I have a web site but no merchant number. What should I do?

Contact us and we will help guide you through the process.

Do I really need a merchant number in order to receive credit card payments?

Yes. Currently, we do not offer a bureau service (where merchants use NetshopperUK's merchant number to receive payments for goods or services sold on their web site). However, this may change in the future, so please ask if you are unable to obtain a merchant number.

Can I use a merchant number from any bank?

We currently support merchant numbers issued by Barclays, NatWest, the Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC and Amex.

Can I use someone else's merchant number?

Yes, if they are offering a bureau service and you have an agreement with them to that effect.

Can I use my existing merchant account to conduct online transactions?

Possibly. Your merchant account will have a status of either offline (i.e. enabling you to use a PDQ terminal or a swipe machine) or online (for use on the Internet, including services such as NetPayments).

If you have an online merchant account, you can set up a NetPayments account and start trading straight away. With an offline merchant account, you must contact the acquiring bank and apply to alter the status of your merchant account to online.

Your merchant account can either be offline or online; not both.

The bank asks several questions about online security in the application form. Can you answer them?

Possibly - what are they?

Question 1 is "Describe the encryption which will be used for all transactions containing credit card information whilst being transmitted over the Internet".

Credit card details are encrypted whilst in transit by means of a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) session. SSL sessions use NetshopperUK's 128-bit global certificate issued by Verisign.

Question 2 is "Describe the internal network partitioning and the firewall technology which will be used to protect this site."

A Watchguard Firewall 1 protects NetshopperUK's public network. This is where the web and transaction servers reside.

Can I fax the NetPayments application forms through to NetshopperUK?

No. We require the originals to be completed by you and posted. This is because we then send the direct debit mandate on to the acquiring bank and they will only accept signed originals.

If my web site sells an item for £50, does NetshopperUK take their commission from that £50 before my account receives the money?

No. NetshopperUK doesn't have access to the funds involved in any transaction.

So how do NetshopperUK collect their transaction charges?

We issue a monthly retrospective invoice by e-mail that summarises all transactions included within the period stated on the invoice. This amount is then charged by direct debit to your bank account.

How quickly is my bank account credited with the money from a transaction?

That depends on the type of merchant account you have.

With a Barclays Instant account, the funds are transferred to your account normally within 48 hours. If you have a Barclays Enable account, the funds will be cleared within 40 days. Transactions conducted through AMEX and RBS accounts are subject to their own processing times.

NetshopperUK has no influence over these times.

Is there any way I can view my transactions?

Yes. Once you have begun trading, you will have access to the NetPayments Client Area by hitting the 'Log in NetPayments' button on this website.

Enter your NetPayments username and password. Once logged on, you can see a summary of transactions for the day.

If someone returns their goods and asks for a refund, what should I do?
You can issue a full or partial refund against any transaction processed by NetPayments. If you log in to the online facility and find the transaction in question, you will then be able to authorise a refund against it.

If the transaction is for several items and two are returned at different times, can I issue more than one refund?

Yes. You can issue an unlimited number of partial refunds up to the total value of the transaction.

How quickly will the customer get their money back once I've issued the refund?

It will be in line with the processing times of your bank and the type of merchant account you have. For example, if you have a 48 hr account the refund will take the same time to process as the charge.

Does NetPayments store the credit card numbers?

Yes. We store the credit card numbers for an indefinite period. This is to enable you to process refunds without having to contact the customer and asking for their credit card number again.

However, the credit card numbers are stored behind a firewall in an encrypted format, so that if in the unlikely event of the server's security being compromised, the numbers themselves would be indecipherable and couldn't be used fraudulently.

If I live outside the UK can I still use your service?

At present our service is for UK bank account holders only, so if you reside outside the UK you have to hold a UK bank account in order to use Netpayments.

What currency will the customer be billed in?

The customer will be billed in whatever currency your merchant number is set for, usually Pounds Sterling. However, you can take payments from customers in any of the currencies supported by NetPayments. That list is available on our web site.

What kind of web site do I need in order to use NetPayments?

Ideally, a dynamic, database-driven web site.

Static web sites use HTML and graphics files to display web pages in a browser. The pages look the same to everyone who visits them.

Dynamic web sites use pages that are created in response to requests from browsers. Like static sites, dynamic sites also use the HTML language to display text and graphics on the page but they also use a server-side scripting language such as ASP, ColdFusion or PHP.

If you have a static HTML site, you will find you are greatly limited when using NetPayments. We strongly recommend using a dynamic web site together with an online database to store product and order information and to interface with NetPayments.

If in doubt, please contact us and we will be able to offer you advice.

I have an appropriate web site, an online merchant account and want to start using NetPayments. Who should I contact?

Call us on 0870 225 1058 and ask to set up a NetPayments account, or fill in the online application form.

Our staff will be happy to help you and give you any advice you might need regarding online trading.