Reference Guide

Payment

Payment Modules and Payment Methods

• Module: a payment module is a group of payment features and settings, often made available by third parties. For example, Authorize.Net, Chase Paymentech, and Amazon Payment are examples of payment modules.
• Method: a payment method is what your customer selects during checkout. For example, if you install the Authorize.Net module, your customer might choose Visa during checkout.



Authorize.Net Payment Services v3.1 Payment Module

Visa Payment Method

Types of Payment Modules

Payment modules fall into three general categories:

• Real-time payment gateway: During checkout, Miva Merchant will send the payment information to a gateway company which can verify a transaction for any of the major credit cards and return a pass or fail. Most of the Miva Merchant payment modules are real time gateways.
• You must use a real-time payment gateway to use the 3 digit Card Verification Code (CVV2) on the back of the customer's credit card.
• You must have a merchant account with a bank or ISO (Independent Sales Organization) to use a real-time gateway. A merchant account is like a bank account, but it doesn't contain any funds. It is used as a holding location for the transfer of funds. There are additional fees associated with having a merchant account.
• Unlike third-party checkout modules, with a real-time gateway the customer completes the entire checkout in your on-line store. If you are running analytic software, like Google Analytics, it can track the entire checkout process.
• All real-time payment gateways support authorization, capture, refunds, and voiding.
• Off-line payment: Payment information is collected during checkout but the payment is not processed in real-time. Checks, COD, and credit card with simple validation are examples of off-line payments.
• Third-party checkout:
  1. The customer starts the checkout process in your on-line store.
  2. When the customer submits the Payment Information page (OPAY), they are taken to the third-party website to make their payment.
  3. When the customer finishes paying, they return to your on-line store, usually at your invoice screen (INVC).

Google Wallet, Checkout by Amazon, and PayPal Payments Standard are examples of third-party checkout systems.

• When the customer is redirected to the third-party site, analytic software running in your store, such as Google Analytics, cannot track the customer. In some cases the customer will cancel the transaction while at the third-party site and not return to your store immediately.
• Third-party checkout systems don't require a merchant account, but you usually need a seller's account with that company.