MeS Virtual Terminal Recurring Payments Guide

Transcription

1 Recurring Payments Guide Merchant e-solutions

2 This publication is for information purposes only and its content does not represent a contract in any form. Furthermore, this publication shall not be deemed to be a warranty of any kind, either express or implied. Merchant e-solutions expressly disclaims, and you expressly waive, any and all warranties, including without limitation those of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Merchant e- Solutions reserves the right to alter product specifications without notice. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without Merchant e-solutions permission. MeS Payment Systems Merchant e-solutions MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 2

3 Table of Contents RELATED DOCUMENTS... 4 OVERVIEW... 5 CONFIGURING MES VIRTUAL TERMINAL FOR RECURRING PAYMENTS... 6 CREATING A RECURRING RECORD... 8 MODIFYING AND DELETING RECORDS MANAGING RECURRING RECORDS HANDLING FAILED PAYMENTS WHERE TO FIND MORE HELP MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 3

4 Related Documents Please refer to the related documents listed below for applicable information. 1. MeS Virtual Terminal Import/Export Guide Available for download on the MeS Virtual Terminal help page, and under Resources on the MeS Virtual Terminal Help Utility. 2. MeS Virtual Terminal Help Utility Available by using the MeS Virtual Terminal help links (? Buttons) throughout the MeS Virtual Terminal. 3. MeS Virtual Terminal Mobile Users Guide Available through though interface of the MeS Virtual Terminal Mobile application for the iphone. MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 4

5 Overview Merchant e-solutions MeS Virtual Terminal offers the ability to process recurring and/or installment payments. Recurring payments are credit-card charges that automatically process on a regular cycle for an open-ended time frame. Installment payments are credit-card charges that automatically process on a regular cycle for a specific time frame. For the sake of simplicity, this guide will use the term recurring billing to include both recurring and installment payments. A recurring payment is created by establishing a Customer Record with a unique Customer ID. Payment information, and the recurring payment parameters, are included in the Customer Record, or added at a later time. Recurring billing records can also be imported from an external.txt file. Instructions for importing recurring payments can be found in the MeS Virtual Terminal Import/Export Guide. Each day, MeS Virtual Terminal identifies all payments that have reached a cycle date and creates a transaction in the current batch. MeS Virtual Terminal can be configured to create the transactions with a status of Pending Authorization requiring the user to attempt to authorize the payments manually or can be set to automatically attempt an authorization at the time the transactions are created. Recurring payment records can be modified or deleted at any time. While MeS Virtual Terminal provides a flexible framework to make recurring payments as easy as possible, it is always necessary to closely monitor and manage the payment process. Because of expiration dates, the re-issuance of cards, and the changing status of credit availability, automated recurring payments can fail (decline) at any time. It is critical for the MeS Virtual Terminal user to resolve failed payments as quickly as possible to avoid unnecessary inquiries and possible chargebacks. This document is intended to: Provide an overview of the recurring payment process Provide instructions on creating, modifying, and deleting a recurring payment Provide an introduction to the tools available to help manage recurring payments Provide direction on resolving failed recurring payments. Keep in mind that while transactions that have been entered into MeS Virtual Terminal are secured in compliance with credit card association mandates, any cardholder information that is maintained outside of MeS Virtual Terminal must be maintained in compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard. More information is available on PCI in the Help section of MeS Virtual Terminal. MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 5

6 Configuring MeS Virtual Terminal for Recurring Payments The first decision a user must make is how to manage the authorization process for recurring payments. When a recurring payment reaches its cycle date, the transaction will be created automatically and placed in the current batch. For example, if a recurring payment is set up on October 1 st to bill on a monthly cycle with a start date of October 15 th, then in the early morning hours of October 15 th, that transaction will be created automatically and placed in the current batch. This process will recur on the 15 th of every month for a fixed number of payments, or indefinitely, depending on how the user has defined the payment. When a transaction is automatically created, it can: Be placed in the current batch with a status of Pending Authorization (no authorization attempt made) Be sent out for an authorization when it is created, with a status of either Pending Settlement or Failed. It is up to the MeS Virtual Terminal administrator to make this choice in the Admin Terminal Settings area of MeS Virtual Terminal. There is an Automatic Authorization for Recurring Transactions check-box in the Recurring Charges section. Checking this box sends each recurring payment out for an authorization attempt at its start date and cycle date. Un-checking the box places the initial and all subsequent payments into the current batch without attempting an authorization, requiring the user to perform a manual authorization. Note: The Automatic Authorization for Recurring Transactions check-box is disabled by default. Recurring transactions, like all transactions in MeS Virtual Terminal, will follow the procedure for settlement that is defined by the user in the Batch Auto Settlement section of the Admin Terminal Settings area of MeS Virtual Terminal. MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 6

7 What are the practical differences between auto-authorizing transactions and manually authorizing them? The advantage to automatically authorizing recurring transactions is the elimination of the second step that would be required to submit them manually for authorization however; there are some instances when the user may need more control over the transaction before it is sent for authorization. Examples of this might include payments where the transaction amount changes from payment to payment, or the possible need to delay the charge for a brief period beyond the cycle date. MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 7

8 Creating a Recurring Record A recurring payment is created by first establishing a Customer Record. This is done from the Customers Add Record area of MeS Virtual Terminal. The Customer ID must be unique to each Customer Record. It can be comprised of letters, numbers, or special characters (spaces, dashes, etc.) with a maximum length of 20 characters. A link below the Customer ID field can be clicked to display a pop-up listing of existing customers and Customer IDs. MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 8

9 A Customer Record can be created: without any credit card information or recurring payment information with credit card information but without recurring payment information with credit card and recurring payment information. The required fields for creating a Customer Record are indicated in red on the screen. Customer Information Field Name Required Characters Length Comments Customer ID Any 20 Must be unique. Designation Any 5 First Name Any 20 Middle Initial Any 01 Last Name Any 20 Any 50 Must and. Phone Number Alpha 1 Fax Number Numeric 10 Date of Birth Billing Address Any 50 Billing Address 2 Any 50 Billing City Any 30 Billing State Billing Zip Numeric 5 Shipping Address Any 50 Shipping Address 2 Any 50 Shipping City Any 30 Shipping State Shipping Zip Numeric 5 Discretionary Customer Fields 1-6 Any 30 Will appear with specific field name. Transaction Information MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 9

10 Transaction information is not required to create a Customer Record and required fields are not marked on the MeS Virtual Terminal screen. Once an Account Number is entered, the other required field is the expiration date. Field Name Required Characters Length Comments Account Number Numeric 13,15,16 Visa: 13,16 Amex: 15 MC, JCB, Discover: 16 Expiration Date Invoice Number Any 20 If an Invoice Number is not entered, the Customer ID will be used to fill the Invoice Number field. EC Indicator Discretionary Transaction Fields 1-6 Default is Mail/Telephone Order. Any 30 Will appear with specific field name. Recurring Transaction Information Recurring transaction information is not required to create a Customer Record and required fields are not marked on the MeS Virtual Terminal screen. Transaction information is required to create a recurring transaction. Once a recurring transaction field is filled, all fields in the recurring transaction section become required fields. Field Name Required Characters Length Comments Start Date Date 8 Format: MM/DD/YY The current date or any advance date can be entered as a start date. This is the date that the first recurring transaction will appear. MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 10

11 A past date can be entered as long as it does not exceed the cycle date. For example, if a user creates a recurring record on October 15 with a weekly cycle, the start date can be set for any past date up to October 8 (a week prior). Entering October 7 in this example will not be accepted. Entering a past date has no affect on the processing of the transaction only on the timing of the subsequent transaction. When a record is created using the current date or a past date as the start date, a transaction will immediately appear in the current batch. If the start date falls on a date that does not occur in every month, such as the 31 st, the transaction will appear in the batch on the last calendar day of that month. Number of Payments Max 3 Number must be entered or the No Fixed Number box should be checked. Frequency Monthly Once each month on the date of the Start Date. Example: Start Date = 10/02/07 Next transactions = 11/02/07, 12/02/07, 01/02/08. Semi Monthly Every 15 Days. Example: Start Date = 10/02/07 Next transactions = 10/17/07, 11/01/07, 11/16/07. Weekly Once each week (7 days) following the Start Date. Example: Start Date = 10/02/07 Next transactions = 10/09/07, 10/16/07, 10/23/07. Every Other Week Every 14 days from the start date. Example: Start Date = 10/02/07 Next transactions = 10/16/07, 10/30/07, 11/13/07 Quarterly Every 3 months on the date of the MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 11

12 Start Date. Example: Start Date = 10/02/07 Next transactions = 01/02/08, 04/02/08, 07/02/08. Annually Every year (12 months) on the date of the Start Date. Example: Start Date = 10/02/07 Next transactions = 10/02/08, 11/02/09, 11/02/10. Semi-Annually Every 6 months on the date of the Start Date. Example: Start Date = 10/02/07 Next transactions = 04/02/08, 10/02/08, 04/02/09. Payment Amount Decimal Max 10 Note: If the start date falls on a date that does not occur in every month, such as the 31 st, the transaction will appear in the batch on the last calendar day of that month. In addition to manual entry, Customer Records can be imported from a batch file as Customer Records, Customer Records with Payment Information, or Customer Records with Recurring Billing. See the MeS Virtual Terminal Import/Export Guide for details. MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 12

13 Modifying and Deleting Records The ability to change a Customer ID, delete a Customer Record, and/or modify any of the Customer Record fields are determined by how those modifications might affect the integrity of transactions associated with those customer records, and the preservation of ongoing recurring payments. Modifying a Customer ID A Customer ID can be modified. Any payment information associated with the original Customer ID will remain associated with the modified Customer ID. A Customer ID must always be unique. Once a Customer ID has been modified, the previous Customer ID becomes reusable. Example: Customer ID Adams_123 is modified to Adams_321. All the transactions associated with Adams_123 (historical transactions, current recurring payments on record) are now associated with Adams_321 and a new Customer Record can be created for Adams_123. Changing/Updating Customer Record Fields Any Customer Record or payment information field can be changed at any time and be effective immediately. Select fields of the recurring payment information can be changed. Updating a customer s billing address, invoice number, credit card number, or the credit card expiration date on any recurring record will apply to all subsequent recurring transactions. Modifying/Deleting Payment Information Payment information can be modified or deleted at any time. Fields can be edited simply by inputting the new data and clicking the Update Record button at the bottom of the screen. If an attempt is made to delete payment information for a Customer Record that includes a recurring payment, the recurring payment will be deleted as well. The user will receive a warning when this is the case and must confirm their intention to delete the recurring payment information as well as the payment information. When a user attempts to update the account number and/or expiration date for a record with a failed recurring transaction in the current batch, the user will be asked if that failed transaction should be updated with the new information and reprocessed. More information on this is available in the Handling Failed Transactions section of this guide. MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 13

14 Modifying/Deleting a Recurring Payment The following fields can be modified for a recurring payment record: Amount will change the amount charged on future recurring payments A recurring billing record can be deleted by clicking the Delete Recurring Record button in the Recurring Transaction section of the Customer Record. Deleting a Customer Record Customer Records can only be deleted if there is no payment history associated with the record. Payment history is considered any transaction that has been created by using a Customer ID (stand-alone or recurring) regardless of the status of that transaction (pending authorization, failed, settled, etc.). If a recurring payment has been scheduled but not yet created in the current batch, the recurring record can be deleted, and then the Customer Record can be deleted. Once a Customer Record has been successfully deleted, that Customer ID becomes available for reuse. Customer Records are deleted by selecting Customers View/Edit Record, checking the box beside the record in the Delete column, and clicking the Delete Selected Customer button. MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 14

15 Managing Recurring Records MeS Virtual Terminal provides a number of tools to help manage the recurring payment process. Skipping Scheduled Payments MeS Virtual Terminal users have the ability to skip scheduled recurring payments without the need to manually delete or void the payments that need to be skipped. By using the Manage Recur Record button, available on the Customer Record page just below the recurring payment fields, users can select which payments they would like to skip. Clicking on the Manage Recur Record button will open the scheduled payments screen. Checking the boxes next to the individual scheduled payments, and then clicking the update button will set those scheduled payments to be skipped. There is no way for this to be done globally for all customer records, and the skipped payments must be set at the individual customer record level. Batch Management The batch management view screens contain an Entry column which identifies how the transaction was entered. Recurring transactions are labeled recur. By changing the Current Batch All Transactions view, a user can view only the recurring payments in the current batch. This is done by selecting Recurring Transactions from the drop-down menu. This provides a method of easily identifying and working with recurring transactions before settlement. From this filtered view, recurring transactions can be submitted for approval by clicking the Authorize Transactions button at the bottom of the page, or along with transactions with different entry methods from the Pending Authorization view. MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 15

16 Customer Payment History The Customer Record s payment history allows the MeS Virtual Terminal user to view all transactions entered under that Customer ID. The Customer Payment History is accessible by clicking the View Payment History button at the bottom of the Customer Record. Recurring transactions are identified by recurring in the Entry Method column. This allows the user to identify those transactions that were part of the recurring payment process, whether they failed or succeeded. A drop-down menu allows the user to view a customer s payments by: Settled transactions Pending authorization Pending Settlement Failed transactions Credit transactions Voided transactions All transactions The default view is Settled Transactions. In addition, a summary of the recurring record is provided on the Customer Payment History page with the recurring payment start date, number of payments, frequency, amount, date of first recurring payment, date of last successful recurring payment, and the date that the recurring record was created. Note: the Customer Payment History will show any transaction entered using that Customer ID. This will include key-entered and imported transactions as well as recurring payments. Payments in Next 7 Days The At-A-Glance section of the MeS Virtual Terminal Home Page displays the number of recurring transactions scheduled in the next 7 days. This provides a way to review payments that will reach their cycle in the next week. By clicking on the count, a detailed list of the scheduled payments appears. By clicking on the Customer ID, the Customer Record will appear for review and any necessary modifications. Expiration Date Reminders Preventing expiration dates from passing is crucial to reducing the causes of failed transactions. The At-A-Glance section of the MeS Virtual Terminal Home Page displays the number of Customer Records with cards expiring in the current month and the number of cards expiring the following month. These counts are links that will take the user to a detailed list of those Customer Records. The user can further click into that Customer Record to update the expiration date. In addition, in the Reports Customer Reports section of MeS Virtual Terminal, a user can run a report listing the Customer Records with cards expiring in the current month or the following month. These reports can be printed, saved as a PDF file, or downloaded in a.txt file. At the beginning of each month, an is automatically sent to the main administrator on record with a listing of Customer Records with cards expiring that month. To check the address on file, go to Admin Merchant Information. The address appears in the Merchant Information field. To update that field, go to Admin Terminal Settings and change the Contact 1 field in the Terminal Update Notification section. MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 16

17 From: To: Subject: Contact on Record MeS Virtual Terminal List of customers with credit cards expiring this month DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE - This has been automatically generated. MeS Virtual Terminal NOTIFICATION OF CUSTOMER RECORD(S) WITH CARD(S) EXPIRING THIS MONTH Merchant ID: This is to notify you that you have one or more Customer Records with credit cards that will expire at the end of this month. Customer ID List: A123,A568,A922,A999,B201 Please contact these customers to get updated information and make the appropriate updates to the Customer Record(s) in MeS Virtual Terminal. If you have any questions about this , your Merchant e-solutions merchant account or processing procedures, please contact our 24-hour Customer Care at or help@merchante-solutions.com. DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE - This has been automatically generated. MeS Virtual Terminal needs to communicate information critical information to users. It is important to have the appropriate contacts listed, and to add the MeS Virtual Terminal address to your list of accepted senders if SPAM filters are in use. MeS Virtual Terminal alerts and updates originate from: admin@mesvt.com. MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 17

18 Handling Failed Payments There are times when recurring payments will not receive an authorization. These transactions will have a status of Failed. Possible causes of failed transactions include: Funds not available on card Card reported lost or stolen Card reissued with a new number Expiration date has passed A system error It is critical to resolve the cause of the failure as quickly as possible. At-A-Glance Recurring Transactions Failed The At-A-Glance section of the MeS Virtual Terminal Home Page provides a count of failed recurring transactions. By clicking on that number, a detailed listing of all current failed transactions will appear with links to each transaction results page. Alerts When a recurring transaction or transactions fail to obtain an authorization, an is sent to the primary Virtual Terminal administrator on record. The following is a sample . From: To: Subject: admin@mesvt.com Contact on Record Recurring Transaction Authorization Failure Notification DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE - This has been automatically generated. Business Name: Merchant Name Business Location: City, State Merchant Number (MID): MeS Virtual Terminal RECURRING TRANSACTION AUTHORIZATION FAILURE NOTIFICATION This is to notify you that a recurring transaction in your MeS Virtual Terminal failed to authorize. CustomerID: 1234 Please review the transaction in your MeS Virtual Terminal Batch Management section. Three additional attempts can be made to authorize the transaction by clicking the 'Retry Authorization' button on the transaction results screen. After the third unsuccessful retry, that button will be disabled. If the transaction failed because of an incorrect expiration date, the date can be updated from the Customers - View/Edit Record section of MeS Virtual Terminal. If the transaction failed because the cardholder account number is no longer valid, the cardholder number can be updated from the Customers - View/Edit Record section of MeS Virtual Terminal. Changes to the cardholder account number and/or the expiration date will update the failed transaction with the new information. If your MeS Virtual Terminal account is set to automatically authorize recurring payments, an attempt will be made to authorize that transaction with the new information. The results of that attempt can be viewed from the Batch Management section of the MeS Virtual Terminal. If your MeS Virtual Terminal account is set to manually authorize recurring payments, the status of that transaction will change from "Failed" to "Pending Authorization" and you will need to attempt another authorization from the Batch Management section of the MeS Virtual Terminal. If you have any questions about this , your Merchant e-solutions merchant account or processing procedures, please contact our 24-hour Customer Care at or help@merchante-solutions.com. DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE - This has been automatically generated. MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 18

19 While MeS Virtual Terminal provides a flexible framework to make recurring payments as easy as possible, it is always necessary to closely monitor and manage the payment process. Because of expiration dates, the re-issuance of cards, and the changing status of credit availability, automated recurring payments can fail (decline) at any time. It is critical for the MeS Virtual Terminal user to resolve failed payments as quickly as possible to avoid unnecessary inquiries and possible chargebacks. Retry Authorization MeS Virtual Terminal allows three additional authorization attempts on failed transactions. A reattempt to authorize a failed recurring transaction is done by clicking the Retry Authorization button on the transaction results page. With each unsuccessful attempt, the following messages will appear: Authorization retry failed. 2 additional attempts allowed. Authorization retry failed. 1 additional attempt allowed. Authorization retry failed 3 times. Transaction must be deleted or Customer Record must be modified with updated payment information. Updating Payment Information If a recurring transaction has failed because the expiration date is no longer valid, or the cardholder provides new card information, the Transaction Information section of the Customer Record must be updated. Payment Information can be updated by selecting Customers View/Edit Record and entering the Customer ID or clicking Show All and selecting the record from a list. If the Account Number and/or the Expiration Date is updated for a Customer Record with a Failed transaction in the current batch, the MeS Virtual Terminal user will receive the following message: There is a failed transaction in the current batch associated with this Customer Record. If you would like to re-process the failed transaction with a new card number choose OK. If not, choose Cancel. By selecting OK, the Failed transaction is updated with the new information and submitted immediately for authorization. The results will be displayed in the current batch view. When updating the transaction information of a Customer Record with a failed payment in the current batch, and selecting OK to re-process the transaction, an authorization attempt will be made immediately regardless of how the Automatic Authorization for Recurring Transactions is set in the Terminal Settings. MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 19

20 Customer Record has a failed (declined) recurring transaction in the current batch. The Account Number is updated in the Customer Record. The user is prompted to allow reprocessing of the failed transaction with the new transaction information, or to not reprocess the transaction. The user selects OK. A message appears confirming that the failed recurring transaction has been updated with the new card information. The transaction is successfully re-processed with the new transaction information and appears with a status of Pending Settlement in the Current Batch. The recurring payment schedule will resume with the next cycle date. If the user chooses Cancel and does not attempt to reprocess the payment with the new transaction information, the following message appears on the Customer Record screen: The failed recurring transaction was not updated, and it remains in your current batch. A failed payment with no attempt to reprocess the payment after the transaction information has been updated remains in the batch. Additional attempts can be made to reauthorize the transaction (if any remain), the transaction information can be updated again, or the transaction can be deleted. It is vital that failed recurring transactions be resolved in a timely manner in order to keep the recurring billing on schedule. Failed transactions will remain in the current batch until resolved, unless deleted by the user. When a transaction fails, it will not prevent the next scheduled payment transaction from appearing in the batch. MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 20

21 Failed Transaction Resolution Scenarios These are the most common causes of a failed transactions. The possible solutions presented are the most common ways to handle the payment. These are presented as examples. Possible Cause Funds not available on card Card reported lost or stolen Card reissued with a new number Expiration date has passed A system error Possible Solutions Credit may become available within a day or two and an attempt can be made to reauthorize the transaction. The Customer Record in MeS Virtual Terminal can be updated with new transaction information from the cardholder. The Customer Record in MeS Virtual Terminal can be updated with new transaction information from the cardholder. The Customer Record in MeS Virtual Terminal can be updated with new transaction information from the cardholder. The Customer Record in MeS Virtual Terminal can be updated with new transaction information from the cardholder. Retry Authorization button on the transaction results page can be used to submit transaction when system error has been resolved. MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 21

22 Where to Find More Help MeS Virtual Terminal Help Context-sensitive help is available throughout MeS Virtual Terminal here. A complete help tool is available by clicking the Help tab on the MeS Virtual Terminal navigation bar. Support help@merchante-solutions.com Phone Support /7 Customer Care MeS VT Version 2.1 Page 22