offshore merchant solutions

envisionmerchant account faq's

What credit cards can be accepted through Envision Global Solutions?

Depending on the merchant account suitable for your business, merchants can accept VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diner's Club and some debit cards.

In what currencies can I accept payments?

Again, this is dependent upon the merchant account. US Dollars are the most widely accepted, but in most cases Envision Global Solutions can provide multi-currency accounts. Some accounts also allow payments to be accepted in Sterling, Euros, Canadian Dollars, and others.

Whose company name appears on a consumer's credit card statement?

The merchant's business name or bill descriptor appears on a consumer's credit card statement, unless the account is a third party merchant account.

What is real-time authorization?

Authorizations for charges are typically completed in 5 to 30 seconds depending on user connection speeds.

How often am I paid?

Depending upon the merchant account suitable for your business, deposits to the merchant's bank account are typically made weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, less percentage of transaction (discount rate), transaction fees, rolling reserve rate, chargebacks, monthly fees, bank and intercharge fees and other applicable charges.

What is a Percentage of Transaction or Discount Rate?

Credit card issuing banks typically charge a percentage of the sale for allowing to charge credit cards and this amount is referred to as a percentage of transaction or discount rate. The rate paid varies depending on the merchant account applied to your business.

What is a Transaction Fee?

A transaction fee is applied by the transaction processor or underwriting bank to cover the costs of receiving and processing transactions. While a discount or percentage rate is a charge for the convenience of accepting credit card payments, a transaction fee pays for the use of the infrastructure to receive payment information, request authorization from the customer's bank, transmit the authorization information to the merchant, etc.

What is a Rolling Reserve?

A Rolling Reserve is an amount withheld by the processor to cover any purchase refused by a customer and for which the customer's credit card issuer refuses to pay (a chargeback). This reserve, equal to a percentage of each purchase, is held for 6 months and then returned to the merchant. If a purchase is charged back by the customer's credit card issuer, the amount of the chargeback will be deducted from the Rolling Reserve. At the end of 180 days from the day of purchase, any amount remaining in the reserve from the purchase will be paid to the merchant.

What is a Chargeback?

A chargeback is a payment dispute initiated by the cardholder with their credit card issuing bank. The merchant can dispute the chargeback with proof of purchase, signature, proof of delivery, etc. A Chargeback Fee is usually assessed to the merchant on top of the actual credit card transaction fees and discount rate. A chargeback is usually generated when a cardholder disputes a transaction due to non fulfillment of product or service, unauthorized purchase, product or service expectations not met, etc. When a chargeback is generated, the issuing and acquiring banks must research the facts to determine which party is responsible for the credit card transaction.

What businesses are considered High Risk?

The term "High Risk" varies greatly from one provider or bank to the next. A business considered to be high risk by one provider, may not be deemed as high risk to another. Due to our banking relationships, we can work with virtually any legal business, including some businesses traditionally considered as "High Risk". Some countries and businesses are not being accepted at this time. Please see our Restrictions for details.

If you are unsure as to the suitability of your particular business for our merchant account services, please feel free to fill in our no-obligation Offshore Merchant Account Quotation Form so we can evaluate your business needs and advise you accordingly.

How do merchants integrate their websites into the payment gateway?

Payment Gateways vary somewhat depending on the merchant account, but generally work in a similar manner. Merchants or their webmasters install a simple plug-in on their web server supplied by the processing provider. The plug-in is accessed by the merchant's web server by means of simple commands and requests. Once the plug-in is installed on the merchant's server, merchants have direct access to the payment gateway. All credit card transactions that occur on the merchant's website are reflected in the processing database instanteneously. Merchants may obtain reports detailing orders placed, how many orders are captured and authorized, and manage transactions via a browser. Payment plug-ins are available for a variety of server platforms and are easily integrated into most operating systems. Technical support is available and is normally included in the setup fee.

How do I apply for my offshore merchant account?

To receive a FREE quotation, please complete our no-obligation Merchant Account Quotation Form as completely as possible, so that we can advise you on the best solutions for your particular business(s). Please note that finding an appropriate solution is dependent upon several factors including the country in which your business is incorporated, if you have an existing bank account and the location of your bank account, the type of business you are engaged in, etc. The more information you can provide us, the better we will be able to assess your needs and assist. Every situation is unique. Upon receipt of your information, Envision Global Solutions will contact you and advise you on the best manner in which to proceed to acquire your offshore merchant account.

What is your pricing?

Unfortunately there is no such thing as a "one-size fits all" solution for offshore merchant accounts. Please visit our Sample Fees page for a range of possible fee structures, and then complete our FREE no-obligation quotation form, so that we may advise you on the pricing options that are available to your type of business.