Provider acts as a gateway between your e-commerce system and the banks. The PSP takes payment details from your customer, checks the details with the appropriate bank, and sends the result of the check back to your system. Authorisation or rejection of the transaction is completed within seconds, so you know whether or not to proceed with your customer's order. The PSP also takes care of the final settlement of the transaction (ie when the money is paid into your merchant account)

All communication between the customer, your e-commerce system, the PSP and the banks is encrypted, so making the whole procedure not only simple and quick, but also secure.

A merchant is a company which has been given the facility to accept credit card payments by an acquiring bank. It is the name of the merchant that appears on credit card statements against any purchases made. A merchant is identified by their merchant number, which is unique to them and assigned after a successful application to an acquiring bank.

In order to set-up a merchant number you will need to contact you bank. If you already have a merchant number you may still need to contact your bank to ensure you are able to use it for internet transactions.

All data transferred is secure. Data from the customer to the web server is protected using 128bit SSL encryption. Transaction data is written to a server across a firewall using a designated IP address, and any transaction information stored is protected using Triple DES encryption.

Visa, Mastercard, Switch, Solo, Maestro, Visa Delta, Visa Electron, Carte Bleu, Creation, JCB, American Express, Diners Club International, and other in house Loyalty cards.

Barclaycard Merchant Services, RBS Streamline, Lloyds TSB Cardnet, HSBC Card Services, Girobank, American Express, Diners Club International, Ulster Bank, Allied Irish Bank, Bank of Ireland, Transax, Bank of Scotland, Clydesdale Bank - plus some European banks.