by Ben Dwyer The CardPointe gateway is the piece that enables credit card payments using the CardPointe platform, which has online and in-person options.
If you’re looking for a way to take credit cards using a computer, you’ll need a gateway. CardPointe is available for businesses in a variety of industries, but may be particularly helpful for businesses that accept a lot of commercial credit cards. Read on for information on the services and costs.
What is the CardPointe gateway?
Like all gateways, the CardPointe gateway is necessary for taking credit cards online, by mail, or by phone. It’s available from CardConnect and any processing company that’s compatible with CardConnect. The CardPointe gateway also powers the Ingenico/CardPointe countertop terminal, allowing it to be used for the more specific requirements of accepting commercial credit cards.
CardPointe Features
The CardPointe gateway offers features to allow you to take credit cards online, in person, using a virtual terminal, or with a recurring billing option. As mentioned earlier, it also complies with requirements for commercial card acceptance. CardPointe integrates with Quickbooks Pro, Premier, Enterprise and POS. QB Online integration is coming soon.
Credit Card Processing
CardPointe utilizes real-time transaction management that allows you to not only accept payments, but process voids and refund transactions as necessary. You’ll be able to take major credit and debit cards, send receipts to customers, and view reports. You can use the compatible Ingenico terminal to take payments in person, or the mobile app if you’re accepting cards on the go.
Virtual Terminal
The CardPointe gateway powers a virtual terminal that allows you to take credit cards by phone or mail using your computer. As long as you have an internet connection, you can access a secure form to input cardholder information. Cardholder data isn’t stored on your computer, helping ensure security for you and your customers.
If you prefer to use your computer to take cards in person as well, you can still use a virtual terminal to do that. However, you may want to connect an optional USB or Bluetooth card reader to swipe credit cards, as you may be eligible for lower costs and increased security by swiping instead of manually keying in cards.
Recurring Billing
Businesses that need to charge customers on a set schedule can take advantage of the gateway’s recurring billing option, eliminating the need to manually re-enter payment information every time you want to charge a customer. Secure customer profiles let you easily manage clients.
Commercial Card Acceptance
If you take a lot of business or purchasing credit cards, you may be eligible for lower costs if you take certain steps. Notably, you’re required to send additional information with the transaction at the time of purchase. CardPointe’s system is set up to send that data for you automatically, giving you the best of both worlds: the lower costs associated with enhanced data and the convenience of auto-fill fields.
Taking commercial cards without sending the additional data will cost you more, so it’s very important to take the right steps to ensure you’re getting the lowest costs.
See also: B2B Transactions – Level 2 and Level 3 Data.
What does CardPointe cost?
The costs for using CardPointe vary by processor. If you’re currently taking credit cards, you can contact your existing processing company to find out if it supports CardPointe and how much it costs. If you don’t have a processor (or are considering switching), you can use the CardFellow quote request tool to see pricing from processors that support CardPointe.
