FAQ: Offer
List of questions
- What kind of services do you offer?
- What payment methods do you support?
- What is a merchant account?
- Who is an Acquirer?
- Where will you register my merchant account?
- Do you offer a real merchant account or an aggregated account?
- What credit cards do you accept?
- What do you mean by "processing gateway for American Express cards"?
- What currencies do you process transactions in?
- How many settlement currencies do you offer? What currencies can I receive my payments in?
- Can I sell my products and/or services to the customers worldwide?
- What are Direct Debits?
- Do I need a separate merchant account for Direct Debits?
- How do I know if I need to accept Direct Debits?
- Are there any specific requirements to accept Direct Debits?
Q1: What kind of services do you offer?
PayLane offers real-time, high availability payment processing services for
merchants selling their products and services online (including MO/TO).
We offer card processing (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Maestro International, Maestro UK)
and Direct Debit processing services.
We are a Payment processor who offers infrastructure for the merchant to communicate with
the Acquiring Bank and collect payments from e-commerce sales on an individual merchant
account, registered at Visa/MasterCard.
Our merchants are provided with both merchant account and the payment gateway – we do not offer them separately.
Q2: What payment methods do you support?
Currently, we support:
- Credit card processing – Visa, MasterCard, American Express
- Debit card processing – Maestro International, Maestro UK (including some old Switch/Solo branded cards)
- Direct Debit processing – Germany, the Netherlands, Austria
We set up a Maestro UK merchant account provided that:
- a merchant’s registered address is in the UK (UK, Channel Islands, Gibraltar),
- a card is issued in UK,
- available transaction currencies are: GBP, FKP, GIP, SHP,
- a settlement currency is GBP.
Please note that all merchants who accept Maestro transactions have to participate in MasterCard’s SecureCode program which allows the identity of the cardholder to be determined when the card is used for payment. This ensures more security for both the customer and the merchant.
Should you wish to accept American Express cards, you need to apply in person at Amex's local office, in the
country where your company is registered. Once American Express creates your account, all you have to do is
provide us with your merchant number and we shall process your Amex transactions as a payment gateway. Please
note that we do not settle transactions (you will receive money directly from Amex, not from PayLane).
Q3: What is a merchant account?
A merchant account is a virtual account registered at Visa/MasterCard that allows you
to collect your customers’ payments made by credit cards. PayLane provides real
merchant accounts registered with credit card organizations - we DO NOT offer aggregated accounts.
Q4: Who is an Acquirer?
An Acquirer is a bank or financial institution affiliated with a bank
that registers and maintains supervision of your merchant account.
Note that PayLane is NOT an Acquirer - we are a Payment Service Provider
having partnerships with various Acquirers to offer you the best terms
for online payment processing.
Q5: Where will you register my merchant account?
Depending on the profile of your business and your requirements PayLane will choose
the best available acquirer for your business.
Q6: Do you offer a real merchant account or an aggregated account?
With PayLane, each merchant receives a real, dedicated merchant account, registered with VISA and MasterCard. This guarantees top notch payment processing security and reliability.
The merchant account is for your business solely and you are responsible for it in every way.
Your merchant account is directly registered with Visa and MasterCard (and American Express if you choose to accept their members' cards) and you must abide by their rules.
Q7: What credit cards do you accept?
Currently we enable our merchants to process and settle transactions made with Visa, MasterCard, Maestro
International and Maestro UK cards (including Switch/Solo with Maestro brand).
We also provide a gateway for American Express card processing, however we do not
offer American Express merchant accounts.
Q8: What do you mean by "processing gateway for American Express cards"?
We do have technical ability to process American Express cards, however due to
the American Express business model, every merchant has to sign a direct/individual
agreement with a local American Express office/representative. PayLane can handle
the technical part of the payment processing only.
Should you wish to accept American Express cards, you need to apply personally
at Amex’s local office, in the country where your company is registered. Once
American Express creates your account, you have to provide us with your
merchant number and we can process your Amex transactions as a payment gateway.
For Amex accounts registered in certain countries we are not able to process Amex
transactions directly - you would have to apply for the Multicurrrency Amex Account
at Amex UK in such a case.
Please note, that we do not settle transactions. You will receive money directly
from Amex, not from PayLane. PayLane will only charge you a transaction fee for
technical payment processing and a monthly fee for the gateway.
Q9: What currencies do you process transactions in?
We process transactions in 167 different currencies, including the most popular, such
as EUR, GBP and USD. For more information please review
the Transaction Currencies List.
Q10: How many settlement currencies do you offer? What currencies can I receive my payments in?
Currently there are 10 settlement currencies available: EUR, GBP, USD, CHF, CAD, NOK, DKK, SEK, PLN and ZAR.
However, the availability of settlement currencies is related to the card types accepted.
In case of a certain brand, the following settlement currencies are available:
- Visa & MasterCard: CAD, CHF, DKK, EUR, GBP, NOK, PLN, SEK, USD, ZAR.
- Maestro International: EUR, GBP, USD.
- Maestro UK: GBP
For instance, if you conduct business in Norway, your bank account is in NOK and you would like to accept all card types, then one of the alternatives is to provide us with two separate settlement account details e.g. both in NOK and GBP – to cover the settlement currencies requirements.
Please note that if you choose more than one settlement currency, each one requires a separate merchant account and a bank account that accepts wire transfers in that currency.
Q11: Can I sell my products and/or services to the customers worldwide?
Yes, there are no restrictions. You can accept payments from cardholders from all
over the world.
Q12: What are Direct Debits?
Direct Debits are one-off payments where customer just inputs the account number (bank account number) and the funds are being pulled from the bank account of the customer to the bank account of the merchant.
Customers can instruct their bank to return the debit note within at least six weeks - they have the unconditional right to pull the funds back (like the chargeback in card payments but with no penalties/costs).
Q13: Do I need a separate merchant account for Direct Debits?
No - you can collect Direct Debits payments on your existing merchant account, set up for card payments collection.
Q14: How do I know if I need to accept Direct Debits?
Currently PayLane supports Direct Debit in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.
This method is quite popular amongs online shoopers in all of these countries as it allows quick and easy payments, and it is suited even for one-time payments.
Compared to payments by credit cards, the fees for successful Direct Debit collections are much lower.
However please note that a customer has the unconditional right to pull the funds back for up to 6 weeks and there is no objection for such a reversal.
Q15: Are there any specific requirements to accept Direct Debits?
You need a corporate bank accounts registered in all of the countries that you would like to collect payments from (from the list of 3: Germany, The Netherlands, Austria).
When choosing a bank you should check with PayLane whether the bank can handle
online Direct Debits - not all banks support accepting Direct Debits. PayLane
will help you choose the right one.
