Web Hosting

This basically breaks down into 3 different categories as follows :-

1) Merchant account
This is a financial contract that you will need with a merchant acquiring bank and which provides you with the facility to accept credit and debit card payments. Don’t worry if you have never accepted cards before or if you only have a merchant number for telephone payments and use a manual terminal, as we can liaise with your bank to organise the necessary merchant number required for Internet payments. We do all this for no extra charge.

For a new merchant account you would expect to pay setup fees anywhere between £75 - £250 + VAT depending on the bank. Then there would be a merchant service charge between 1.6% - 2.8% levied on any credit card transactions depending on many factors such as the anticipated volumes, the number of years you have been trading, average transaction amount etc. On debit cards the bank would normally charge a fixed price per transaction ranging from 20p – 50p on average.

Preferential rates for SecureHosting customers

We have arranged preferential merchant account terms for SecureHosting customers through one of the UK's top acquiring banks. Our rates beat most merchant account fees, whether you are a startup or a well-established business. Please see table of rates below :-

i. for a business that is a startup, or has never accepted cards before :-

	Visa/MCard	Maestro	Commercial	Electron	Visa Debit
Bank fee	1.9%	24p	2.5%	25.5p	25.5p
Bank setup fee	£75

ii. for an established business already accepting cards and looking to switch from their existing merchant account provider :-

	Visa/MCard	Maestro	Commercial	Electron	Visa Debit
Annual card t/o
£75,001-£150,000	1.695%	22.8p	2.295%	24.3p	24.3p
£150,001 -£225,000	1.625%	21.5p	2.225%	23p	23p
£225,000-£350,000	1.58%	19.9p	2.18%	21.4p	21.4p
Bank setup fee	£35

Please contact us on 0845 474 9035 option 1 to discuss our preferential merchant account rates, or simply apply now!

We can help most businesses to obtain a merchant account, including startups. The only categories of business that we cannot usually help are listed at the foot of this page.

2) Payment gateway (otherwise known as payment service provider - PSP)
This is the part that we offer. A payment gateway connects your main web site to your merchant acquiring bank over the Internet. Normally a payment gateway will provide an area on a secure server to host your payment forms, and will forward the transaction payment data in real-time to your merchant acquiring bank for authorisation. If your bank authorises the transaction the payment gateway will return a confirmation page back to your customer and send you notification of the successful order.

You need a payment gateway in addition to your merchant account, as the merchant account itself is useless without one! Some banks confuse the issue by offering their own payment gateways as an optional extra with their merchant accounts - beware however as the banks will charge you a hefty premium for this, typically an extra 2% on each card transaction! You are under no obligation to use the bank's payment gateway, and you will save a great deal of money by using an independent one such as our UPG payment gateway service.

The costs for our service can be found below.

Our charging structure is unique within our industry, as our transaction fees are based on a pre-pay credits system. The advantage of this is that you only pay for what you need, so you can start small and buy progressively larger blocks of credits as your transaction numbers increase. The larger the block, the cheaper the cost per transaction. High volume merchants benefit from a cost per transaction lower than any other payment service provider.

There are 3 elements to our pricing – setup fees, an annual fee and a per transaction fee. The setup fee of £60 shown below is payable in two instalments; the first £25 payable with your initial UPG application, and then the remaining £35 payable once you convert your free trial eCOM account into a live account.

Please note that you will have to pay your merchant acquiring bank for the actual merchant account. The merchant account rates will be quoted by your bank.

The purchased transaction credits can be used at any time - there is no time limit in which they have to be used, however please note that if you cancel your SecureHosting account that we cannot refund any unused transactions.

3) Shopping cart / order forms
Your web site will need to have a system to allow your customers to select items from your web site and proceed to the secure payment gateway to "check out". If you have a large number of items for sale you will probably need a shopping cart system to allow your customers to browse your items and add to a basket as they navigate around your online catalogue. Our service integrates seamlessly with all popular third party shopping carts, however if your requirements are very bespoke you can employ the services a web developer to build a custom cart system for you.

If you only have a small number of items for sale you can create a simple order form, or use the "Buy Buttons" feature included in our eCOM Standard service to quickly add shopping functionality to your site.

We hope the above helps to clarify the situation a little more. We speak to confused merchants every day and are only too pleased to speak to you if you have any questions regarding the whole process. Please call us on 0845 474 9035, or place a question through our contact page.

https://www.secure-server-hosting.com/merchant_accounts.html

If you have never accepted credit or debit cards before, we can help you to get started.

The first thing you will need is a merchant account, this is a financial contract that you will need with a merchant acquiring institution, ie. a bank. This provides your business with the facility to accept credit/debit card payments. The vast majority of merchant accounts in the UK are provided by the major UK high street banks, and we work with all the major ones.

We have much experience in assisting businesses in obtaining merchant accounts, and can often advise you of the best deal for your business. You do NOT have to obtain a merchant account from your usual bank, which makes it possible to shop around.

We also have preferential rates agreed with a UK acquiring bank - please read below for details.

Once you apply for our UPG online card processing service, we will contact at least one UK bank and obtain a quote for a merchant account. We will help guide you through the entire process, helping the application to move along as smoothly as possible and helping you avoid some of the usual pitfalls!

From 1st November 2009 Secure Hosting Limited (SHL) has become a wholly owned subsidiary of Universal Payment Gateway plc (UPG).

Secure Hosting is one of the UK’s most popular internet payment service providers, servicing thousands of merchants and reseller partners. For several years SHL has been utilising the UPG network to connect to the UK acquiring bank system. Although until now UPG and SHL have traded as separate entities, the Directors of each company share the same vision and agreed that a vertical integration of the two operations was strategically the right move for both businesses.

UPG has been processing credit card payments in the UK for the last decade and has an enviable history of growth and innovation. The company has grown primarily through organic customer growth and has recently acquired businesses from cash reserves and share transactions, without the need for borrowings.

The acquisition of SHL comes 8 weeks after the acquisition of the card processing business of Payments Services Limited by UPG.

“When technology combines, we can take advantage of tighter integrated systems, realising new functionality and delivering innovative payment platforms. These are very exciting times, and there are no longer barriers to what we can deliver and where we can take our portfolio,” commented Directors, Steven Drewett and Jonathan Rodger. “The acquisition of Secure Hosting by UPG strengthens our position in the card payments market. This will allow us to take our well established payment services to a wider audience, capitalising on richer functionality and enhanced bank integrations. With this move we all look forward to raising the stakes in the card payments industry.”

After this acquisition, UPG is now regarded as the UK’s largest independently owned credit card processing business. The company works from Tamworth in Staffordshire and employs its own technical development operations and support functions from Staffordshire, with an additional sales office in London. The business offers a full range of payment services to customers of all sizes, from some of Europe’s most exciting internet entrepreneurs creating great businesses from their bedrooms, right up to some of the UK’s best know brands which serve on the High Street across the country.

Miles Carroll, Managing Director of UPG stated “Secure Hosting has successfully established a leading platform for the placement and management of internet payments. We are therefore very excited about the potential realised by merging our technologies to deliver greater benefits through our payment platforms.”

As a result of the acquisitions, the trading activities of the companies are being moved up into UPG, with immediate effect. The go to market brands will continue to be visible to the world, but the previously traded businesses will become dormant subsidiaries of UPG.

https://www.secure-server-hosting.com/pr_release.html

For businesses that already have a merchant account

Looking for a payment service provider for your web site?

The SecureHosting UPG service offers an extremely versatile and customisable real-time online card processing payment gateway that integrates seamlessly with your web site.

Payments can be taken immediately or delayed for manual checking. Telephone orders can be processed via the “Virtual Terminal” included in the service.

Fees

Our charging structure is unique within our industry, as our transaction fees are based on a pre-pay credits system. The advantage of this is that you only pay for what you need, so you can start small and buy progressively larger blocks of credits as your transaction numbers increase. The larger the block, the cheaper the cost per transaction. High volume merchants benefit from a cost per transaction lower than any other payment service provider.

Pricing schedule

There are 3 elements to our pricing – setup fees, an annual fee and a per transaction fee. The setup fee of £60 shown below is payable in two instalments; the first £25 payable with your initial UPG application, and then the remaining £35 payable once you convert your free trial eCOM account into a live account.

Please note that you will have to pay your merchant acquiring bank for the actual merchant account. The merchant account rates will be quoted by your bank.

If you do not have a merchant account, or do not know what is meant by merchant account, please click here.

The purchased transaction credits can be used at any time - there is no time limit in which they have to be used, however please note that if you do not renew your SecureHosting account we cannot refund any unused transaction credits.

What is a transaction credit?

In simple terms, a credit represents a single, successful transaction, or a refund. Failed transactions do not incur a credit, except in a specific scenario where 3D Secure is used. Please see a more detailed explanation of credit usage on our FAQ page.

What do I need to trade online?

To start accepting card payments online through your web site, you will need the following :-

1) A merchant account with one of the banks listed below.

2) An online payment gateway (that's the part we supply).

3) A web site, with a shopping cart system or a simple payment form.

If you are confused already at this stage, please read our guide to the basics of online trading!

Which banks can you work with?

We can work with any business that has a merchant account with any one of the following UK banks :-

- Natwest Streamline (Royal Bank of Scotland Group)
- Barclaycard
- HSBC
- Lloyds TSB
- Bank of Scotland (HBoS)

Do you provide merchant accounts?

We don’t provide merchant accounts directly, however we can assist you in obtaining a merchant account from any of the banks listed above, and even have preferential rates available. Please click here for general information and pricing for merchant accounts.

Do you have an API allowing direct integration?

Yes. We have two versions of the API to allow you to create a more advanced integration with the SecureHosting system. Our API allows you to integrate your own shopping cart system, and the XML version of our API allows you to keep the cardholder within your own web site, so they would never need to be transferred to our server to complete the payment. With the XML API you can also specify whether a payment should be flagged as Internet or Mail Order Telephone Order (useful for call centres), and perform refunds and other tasks without having to log in to your SecureHosting account. Please contact us for details of the API.

Do you have 3D Secure (VbV and MasterCard SecureCode)?

Yes. 3D Secure is available as an option, at no extra charge. The setup process and associated timescales for 3D Secure vary from bank to bank. If you require 3D Secure then please contact sales to be sent the relevant instructions. You can only start the process of registering for 3D Secure if you have a live merchant number for internet transactions.

Are your systems PCI accredited?

Yes, all systems used by SecureHosting and its payment gateway UPG for the processing & storage of card information are audited and validated by Qualified Security Assessors to the highest possible standard available under the PCI DSS scheme. Click here to view the PCI certificate validating compliance.

How long does it take to set up?

Once we have received your completed application and assuming that your merchant number has been set up correctly by your bank to work with our UPG payment gateway, then the setup process takes approximately 3 working days to go live. If we need to request a new Internet merchant number from your bank then please allow approximately 2 - 3 weeks, though the exact timescales are largely determined by your bank.

Can I process manual payments?

Yes you can process manual payments through the “Virtual Terminal” feature located within your SecureHosting UPG account admin area.

If you don't have a web site and only process manual payments, then you would just need our Virtual Terminal only account.

Can I review transactions before processing them for payment?

Yes – you don’t have to debit the customer’s card immediately. You can perform a “pre-auth” at the point of the transaction, which merely does an initial authorisation on the card including checks on the CV2 number (3 digit security number) and cardholder address. You then have up to 28 days in which to complete the transaction. To do this, simply log in to your SecureHosting admin area, select the transaction from a list, and click a button to pass the transaction for settlement. You can modify the original transaction amount, up or down. You can also part settle the payment multiple times. The pre-auth feature is particularly useful for merchants who like to review orders for fraud reasons, or where an item may be out of stock.

Can I bill an extra amount to a card after the original transaction?

Yes. Even after a transaction has been settled for payment, you can go back to it and add a new amount, for example if the customer wants to add something to their order.

How do I process refunds?

Processing a refund is simple – just log in to your SecureHosting account admin area, select a payment to refund, select the amount and refund it!

Can I capture transactions for processing offline?

If you prefer, it is possible to simply capture transactions including card details, and process the payments offline using an alternative card processing facility, eg. a credit card terminal. However, you need to check with your bank that this is permitted for your merchant account. The costs for an offline processing account are the same as for an online processing one and you still need to pay the UPG transaction fees as listed above.

Do you have a reseller package?

Yes, we are very keen to work with resellers, whether you are a web design company, a software developer or any other business that can benefit from partnering with us. We are very focused on resellers and can provide a variety of partner solutions, including a unique revenue share scheme and for large scale partnerships can even provide you with your own white label own-brand payment gateway service. Please click here for details on benefits to resellers.

Why choose SecureHosting over other PSPs?

Designed for flexibility
The SecureHosting system is more “merchant friendly” than any other available. We allow you total freedom over the look and feel of all customer facing pages so that you can achieve a consistent look across your web site and checkout pages. We have readymade integration instructions with many popular shopping carts and for those merchants requiring a more sophisticated integration, we offer an XML API allowing integration with your own custom built storefront, at no extra charge.

Our online payment system offers you a level of flexibility that is unmatched by any other service. It has been designed foremost to address the often complex needs of the online retailer. Our pre-auth and additional billing features are the most comprehensive available, allowing you to handle virtually any kind of payment scenario.

Unique pricing model
Our transaction pricing allows a great deal of flexibility – you only pay for the amount of transactions that you need. As our transaction credits have no expiry date on them you can benefit from a low per transaction charge and use them up over a long period of time.

Preferential merchant account rates
We have pre-arranged rates with a major UK bank, allowing us to provide you with a complete package for your card processing requirements.

Solid, robust system
We have designed a highly performant system, operating from multiple data centres with multiple bandwidth providers. Our systems are rigorously assessed on a constant basis to ensure maximum security and performance.

Service, Service, Service!
Unlike some of our competitors, we go out of our way to make sure every aspect of your setup and ongoing experience is as smooth as possible. We are well aware that the whole area of banks, merchant accounts and e-commerce throws up many challenges and queries. We are very happy to offer as much advice and guidance as you need on all aspects of e-commerce, not just the parts that relate purely to our service. As an example of this, we will liaise with your bank to make sure you have the correct kind of merchant account for the type of payments you intend to take. If you have no merchant account at all we will contact a suitable selection of banks and request quotes for you. No other payment service provider offers this level of service!

If you have any questions, we offer responsive telephone and email support for all our customers, no matter what service level you are on.

SecureHosting offers a feature rich service that goes beyond just payments. We offer a range of added value services such as an email manager for broadcasting email newsletters to your customers, as well as affiliate tracking and order status tools.

https://www.secure-server-hosting.com/online_card_processing.html

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http://www.thehostplanet.com/guides/articles1.htm