e-Path Merchant Requirements

To start to accept credit cards safely online using e-Path, you will need the following ...

1. A merchant account facility at a bank that allows you to charge into it credit card payments received by card not present/non face to face means. This usually means the facility is MOTO (mail order telephone order) or MST (merchant submitted transaction) approved.
2. Agree to, and operate in, strict compliance with our Terms Of Service - Merchant Agreement.

Understanding how things work

e-Path provides you with a secure CDU and PCI compliant and THAWTE SSL protected payment gateway system to where your customers will enter their credit cards details to effect an online payment authorisation to you/your business.

Once you are in receipt of the payment authorisation and if you decide to accept the order you simply charge the card into your merchant account facility you have with your bank.

Your bank is therefore doing the processing and you are going there directly. No expensive third party payment processing middle-man service involved in the process and most importantly of all, no blind e-commerce transactions being charged directly into your merchant account from the open internet without you knowing - as would be the case with an expensive real time 'live' payment processing gateway system.

The right merchant account from your bank

Banks provide a wide range of merchant account services. The new breed of relatively inexpensive merchant account facilities now enables the business owner themselves to charge their customers credit cards directly into their merchant account. No messing around, no expensive third parties, just you transacting directly into your own account by simply logging into an internet banking style site or activating a bank supplied Smartphone app to process a charge on a credit card.

These new merchant account systems, commonly referred to as "virtual Terminal" or "virtual POS" can run from a Smatphone, iPad, tablet PC, laptop and even the humble desktop computer with internet access.

When MOTO/MST approved you can charge credit cards that come to you via a variety of card not present methods, such as over the phone, via e-Path, via fax and postal mail order, as well as when a credit card is present of course.

Here are just a few examples ....

Not in Australia ? . . . no problem! e-Path gateway users are located all around the world, we are a global service. For those outside Australia wanting to utilise e-Path you only need obtain a merchant account facility in your home country that enables you to charge credit cards into it yourself. You will need to make sure the merchant account facility is approved by the bank/merchant service provider to allow you to charge credit card payments received by card not present/non face to face means.

Enjoy the benefits but know how to apply for the right merchant account

With e-Path and one of these new merchant accounts from a bank you are uniquely in total and absolute control over what you accept online and what is charged into your own merchant account and when it's charged.

You are NOT risking it with 'live' ecommerce transactions being done blindly online and into your merchant account without you knowing.

When you apply for one of these new virtual terminal/virtual POS merchant account facilities make sure you let your bank know you are NOT after a system that does live and instant online e-commerce transaction processing.

Otherwise your bank may quote you on a much more expensive system because accepting and processing credit cards live on the open internet is officially classified as the most risky of all methods to accept credit card payments. But don't worry, you will not be doing things this way.

Use your existing EFTPOS terminal

Of course if you already have an existing EFTPOS terminal and it is already MOTO/MST approved (you are charging credit card payments that come to you by phone, fax or postal mail order) then forget about needing a new merchant account, you can easily and simply use that!

Take control, slash costs and give yourself better protection

The new breed of MOTO/MST approved 'virtual terminal' merchant account types are becoming increasingly more popular with astute business owners because they do away with the need for costly online payment processing middle-man systems althogether. Most importantly, they also guarantee you (the true merchant account owner) is the only one performing the credit card charge into your own merchant account facility.

This is in stark contrast with the risks and high costs business owners always previously had to face when accepting credit cards online using third party online credit card payment processing systems that instantly attempt to charge credit card payments entered by any anonymous person from anywhere on the open internet without you knowing - which is the number one way credit card fraud is perpetrated in the world today.

You still need to be vigilant of course because you are accepting card not present payments, but with e-Path and the right processing system your private merchant account is no longer sitting accessible to all on the net!!

Your bank supplied merchant account and its input/charging interface, whether that be via a bank supplied Smartphone app, virtual terminal/POS system, EFTPOS terminal or mobile merchant account device will of course have all the fraud screening mechanisms and safe guards built-in as appropriate for that device and as required by industry security standards and card vendors. But with e-Path this is IN ADDITION to you uniquely being in full and total control over what payments are accepted and entered into your own private merchant account in the first place. The best of both worlds!

An important warning - ensure you use PCI compliant services

Ensuring you do things right in accordance with PCI rules is now critically important. Even after the e-Path service has fulfilled our function e-Path Pty Ltd believes it has a professional duty of responsibility and care towards protecting not only our gateway customers directly but also their cardholder customers as well.

Therefore, e-Path gateway customers are reminded to make sure the merchant account facility provided by their bank and subsequent card handling practices are PCI compliant.

e-Path is not to be associated with any service, facility or practice, either directly or indirectly, from any bank or merchant account provider that is not PCI compliant.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: e-Path Pty Ltd is not a bank nor is affiliated with any bank. Therefore, advice contained on this page is provided as a courtesy only and should not be considered as anything more than a guide. For all information on merchant account facility services please contact the bank of your choice.