eCommerce merchant ID (MID)

Included Below



What is an eCommerce MID?


Your existing Merchant Account(s) enable(s) you to accept various credit cards and payment types, while the eCommerce MID enables you to process payments online.

An eCommerce MID is therefore required for any software application that accepts payments.



What is the difference between a Merchant Account, Payment Gateway and eCommerce MID?


Your existing Merchant Account(s) enable(s) you to accept the various forms of payment - credit cards, debit cards, and any others you may have specified such as wire, Automated Clearing House (ACH), Giropay, and so on.

Your Payment Gateway facilitates payment transactions by validating and approving them. It is the first place the transaction goes when a customer submits a payment. Should your Payment Gateway validate and approve the payment, it then makes its way into your Merchant Account. After approved payments are deposited into your Merchant Account, they are then transferred to your normal business bank account, typically on a set schedule, such as weekly, bi-weekly.

The eCommerce MID is the ID required to work with your payment gateway to validate payments that are made online. You cannot process online payments without an eCommerce MID being added to your Merchant Account.



How do the funds get into our bank?


When a payee submits a transaction from a "check-out" web page, the transaction travels through the payment gateway to the payment processor, then through the credit card network and finally to the customer's credit card issuer for authorization. If the transaction is approved, the transaction is then debited to the customer's credit card and credited to your Merchant Account.



When will payments through b4 products reach us?


b4checkin products have no effect on the timing of fund transfers you currently have established through your relationships with your Merchant Account provider and that of your Payment Gateway (payment processor such as 3C, Authorize.Net, Beanstream, Elavon Fusebox, FAC, Freedom Pay, Merchant Link, Shift4).



Are there advantages to an eCommerce MID?


Online transactions handled by your eCommerce MID normally carry lower fees than in-person credit card payments through your on-site credit card terminals.

Your eCommerce MID also enables address verification service (AVS) lookups - additional validation that can significantly reduce or eliminate chargebacks.



Do I need a separate processing terminal?


No, the eCommerce MID only processes online transactions, so no additional processing hardware is required.



How do I reconcile online Payments?


Reconciliation of online payments is accomplished through the same online tools from your gateway provider that your Accounting team already uses. They will not need to learn a new system. The eCommerce MID will simply show up as an additional account in your existing reconciliation tools.



How do I perform refunds for online transactions?


You initiate refunds through your Payment Gateway's terminals or from within your PMS if your PMS is set up to process refunds through your gateway.



Who do I contact to apply for the eCommerce MID?


No development effort is required between b4checkin and your Merchant ID supplier. Simply contact the provider of your existing Merchant ID with the information described below.



What must I know to apply for an eCommerce MID?


Advise your Merchant ID supplier you are applying for the addition to your Merchant Account of an eCommerce Merchant ID (aka an "eCommerce MID") as you now wish to accept online payments.

b4checkin products can interface with 3C, Authorize.Net, Beanstream, Elavon Fusebox, FAC, Freedom Pay, Merchant Link, Shift4. Confirm which gateway you use to your Merchant ID supplier and to b4checkin.

Advise your Merchant ID supplier of the b4checkin products you are installing, and that they are PCI Compliant to PCI DSS Version 3.2

Based upon the types of payments you plan to accept through b4checkin products, advise your Merchant ID supplier approximately how many monthly transactions you expect, in what range of potential amounts as such estimations can impact the fee determination.



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