Frequently Asked Questions
You will find the most commonly asked questions below.
What's Included
I don't understand what I get. What's included?
We provide you with the ability to collect credit cards online and over the telephone. You get an online payment page that your customers can use to submit payment for any amounts owing by credit card. You also get a virtual terminal so that you can collect credit card payments over the telephone. It includes everything you need to collect payments from your customers.
Pricing
How much does it cost?
3% plus 30¢ per transaction.
There are no hidden fees, and you don't pay any more for points or rewards cards (which is how it usually works in the payments industry). It's a simple flat-rate that does not fluctuate. There is no setup cost, no monthly fee, and no cancellation fee if you decide to close your account. Visit the pricing page for more detailed rate information.
Are there really no hidden fees?
While it is normal in the payments industry to pay more for rewards cards, points cards, and corporate cards, we do not engage in this practice. You pay the same rate of 3% on each transaction. There is no setup fee, no monthly fee, no monthly minimum and no cancellation fee if you ever decide to close your account. Visit the pricing page for more information.
Can I get a lower rate if I process larger amounts of money?
Yes, merchants that trade higher volumes can receive a lower rate. View the pricing page for more information.
Is there a setup cost?
There is absolutely no setup cost of any kind.
Is there any sort of cancellation fee if I close my account?
You can close your account at any time. There are no cancellation fees.
Setup Questions
What do I need to get started?
There are no special requirements. Any Canadian business can use the service. If your business is located outside of Canada we may be able to assist but you will need to contact us to discuss your requirements. If you are ready to get started proceed to the setup form.
How long does it take to setup?
The actual technical effort is extremely minimal. It takes about 3 minutes to create a working payment page on your website. If you don't want to do this, or if you don't have a website, we will do it for you. The technical setup details can be found here.
Aside from the technical step of creating your payment page, there is the administrative step on our side in which we provide a merchant account so that your business can accept credit cards. It will take you about 5 minutes to complete the online setup form. You will then print, sign and return the document package by fax or email. They are reviewed and the merchant account is issued in 48-72 hours. If you are in a hurry contact us so that your account can be escalated for faster setup.
What are the steps involved in setting it up?
1) Open your account. Complete the online setup form so that we can provide a merchant account for your business. The online form will take about 5 minutes to complete.
2) Await Approval. After completing the online form you will be contacted by your dedicated account representative. They will provide paperwork that requires your signature. Return the paperwork. It will take 48 - 72 hours for approval.
3) Create and customize your payment page. Once approved you can create your payment page. If you lack the technical ability we will do this step for you at no charge.
4) Start processing. Run a test transaction to make sure your payment page is working properly. Once completed, you can begin processing credit card payments through your online payment page, and over the telephone.
Creating Your Payment Page
Where are the technical instructions to add a payment page to my website?
Technical information can be found here. If you need help creating the page our technical staff are available to do it for you.
How customizable is the look and feel of the payment process?
You have total control over the look, branding, and content of your invoice page.
Can you help me build my payment page?
Yes, support is available. In fact, if you can't do it yourself our technical staff can do it for you. There is no charge for this service. (Yes, it's free).
I don't have a website, can I still use the service?
If you don't have a website we will create a page on Accept.ca where your payment page will be located. There is no charge for this service.
Customization Questions
Can I customize the look of my payment page?
We provide you with a code snippet that you insert into any page of your website. This code snippet generates the online payment collection form. Because it's actually hosted on your website you have absolute, 100% control over the look and feel of this page. It's worth noting that although you collect the basic contact details of the customer on this page, you do not come into contact with any sensitive cardholder data whatsoever. (All cardholder data is collected while the customer is directly connected to the secure payment server).
If you do not want to have the payment page on your website we will create a payment page for you and host it on Accept.ca. This page can still be customized but not to the extent that is possible if you host the payment page on your website.
Can I customize the look of the email receipts?
Yes, both the payment notification (to the merchant) and the order receipt (to your customer) can be customized.
Can I send the user to a customized page after the transaction has been approved?
Yes, you simply need to find this line of code in your payment form:
<input type=hidden name=ThanksURL value="https://www.accept.ca/invoiceApproved.php">
Replace 'https://www.accept.ca/invoiceApproved.php' with the URL of whatever page you want the user to be directed to after a successful payment.
Credit Card Questions
Which credit cards can I accept?
Visa and MasterCard. We support both CAD and USD billing currencies. We are also capable of processing AMEX if you wish to support American Express. If you require other special card types such as Discover they can be supported on a per case basis. If you have a special requirement please contact us and tell us about it.
Can I process credit cards in USD?
We are a multi-currency capable processor, which means you can choose to process credit cards in both CAD and USD currencies. To clarify, you can easily collect payments from customers anywhere in the world (that is how Visa and MasterCard work). The advantage of a multi-currency processor is that we allow you to charge your US based customers directly in USD so there is no exchange rate involved. If you choose to process funds in USD we can settle USD funds directly into your US currency bank account.
Do you support foreign processing currencies such as GBP, EUR or AUD?
We are capable of supporting special currency requirements on a per-case basis. Contact us if you have special processing currency requirements.
Can I do automatic recurring billing?
Yes, recurring billing payments are included at no extra cost. Contact support to find out more about the recurring billing system.
Are online invoice payments secure?
We offer extremely secure bank endorsed credit card processing that utilizes a range of industry leading security measures including AVS (Address Verification) and CVV (3 digit security code check).
More importantly, the online payment page is designed so that customers enter their credit card numbers while they are directly connected to the banks payment server. In other words, at the last moment, when the sensitive information is being entered the user is directed to a secure payment page that is not on your website. You have control over the look and feel of this page, so although it looks like the user is on your website, they are not. You will never have access to any credit card information, and will never collect credit card numbers on your server. Because the credit card numbers are not visible to you, and because they are not stored or recorded in any way, this removes the possibility of credit card numbers being lost or stolen. This greatly reduces the risk of liability and increases security for the customer. Each time a transaction is approved you get an approval code. You can see every transaction in your merchant control panel, but in place of credit card numbers you see the approval code. This way you can find transactions, issue refunds, or do any other day-to-day business activity without actually having to touch or store any credit card information.
Phone Orders
Can I process credit cards taken over the phone?
Yes. You receive access to a virtual terminal, which is a secure web page where you can key in and process orders using your computer. It's included for free at no extra charge.
What is a virtual terminal?
The term "virtual terminal" is a complicated sounding industry term to used to something very simple. It's actually just a simple, secure web page where you can key in and process credit card numbers using a computer. When you get approved, you will be given access to your merchant control panel. Once logged in, you will see a button marked "New Payment". When you click on this link you will be asked for the customer name, credit card number, expiry date, etc. Type in the payment details, press "submit" and the transaction is completed in seconds. It will even email your customer an automatic receipt if your type in their email address.
I don't want to take any online payments. Can I just use the virtual terminal?
Yes. Some merchants do not do any online invoicing and just collect all of their payments over the telephone using the virtual terminal.
Can I use the virtual terminal as a mobile device to process payments on the road?
Yes. You can use the virtual terminal on any device with an internet connection. This includes smartphones, tablets, laptops - anything with a web browser and an internet connection. This ultimately means that you can process payments while on the road or from anywhere!
Examples / See It In Action
Can I see an example of a live payment using the online payment page?
Yes, you can see an example of the online payment page in action on the examples page.
Can I see a demonstration of a phone payment being captured?
Yes, you can see a demonstration of a payment being processed through the virtual terminal on the examples page.
Reporting and Settlement
How often do I receive my money?
Funds are automatically deposited into your bank account on a daily basis. It takes 72 hours for the funds to appear in your bank account from the moment the transaction is processed. If you prefer, you can choose to receive your funds weekly instead of daily. If you have a particularly high risk service (such as airfare) you may be required to be on weekly funding, or have other special requirements attached to your account. If there are any special requirements you will be told in advance when your account is setup.
Can the funds be deposited automatically into my bank account?
Yes, funds are deposited automatically every day.
Can funds be sent into any bank account? (TD, RBC, BMO, Scotia, etc)
Funds can be deposited into a bank account at any Canadian financial institution.
Do I receive reporting?
You receive full reporting access via the merchant control panel. You can review transactions, issue refunds, and download reports.
Can I download statements for import into my bookkeeping software?
Yes, reports can be customized and downloaded for import into your bookkeeping software.
Advanced Tips and Tricks
Can I make it so the invoice number and amount is already filled in for my customer?
Yes. You can make it so that the invoice number and amount fields are automatically filled in. This is specifically for use when you are emailing your customer a link to your invoice page so they can submit a payment.
To do this you include a bit of extra information in the link provided to your customer. Normally you would just email your customer a link to your invoice page. It might look like this:
www.yoursite.com/invoice.htm
However, if we embed information about the order into the link then those fields will be automatically filled in. If the invoice number was az-2121, and the amount owing was $500, you would create the link as follows:
www.yoursite.com/invoice.htm?inv=az-2121&amount=500
There are no spaces allowed. Change the text highlighted in red to with the invoice number and amount that you want to charge.
About Accept.ca
Who are the folks behind Accept.ca?
Accept.ca is a sister company to Merchant Accounts.ca, which is one of Canada's longest established providers of merchant accounts and credit card processing. To know more about the management team, and the story behind Accept.ca visit our About Us page.
What kind of support is available?
We like to know our customers by name! After completing the setup form you will be assigned a dedicated account representative that you can contact any time by phone or email. This person is your central point of contact on any issue related to your account. They will know you by first name and have the capability and authority to get things done when you need help. In addition to your dedicated representative our sales team is available 9am - 6pm EST.
Where can I find contact information?
On our About Us page, of course!
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