Authorizing credit cards

Card authorization allows you to accept a credit/debit card payment from a customer and, within a matter of seconds, have the card transaction approved over the Internet by your bank. You also have the option of having transactions deferred for authorization at a later time.

Credit card authorization includes the following steps:

1. A customer purchases a product or service from a store.
2. The payment gateway encrypts data and securely sends it through the payment processing network.
3. The transaction is reviewed for authorization or decline, and the results are sent back through the payment gateway.
4. The customer receives a confirmation receipt and the order is fulfilled.
5. Once the transaction is processed, funds are transferred from the customer’s bank account to the merchant bank account.

Before you get started, it is a good idea to become familiar with some of the terms that are used throughout this section. The following is a list of some of the most commonly used terms.

The first step in getting started is to install iMIS, which includes the components needed to run card authorization.

Note: To set up card authorization, you need a relevant license, such as CCAuth or Service Central.

This window specifies authorization options for credit cards and European debit cards.

In Advanced Accounting Console, go to Finance > Options > Configure accounting options, and click Credit Card Auth.

You must set up credit card, debit card and direct debit cash accounts on the Cash accounts window in the Finance module in the Advanced Accounting Console before you can use card authorization. When you select a cash account of type Credit Card, Debit Card or Direct Debit, the CC Auth Account field is displayed, enabling you to associate a card authorization account with a credit card, debit card or direct debit cash account. The system automatically generates a read-only description under the CC Auth Account field. The CC Auth Account field requires a value when you select a cash account of type Credit Card, Debit Card or Direct Debit.

As an additional verification for Advanced Accounting Console credit card transactions, you can make the Card Security Code (CSC) a required value for specific credit/debit card cash accounts. A CSC is the 3- or 4-digit unembossed number that displays on the front or back of a credit/debit card. The CSC is not part of the actual card number and is useful in situations where the card holder is not present when the payment is being made.

iMIS accepts and validates Diners Club and Carte Blanche credit cards. To use Diners Club and Carte Blanche credit cards to process payment transactions, you must set up the following two new credit card type values on the Set up cash accounts window (in Advanced Accounting Console, go to Finance > Options > Set up tables > Cash accounts:

• DINERS (Diners Club)
• CB (Carte Blanche)

The following credit card number is available for testing Diners Club and Carte Blanche credit card transactions:

3056 9309 0259 04

Note: For testing purposes, transactions must be under $100.00.

You can process transactions using credit card types with variations of the supported credit card types (for example, DINERS1, DINERS2).

You can enter any credit card value in the Check/CC field on the Sales transactions window (from Advanced Accounting Console, go to Finance > Transactions > Sales transactions) and the Cash receipts window (from Advanced Accounting Console, go to Finance > Transactions > Cash receipts). However, for a credit card number to be validated by iMIS, the value entered in the Check/CC field, in addition to being a cash account of type Credit Card, must contain one of the supported credit card types: AMEX, VISA, MC, DISC, DINERS, CB (for example, MY-AMEX).

Organizations that use iMIS to process accounting transactions may have multiple credit/debit card cash accounts and may want to control how funds are allocated to financial institutions.

For example, an organization that has domestic and international accounts might not want the international accounts processed, but may want to store the information in iMIS. The organization could create a new card authorization account for the international accounts, set the account to Manual Authorization, and create a corresponding cash account and set its CC Auth Account value to the new card authorization account.

When setting up the Fundraising module for card authorization, we recommend disabling the Do Not Validate Credit Card field option.

1. In the Advanced Accounting Console, go to Configure > Fundraising > Configure fundraising options.
2. Disable the Do Not Validate Credit Card field option.

If you enable this option, the credit/debit card number will not automatically format when it is entered on the Fundraising Enter and edit gifts window. If Deferred Authorization is enabled on the AR/Cash Credit Card Authorization window, then transactions made on the Overview tab on the Enter and edit gifts window with unformatted credit/debit card numbers will not display in credit/debit card searches and will not print on the Deferred Credit Card Pre-Authorization report.

1. You can set up a card authorization account that can be used either for manual authorization or deferred authorization of European debit cards through a custom gateway interface.
2. In Advanced Accounting Console, go to Finance > Options > Configure accounting options.
3. Click Credit Card Auth. The AR/Cash Credit Card Authorization window is displayed.
4. Click New.
5. From the Gateway drop-down list, select Other.
6. In the Account Code field, specify a short label for this card authorization account.
7. (optional) In the Account description field, specify a description for this card authorization account.
8. Select either Manual Authorization or Deferred Authorization for this card authorization account.
9. If you have selected Deferred Authorization and your authorization service requires CSC information for European debit card transactions, select the Save CSC Prior to Authorization checkbox.

Note: You should ensure that the custom gateway interface implemented by your AiSP deletes the stored CSC information after being successfully authorized.

10. Click Save.

You must assign a card authorization account to each credit/debit card cash account you create in iMIS.

1. In Advanced Accounting Console, go to Finance > Options > Configure accounting options.
2. Click Credit Card Auth. The AR/Cash Credit Card Authorization window is displayed.

Note: For AR/Cash Credit Card Authorization window to display, you need a relevant license, such as CCAuth or Service Central.

3. Click New.
4. From the Gateway drop-down list, select Other.
5. Select Manual Authorization.
6. Enter NOPROCESS as the Account Code.

Note: NOPROCESS has been associated in the web.config file as a no processing payment gateway. If you enter a different code, you will have to modify your web.config files for that code to be recognized.

This value displays in the Select a Value window that opens when you use the lookup icon on the CC Auth Account field on the Set up cash accounts window. This value cannot be changed once the record is saved.
7. Enter a meaningful description for the authorization account in the Account description field. This information displays as read-only data under the CC Auth Account field on the Set up cash accounts window.
8. Click Save.

Card authorization account information and cash account information is kept in the following iMIS tables:

In Advanced Accounting Console, go to Continuum > Commerce and Customer Service Reports > Credit card reports

Note: If you have not set up credit card cash accounts in the Finance module, the Credit card reports menu item is disabled.

To generate credit/debit card reports, in Advanced Accounting Console, go to Continuum > Commerce and Customer Service Reports > Credit card reports. The following report options display on the Credit card reports window:

• Print Deferred Pre-authorization Report – Prints a report of deferred credit/debit card transactions. The report parameters include Date Range and Org Code.
• Submit Deferred Authorizations – Sends transactions flagged for deferred authorization. All flagged transactions are submitted immediately. This applies only to deferred credit/debit card authorizations.
• Print Credit Card Reconciliation Report – Prints a credit card reconciliation report.
• Print Debit Card Reconciliation Report – Prints a European debit card reconciliation report.

Note: If you have not set up European debit card cash accounts in the Finance module, the Print Debit Card Reconciliation Report button is not available.

If you have enabled the Immediate Authorization option, and then entered a credit card payment, the transaction information is sent immediately through the gateway to the financial institution for authorization. After the payment is authorized, the funds are captured at midnight of the transaction date.

Note: European debit card authorization accounts cannot be configured to use the Immediate Authorization option.

1. In Advanced Accounting Console, go to Finance > Transactions > Sales transactions.

Note: For this example, we are using the Enter and edit sales transactions window. You can enter the credit card payments in any of the windows available for credit card authorization.

2. Click New.
3. Enter the customer ID in the Id field.
4. Enter a product in the Product field, or click the Find icon to select a value.
5. Enter the product quantity in the Quantity field.
6. Enter the credit card code in the Check/CC field. Several additional credit card fields display when you press Tab.
7. Enter the credit card number in the CC # field.
8. If required, enter the Card Security Code in the CSC field.
9. Enter the expiration date in the Exp field.
10. Enter the name on the credit card in the Name on CC field. This does not have to be the same as the customer name.
11. Enter an amount in the Payment Amount field.
12. Click Save:
    • If the transaction was authorized, the Authorize field on the payment transaction window populates with the authorization code and the transaction is saved. In addition, if you entered a value in the CSC field, the field is now blank because the system automatically deleted the value once the transaction has been submitted.
    • If the authorization was declined, an error message displays indicating that the transaction was declined.Select OK to exit the Results window and return to the transaction window. If the transaction was declined, DECLINED displays in the Authorize field in the payment window.

Note: There could be several reasons for a declined authorization, such as bad card, invalid data, or invalid credit card number.

Note: At this point, you are not able to save the transaction. You can edit the payment date, amount, name, credit card number, and expiration date, and then resubmit the transaction for authorization.

Deferred credit/debit card payments are entered in the same manner as if you were using immediate authorization. When a deferred transaction is saved (by clicking OK), the word DEFER displays in the Authorize field. If you select the Deferred Authorization option, credit/debit card transactions are deferred until you submit them.

Warning!  

Do not accidentally enter any data in the Authorize field. When entering payment information, the Authorize field is empty. It remains empty until you save the transaction, then it populates with the word DEFER to indicate that it is batched for authorization. However, you might need to authorize a payment through a credit card machine or by calling the merchant bank, so iMIS allows you to manually enter authorization codes for these circumstances. However, keep in mind that if you do enter information in this field, iMIS assumes that it is a manually entered authorization code.

If you are using Deferred Authorization, you can view a Pre-Authorization report of credit/debit card transactions before you transmit them to be authorized. This allows you to check and edit transactions before submitting them.

1. In Advanced Accounting Console, go to Continuum > Commerce and Customer Service Reports > Credit card reports, and click Print Deferred Pre-authorization Report. The Authorization Reports: Deferred Pre-Authorization Report window opens.
2. Enter the Begin Date and the End Date for the date range you are evaluating. The Begin Date defaults to the current system date.
3. (optional) Enter the Org Code, or click the lookup icon to select a value. If you do not enter an Org Code, the report prints for every Org Code.
4. Click Set Report Destination and select the output for the report.
5. Click OK. A Deferred Credit Card Pre-Authorization report prints based upon the specified date range and Org Code.
Click to view image

Sample Deferred Credit Card Pre-Authorization report

Before deferred credit/debit card payments can be authorized, they must be submitted.

1. In Advanced Accounting Console, go to Continuum > Commerce and Customer Service Reports > Credit card reports, and click Submit Deferred Authorizations. The Authorization Reports: Submit Deferred Authorizations window displays.
2. Enter the Begin Date and End Date of the deferred authorizations. The Begin Date defaults to the current system date, which you can override.
3. Enter the Org Code, or click the Find icon to select a value. If you do not enter an Org Code, the report prints for every Org Code.
4. Click OK.

After you enter credit/debit card transactions, you can search iMIS for transactions:

1. In Advanced Accounting Console, go to Finance > Transactions > Search credit card info.
2. Enable the Last Four option to search on the last four numbers of the credit/debit card or the Full option to search on the full card number.

Note: If Advanced PCI Compliance Do not retain cardholder information is enabled, iMIS saves transactions without cardholder data and shows only gateway reference number and authorization code fields. Therefore, the Full option is disabled, because only the last four credit card digits are saved.

3. Enter the card number in the Credit Card # field to search for a specific card number.
4. Enter the customer or company ID in the Id field to search by record. You search by both the card number and ID, or by one field only.
5. Enter the transaction number in the Trans Number field to search by transaction number.
6. Press Enter. A list of transactions for the selected card and/or customer record displays in the window.
7. To view an individual transaction through the Search credit card info window, double-click the line item. The original transaction window opens.

Note: If Advanced PCI Compliance Do not retain cardholder information is enabled, iMIS saves transactions without cardholder data and shows only gateway reference number and authorization code fields.