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Getting Started...

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Svyatoslav Ivanyuk

24 May, 2010 03:03 PM

I'm sure this has come up a number of times, but I don't seem to be able to find a good, step by step guide on how to get started with you.

1) I know I need merchant account and payment gateway. There seem to be a number of options you guys support. On one page you direct to Authorize.net, on another Equity Commerce. Well, which do you recommend? What are the monthly fees? If I sign up with Authorize.net I understand I need both merchant account and payment gateway, right? From what I see on their application page I get from your website it seems the whole package will be around $53/month (minimum). What about Equity Commerce you're partnering with?
2) I'm guessing I need to set up my own page to gather user information, allow user to change subscription plan and so on, right? When are you going to offer similar page hosted on your server (if ever)? If I do have to set it up myself, I understand I need to make it PCI compliant. How?
3) It looks like API is documented, but, do I have to query CheddarGetter every month to see if subscription is active? You'll notify me if it's not? I'm sure info is there, but not at the top.

I'm sorry if I missed a page where this information is readily available.

1. Support Staff 1 Posted by Marc Guyer on 24 May, 2010 04:33 PM

   
   1. Correct, a merchant account and gateway is required. For US-based merchants, we recommend the Equity Commerce merchant account and our CheddarGateway. Pricing for the merchant account is on the application here https://cheddargetter.com/admin/gateway/new. CheddarGateway pricing is $20/mo and $0.15 per transaction. The CheddarGateway offers a savings of about $20/mo over Authorize.Net (CIM is $20/mo -- this service is included in the CheddarGateway monthly fee).
      
   2. Correct, you have complete control over your customer interface within your app. We will offer a hosted payment page in the near future, likely by the end of August. Either way, your organization must be PCI level 4 certified. There are several third-party providers of the certification. It is offered through the CheddarGateway service as well. Pricing for that is usually around $200-300 setup and $50-100/year.
      
   3. You may choose to ask the CG API whether a customer's account is active whenever you want. Optionally, there is a "cancellation callback" feature that you can enable. The callback will notify your application whenever a customer's account has been canceled. This is configured on the settings page: https://cheddargetter.com/admin/configuration/settings
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2. Marc Guyer closed this discussion on 24 May, 2010 04:33 PM.

3. Svyatoslav Ivanyuk re-opened this discussion on 24 May, 2010 04:53 PM

4. 2 Posted by Svyatoslav Ivan... on 24 May, 2010 04:53 PM

   

   1) So what's the fee for the Equity Commerce account? From what I've seen on the application it's about $5/month?
   1a) Just out of curiosity. If I have two businesses offering different subscription-based services I need to get 2 separate merchant accounts. Will I need to get two separate Gateways (with you) subscription or one Gateway can cover several businesses?
   2) If I would go through CheddarGateway, is there any documentation on the site on what's involved in meeting PCI level 4 requirements to get certified?

   Thank you.

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5. 3 Posted by Svyatoslav Ivan... on 24 May, 2010 04:55 PM

   

   And by the way, why would I need PCI 4 certification if I'd use your hosted sign up page? I wouldn't transmit or see customer CC ever, right?

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6. Support Staff 4 Posted by Marc Guyer on 24 May, 2010 06:40 PM

   
   1. Correct, the monthly is $5. The same merchant account and gateway can be used for several businesses as long as they use the same bank account.
      
   2. There is a bunch of information here: https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/index.shtml. In short, a Self Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) and quarterly network scans are required for level 4. This can be completed on your own without a third party service. However, the CertifyPCI service through the CheddarGateway greatly simplifies the process and provides the network scans and certification filing. In our estimation, it's well worth the money.

   And by the way, why would I need PCI 4 certification if I'd use your hosted sign up page? I wouldn't transmit or see customer CC ever, right?

   This is the greatest misconception in PCI compliance. Any merchant that accepts payment by credit card must be PCI compliant. The requirements become more stringent as you are exposed to CC data but you don't need to be directly exposed to CC data to be required to be certified.

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7. Marc Guyer closed this discussion on 24 May, 2010 06:40 PM.