Frequently Asked Questions

If our FAQ doesn’t help you, please email us. We’re happy to help.

Features

Merchant Services

Hardware

Troubleshooting

About Us

Features

Which features are available on which types of devices?

On iOS, Android, Windows 8, and Windows Phone 8, all our features are available right in the app. On the Mac, you can choose Transaction History from the menu to access the Inner Fence web site which provides those features that are not available directly through the native interface.

Can I do refunds? What about credits and voids?

Yes, you can perform refunds from your Transaction History on the Inner Fence web site, or from your iPhone, iPad, or Android app. Our refund operation will take care of performing the correct backend operation, whether that might technically be a credit or a void.

Can I send email receipts?

Yes. Receipts are emailed automatically when you enter the email address as part of the transaction. You can also send the receipt from the Transaction History view.

Can I charge credit cards while I’m on a call?

Always yes if you’re on Wi-Fi. If not, it can depend on both your carrier and your connection; the key is “simultaneous voice and data”. High quality AT&T connections support this (labeled 3G or 4G), but the older Edge and GPRS networks do not. Verizon and Sprint do not support simultaneous voice/data on the iPhone but do for some Android phones.

Can I use my PayPal account?

Yes, but you must have PayPal Payments Pro (formerly called PayPal Website Payments Pro).

We do not recommend using PayPal Payments Pro unless you are already a happy customer of that service. We have not found that PayPal provides an adequate level of customer support if you have a problem.

To use Credit Card Terminal with PayPal Payments Pro, you’ll need to get the API Username, API Password, and API Signature for your PayPal account.

How long does each transaction take?

It depends on the speed and strength of your data connection. Typical times are less than a second on Wi-Fi, 2–3 seconds on a good cell network, or up to 10–15 seconds on a slow rural cell network or if you’re in a poor location for cell reception.

Can I use more than one merchant account with the same app?

No. Credit Card Terminal can only be configured for a single merchant account.

Can I collect signatures on my iPhone? Do I need to collect signatures?

Yes, in our touch-based apps you can collect signatures. Customers may sign with their fingers, or you might consider purchasing a capacitive touch screen stylus like the Pogo Stylus.

Signatures are not usually required by your merchant agreement, but they can be useful in the case you need to fight a chargeback. We recommend collecting signatures for transactions over $50.

Can I manage recurring payments?

No, Credit Card Terminal does not support recurring payments.

How does Credit Card Terminal secure transactions?

Credit Card Terminal transmits credit card information directly to the payment gateway you’ve configured. Sensitive credit card information is not communicated to our servers.

All transactions are protected with SSL encryption. Credit Card Terminal does not store credit card numbers after the transmission is complete.

On iOS and OS X, your gateway’s login information is stored using the Apple Keychain, which provides encryption and application isolation. We strongly recommend that you secure your iPhone by enabling Passcode Lock and Auto-Lock to prevent unauthorized access to your device.

Merchant Services

What is a Merchant Account?

A merchant account is an arrangement that allows your business to accept credit and debit cards, so that proceeds and fees can be deposited or debited from your bank account.

What is a Payment Gateway?

A payment gateway is a service that allows you to use your merchant account to process credit card transactions via the Internet. Credit Card Terminal supports several payment gateways. If you sign up for our merchant services in the USA, you’ll get an account with the Authorize.Net payment gateway.

What does it cost to use Credit Card Terminal?

Refer to our detailed pricing information. New merchants can sign up for our merchant services, in which case Credit Card Terminal is simply included with the merchant account. Existing merchants can keep their existing merchant accounts and add on Credit Card Terminal as an additional service.

What are “qualified,” “mid-qualified,” and “non-qualified” transactions?

“Qualified,” “mid-qualified,” and “non-qualified” are pricing tiers on the discount rate of credit and debit card transactions.

Our swiped account has three tiers. US consumer credit and debit cards typically receive the qualified (lowest) rate when they are swiped. Those cards would typically receive the mid-qualified (middle) rate when they are keyed in, provided you collect the zip code for AVS verification.

Not all cards can qualify for the qualified or mid-qualified rate. For example, international, government, and corporate cards typically run at the non-qualified (highest) rate.

If you have an existing merchant account, pricing tiers and how to qualify for them will vary according to your merchant agreement. Read carefully, as some merchant agreements run all keyed transactions at the highest rate.

Furthermore, your existing merchant account might not actually support swiped transactions. Credit Card Terminal will still allow you to use the card reader to speed up transactions and avoid manually entering the information, but you wouldn’t be eligible for any better rates. If you’re concerned about your ability to get the best rates, just give us a call at 1-888-922-8277, and we can make sure you’re set up with the right kind of account.

What are “Credit Card Assessment Fees”?

Assessment fees are a very small flat rate percentage that applies to the total monthly volume on a specific type of card. With our merchant account, these fees are called out separately on your billing statement. Currently, assessment fees are:

Visa 0.11%
Mastercard < $1000 monthly volume: 0.11%
Mastercard >= $1000 monthly volume: 0.13%
Discover 0.105%

What is a “settled” transaction? When are transactions settled?

Although authorization is performed at the time you charge the card, typically charges are submitted in a batch once per day for “settlement,” which starts the process of getting the money into your bank account. Once a transaction is settled, it can no longer be voided.

If you’re using Authorize.Net, settlement happens automatically each day at a time called the “Transaction Cut-Off Time”, which you can configure at the Authorize.Net website. Here’s how:

Browse to https://account.authorize.net
Log in using your Authorize.Net username and password
Click on Account on the right
Click on Transaction Cut-Off Time
Enter a new time for settlement
Click Submit

Can my seasonal business avoid monthly fees during the off-season?

We’re happy to accommodate Credit Card Terminal customers with seasonal businesses. Just give us a call at 1-888-922-8277.

Can I process cards if I’m outside the USA?

In addition to the USA, we support Canada with transactions in $CAD.

If you’re a U.S. merchant traveling abroad, the main thing to worry about is access to Wi-Fi or cellular data roaming charges. You should be able to accept most Visa/MasterCard cards from abroad, but some cards are regional and will not be accepted. Your charges will be in USD, and currency conversion will be performed by the customer’s bank. It’s quite similar to if your foreign customers had visited the United States and used their credit card while visiting.

How soon will funds be deposited into my bank account?

Proceeds are deposited 2 business days after settlement. For example, sales on a Monday will be deposited on a Wednesday, and Thursday’s come in on Monday.

If you’re using your pre-existing merchant account, you’ll need to check with your provider.

What is a chargeback?

A chargeback occurs when the cardholder disputes a charge that was made through your merchant account.

If this happens, you will receive a chargeback notification from your merchant services provider. It is extremely important to respond to the notification as soon as possible, as the default judgement is in favor of the cardholder if the merchant does not respond.

The card issuing bank is responsible for the chargeback investigation, and they will decide whether or not to reverse the charge based on the claims of the cardholder and the merchant’s response.

You are responsible for the chargeback fee regardless of the outcome of the dispute.

How do I get Visa/MasterCard stickers and signage, etc.?

You can order Visa and MasterCard materials from the following websites:

Visa: Order Materials (or call 1-800-847-2311)
MasterCard: Brand Center

Hardware

Can I use my account with more than one device?

You can use Credit Card Terminal on more than one device. Please see our pricing for more details about multi-device plans.

Do I need any special hardware?

No, you can always perform keyed-entry transactions with no special hardware.

However, most of our apps support an optional Credit Card Reader accessory for faster transactions, fewer errors, and better rates.

Can I use a magnetic card reader for “swiped” transactions?

Yes, you can purchase an optional Credit Card Reader accessory for faster transactions, fewer errors, and better rates.

Troubleshooting

Why do partial refunds sometimes fail?

Partial refunds may only be performed against settled transactions. So if you just make a mistake ringing up an order, or someone returns something on the same day they bought it, you’ll need to perform a full refund (which actually voids the original transaction). Then do a new charge for the correct amount.

Why do my transactions fail with “Ship To Address is required”, etc?

“Ship To Address” is just an example; it could be any field. This error indicates that you’ve configured your Authorize.Net account to require fields. If it’s a field that Credit Card Terminal supports, like Invoice Number, you can simply take care to enter that field. If it’s one of the unsupported fields like the shipping address, sales tax, or line items, you’ll need to disable the requirement on the Authorize.Net web site. Here’s how:

Log into the Merchant Interface at https://secure.authorize.net
Select Settings under Account in the main menu on the left
Click Payment Form in the Transaction Settings section
Click Form Fields
Uncheck any required fields that are not desired

If you have an e-commerce site and want to require the field in question for website transactions, there should be a way to require the field in the shopping cart itself, instead of requiring it globally for your whole Authorize.Net account. Please let us know if you need help figuring it out.

About Us

Who is Inner Fence?

We are Inner Fence, the creators of Credit Card Terminal for iPhone and Mac. We’ve partnered with Authorize.Net and Merchant Focus to provide merchant services for you.

We are active and enthusiastic partners with Merchant Focus, and we stand behind our relationship with them 100%. They’ve got great customer service and have distinguished themselves from other players in the merchant industry by being fair, honest, and up-front about their fees and charges.

In order to provide you with the best possible customer service, we’re working with the best in the industry to become experts in merchant services. You should feel free to contact us with any problems or questions about our software or about your merchant account.

Who is Authorize.Net?

Our partner Authorize.Net has been providing payment gateway services since 1996, and they are the #1 provider in the US. We’ve chosen them as the payment gateway for Credit Card Terminal because of their long-standing reputation.

Who is Merchant Focus?

We’ve partnered with Merchant Focus to help customers set up new merchant accounts. Their leadership has 30 years of combined experience in e-commerce merchant services, and they’ve helped us by offering great rates for credit card processing and excellent customer service. Merchant Focus is an Authorize.Net Preferred Reseller.