Universal Payment Gateway - fast, low-cost online payments!
What is UPG
UPG is a system that enables live credit and debit card transactions to take place from your web site. It performs realtime card authoristation with automatic settlement to your bank for your transactions.
Secure server included
Our service (eCOM Basic, Standard or Premium) includes hosting of your payment forms on our SSL secured server to ensure maximum security and privacy for your customers' data.
Transaction viewing area
Our service offers a comprehensive web based control panel where you can view and search for transactions, as well as perform refunds to existing transactions. You can also add additional payments to existing transactions - for example if the customer contacts you to add items to their order. Transactions are stored indefinitely in your control panel, though you can delete them if required.
What makes UPG different
No other online payment service provider offers the level of customisation and extra features that we offer. And our transaction charges are amongst the lowest you will find.
Many traditional PSP's make you use a rigid, awkward checkout process that is clunky for your customers to use and cannot be customised to suit your web site design. Our service however allows you to upload your own custom checkout pages which can contain as many graphics and logos as you like. You have total design freedom over your payment forms and confirmation/error pages, meaning that your checkout maintains a consistent look and feel with the rest of your site.
If you add in the extra features in our eCOM Standard service such as "Buy Buttons", affiliate link tracking, email list manager, order status tracking and digital downloads, you have a complete set of e-commerce tools at your disposal as well as a comprehensive transaction manager.
Capture extra data
Another key feature is that we allow you to add as many fields to your payment forms as required - our system will automatically capture and display back to you any extra data that you collect in your forms.
Costs
The UPG card processing feature is available as an "add-on" to either our eCOM Basic, eCOM Standard or eCOM Premium service. There is a one-off application fee for UPG plus scaling transaction charges which are purchased as pre-paid credits. Example prices below :-
eCOM Basic with UPG online card processing
£35 eCOM Basic setup fee
£85 eCOM Basic annual fee
+
£25 UPG application fee + transaction charges as per table here.
Transaction charges are purchased as pre-paid credits and can be purchased at any time through your SecureHosting account control panel. The more credits you purchase, the cheaper the rate! Transaction credits do not expire - they are valid as long as you maintain a paid SecureHosting account. Please note though that if you cancel your SecureHosting account any credits remaining in your account cannot be refunded.
Failed transactions do not deduct credits from your account, only good transactions and refunds will cost you a credit.
Do I receive notification if my cedits are low?
Yes, you will receive email notifications when your credits are running low, and there will be a prominent warning message displayed on your account menu page.
Manual Payments
As well as taking live payments from your web site, you can also key in card payments manually, using our service as an online PDQ terminal. By doing this you can dispense with your electronic terminal, thereby saving you several hundred pounds per year.
What are AVS and CV2 checks?
AVS is cardholder address verification. The cardholder address is checked in realtime by your acquiring bank, as part of the transaction, and the results are passed back to us and displayed in your transaction viewing area. Likewise the card security number (CV2) is checked in realtime and the results made available to you. We do NOT fail a transaction based on an invalid AVS or CV2 check - there are too many reasons why these checks may return a negative response and therefore the results are merely presented to you for information purposes only. You can decide not to fulfill an order if you are at all suspiscious.
What is pre-auth?
Pre-Auth (short for Pre-Authorisation) means that your transactions will be authorised in realtime, along with AVS and CV2 checks, however they will not be sent to the bank for settlement until you log in to your SecureHosting account and manually authorise them. This feature is useful for merchants who anticipate a long time delay between transaction and shipment of goods, or for merchants who receive many fraudulent orders. You can settle a transaction for an amount different from the original transaction amount, and you can settle a transaction multiple times, eg. if you part ship an order.
Please note however, if using Pre-Auth you should be aware that the card issuing bank will only hold the funds against the card for a period of approximately 3 days (varies from bank to bank). If you submit the settlement authorisation after this period there is no guarantee that the funds will still be available on the card for your transaction.
Refunds
In your account you can refund a transaction, either partially or completely.
Which cards are accepted through UPG?
The main card types are :-
Visa, Visa Delta, Mastercard, JCB, Switch and Solo.
However you should check with your acquiring bank exactly which cards you are set up to accept. In addition to the cards mentioned above you can accept Amex and Diners subject to a separate application with the relevant acquiring bank. See note below.
What about Amex and Diners?
You can accept Amex and Diners payments through UPG however you will need separate Internet merchant numbers from these organisations as well as your main one.
If you wish to process American Express cards through our UPG service, you will have to contact Amex directly to obtain an Internet merchant number. Amex can be contacted on 0800 444 280. You will need to quote your existing Amex merchant number (if you already have an account with them) and ask them for an Internet merchant number for use with Universal Payment Gateway (UPG). You will also need to tell them that your Amex Internet merchant number needs to be linked to your main Internet merchant number (ie. the one used for Visa/Mastercard etc.). As the Amex number is linked to your main Internet merchant number you can only contact Amex once the latter has been set up by your acquiring bank.
What you will need and how to get started
In order to use our UPG online card processing service, you will need the following three things :
1. An account on our system, either eCOM Basic, Standard or Premium . If you do not already have an account with us, you can start one on free trial, allowing you to upload your forms and integrate your shopping cart straight away.
2. An Internet merchant number from one of the following banks :-
Barclays, Natwest, HSBC, Lloyds TSB, Bank of Scotland, Royal Bank of Scotland
If you already have a merchant number please just complete our UPG application form to get started. If your merchant account is currently only set up for mail order/telephone order we will contact the bank to organise a dedicated Internet merchant number for you. If you don't have a merchant account at all we provide an invaluable guide to help you obtain one, click here to download the guide to obtaining a merchant account.
3. A live web site. The banks will check your web site address as part of the approval process, even if you already have a merchant account. You must also display your contact details and your terms and conditions of sale prominently on your site. You will not be awarded an Internet merchant number by some banks unless these are clearly displayed on your site. If you do not have any T&C's please see www.e-terms.co.uk where you can obtain them for a small fee.
Merchant accounts
A merchant account is the term used by the banks for the facility to accept credit cards. It is required in addition to your normal business bank account.
If you currently have a merchant account for use with an electronic PDQ terminal you will need an additional merchant number for your Internet transactions. Some banks now make a small set-up charge for these Internet merchant numbers, so please check the paperwork sent to you by the bank for any charges and terms.
Obtaining the Internet merchant number can be a complicated and protracted process. As part of our service, and at no extra cost, we will contact your bank to initiate the request for an Internet merchant number, and follow up the application on your behalf. We strongly recommend that you take advantage of this service and advise you not to contact the bank yourself, as doing so will lead to confusion and unnecessary delays. We make the whole process of obtaining an Internet merchant ID as painless as possible for you!
If you have no merchant account
If you do not have a merchant account at all then please download our free guide to obtaining a merchant account that contains step by step advice on how to obtain a merchant account and how to get the best deal.
What to do next
If you have a merchant account please just complete the UPG application form located here.
We will contact your bank to initiate the request for the merchant number - we strongly advise you not to contact the bank yourself.
Each bank has its own procedure for dealing with the applications, but generally speaking once we have made the initial application for you, the bank will post or fax you some forms to complete, or in some cases they will telephone you. We will provide them with the technical details for the payment gateway.
Once the bank have received your completed forms they will process them and advise you directly of the new Internet merchant number. Please inform us of this number as soon as you receive it. We will then have to contact your bank again to formally request that it be put live.
How long does it take to set up
The timescales are unfortunately beyond our control, as the banks dictate the pace of this entire process. In our experience you should allow approximately 4 weeks for the merchant number to be issued and then you will need to allow a further 7 to 10 days for the merchant number to go live once issued.
We appreciate that this may seem a lengthy process however nothing moves very fast when you are dealing with the banks!
As a result you really need to apply for the UPG service as soon as possible. The application form can be found here.
How long does it take for payments to hit my bank account?
This is entirely dictated by the terms of your merchant agreement with your bank. We transmit the transaction data to your bank on a batched daily basis as per the normal banking practice. The length of time it takes after that for the money to hit your bank account depends on your merchant agreement. The bank should indicate this in their application forms - however if it is not clear please check with them directly.
Shopping Carts
Our system is the most flexible and customisable online payment system available - allowing you to either upload your own simple order form, integrate your own custom built shopping cart, or use a third party "off the shelf" shopping cart. Please refer to your account login area for instructions on how to build your form or integrate your own shopping cart.
We offer as an option our own shopping cart system, which is ready to go and can be integrated with your SecureHosting account within minutes! Please see our SH Store page for details.
Alternatively, if you have an existing site and just need to add "buy buttons" that link to a simple cart and checkout, this feature is included in the eCOM Standard and Premium service levels.
Advanced XML API Integration
For advanced integration we are able to offer an HTTP XML API, this system allows you to process transactions securely from your own website (SSL Certificate required), process refunds and authorisations without having to transfer the customer over to the SecureHosting secure server. More details available here.
> Apply for the UPG service here.
