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Glossary of Terms
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Account management
Protx provides an account management service for some of our larger merchants, available on request. If you sign up to this service you can benefit from a dedicated account manager who will take care of your Protx account and ensure your enquiries are dealt with straight away.
Acquiring bank
An acquiring bank is another term used to describe a merchant bank. You need to set up a with one of these banks in order to use the Protx service. View a list of the that we work with and their contact details.
Additional Services
Protx provides a range of additional services that can be added to your package on request. For example, you can take payments through PayPal, request an account manager or sign up for priority support. Details on request.
American Express
American Express is both a card issuing and an acquiring bank. This means that if you wish to accept the American Express card through Protx, you will need to set up an additional merchant account with American Express directly.
Authenticate and Authorise
Authenticate and Authorise is a payment type that is available to Protx merchants who wish to delay settlement of their orders for longer than 6 days. It is also useful to merchants who do not know the exact price of their goods at the time an order is placed. To use Authenticate and Authorise you must have 3D Secure set up on your Protx account. If 3D Secure is unavailable, you can use our payment type Register and Authorise. Read further details on Authenticate and Authorise.
Authorisation
There are two stages to the transaction process: authorisation and settlement. Authorisation is obtained from the bank in real-time as soon as the card details have been submitted to Protx. Once a transaction has been authorised, the customer’s card is “shadowed” so that for a certain period of time, those funds are reserved for that one transaction and cannot be spent elsewhere. Protx then sends the transaction for settlement overnight.
AVS
Address Verification Service (AVS) allows you to check the numeric in the cardholder’s billing address with their card issuer. A successful AVS result shows that the person ordering knows the cardholder’s address, which is a good indication that they are the true cardholder. AVS fraud checking is provided alongside CV2 as part of our standard package.
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Bespoke Business Service
Our Bespoke Business Service is available to established merchants who process over 5,000 transactions a month. If you apply for this package we will tailor a solution that meets all of your payment processing requirements at competitive rates (pricing on application). Learn more about our Bespoke Business Service.
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Card types
You can process the following card types through the Protx payment gateway:
Visa, Visa Delta, Visa Electron, MasterCard, Maestro and Solo.
You can also process the additional card types below providing you have a merchant account set up individually with each of these banks:
American Express, Diners and JCB.
Continuous Authority
Continuous Authority applies to merchants who process regular, recurring or subscription payments (only available with Visa, Visa Debit and MasterCard). To accept this type of payment you will need a Continuous Authority merchant number. Protx is set up to process Continuous Authority payments with Bank of Scotland, Lloyds TSB Cardnet, Barclays Merchant Services, HSBC and NatWest Streamline. If you wish to process recurring or subscription payments you will need a Continuous Authority merchant account set up with one of these banks.
Corporate Business Service
Our Corporate Business Service is for merchants who expect to process over 1,000 transactions per quarter. If you fall into this category you will be charged 10 pence per transaction with no other fees. Learn more about our Corporate Business Service.
Customer Support
Protx strives to provide the best customer service in the payments industry. Our UK based customer support teams provide telephone and email support from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 10am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday. This service is included in all of our packages at no extra cost.
CV2
Card Verification Value (CV2) allows you to check the additional 3 or 4 digit security code found on the signature strip on the back of your customer’s card. A successful CV2 result indicates that the person ordering is in possession of the card at the time of the transaction. CV2 fraud checking is provided alongside AVS as part of our standard package.
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Deferred Payment
Deferred Payment is a payment type that is available to Protx merchants who wish to delay the settlement of their orders for up to 6 days. For example, if a merchant wants to view their fraud screening results or check that they have the goods in stock before they decide whether to accept an order. The merchant has up to 6 days to “release” the deferred transaction for settlement. Read further details on Deferred Payment.
Diners Club
Diners Club is both a card issuing and an acquiring bank. This means that if you wish to accept the Diners Club card through Protx, you will need to set up a separate merchant account with Diners Club directly.
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Fixed IP Address
A fixed IP address is the number (in the format nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn) that is assigned to your computer/Server by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to be your permanent address on the internet allowing it to be easily identified and located. To use our VSP Server or VSP Direct product, you will need a fixed IP address to ensure that communication between your server and Protx is via a secure and trusted link.
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Getting Started
For information on the set up process and what you need to do to trade online, please read our guide to getting started.
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How it works
For an overview of the different solutions offered by Protx and how we fit into the transaction process, please read our section how it works.
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Integration kits
If you are performing a custom integration, you can view and download our integration kits and relevant integration documents for all our products from our technical support website.
Internet merchant account
A merchant account is an agreement with a merchant bank that allows you to accept payments by credit and debit card. To trade online you need to set up an internet merchant account. This will allow you to take payments through your website. Read more about merchant accounts.
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JCB
Japan Credit Bureau (JCB) is both a card issuing and an acquiring bank. This means that if you wish to accept the JCB card through Protx, you will need to set up a separate merchant account with JCB directly.
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Mail order/telephone order merchant account
A merchant account is an agreement with a merchant bank that allows you to accept payments by credit and debit card. To take payments over the telephone or via mail order, you will need to set up a mail order / telephone order merchant account, sometimes known as a MOTO merchant account. Read more about merchant accounts.
MasterCard SecureCode (MSC)
MasterCard SecureCode (MSC) is a fraud screening initiative launched by MasterCard to provide a more secure method for authenticating the cardholder at the time of the transaction. The scheme requires the customer to enter a unique password at the checkout stage that has been registered with their issuing bank, thus verifying the cardholder. A fully authenticated transaction cannot be charged back to you if the customer later denies the transaction. This scheme is mandatory for the processing of international Maestro cards, and will soon be made mandatory for the processing of domestic Maestro cards.
Protx provides MasterCard SecureCode as part of its 3D Secure service at no extra cost. 3D Secure is the technology behind MasterCard SecureCode and Verified by Visa.
Merchant account
A merchant account is an agreement with a merchant bank that allows you to accept payments by credit and debit card. This is a separate account from your business account and can be set up with any of the merchant banks that we work with. View a list of these merchant banks and their contact details.
There are various types of merchant account available depending on how you want to accept card payments. To trade online you need to set up an internet merchant account, and to take payments over the telephone or via mail order you need to set up a Mail Order/Telephone Order (MOTO) merchant account.
Merchant account costs
The costs associated with obtaining a merchant account vary from bank to bank. The rates you will be charged depend upon a number of factors such as the length of time your business has been established, what type of goods you are selling and your turnover. You will usually be charged a set up fee, a percentage rate for credit card transactions and a flat rate for debit card transactions.
Merchant bank
In order to trade online you need to set up a merchant account with a merchant bank. A merchant bank is also referred to as an acquiring bank.
The merchant banks that Protx works with are as follows:
- Alliance and Leicester (Elavon)
- Bank of Ireland (Elavon)
- Bank of Scotland
- Barclays Merchant Services
- HSBC
- Lloyds TSB Cardnet
- NatWest Streamline
- Ulster Bank
In addition to this Protx also works with American Express, JCB and Diners.
MOTO
The term MOTO stands for Mail Order Telephone Order. If you wish to accept payments over the telephone or via mail order you will need to set up a MOTO merchant account with one of the merchant banks that we work with.
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Packages
Protx provides three different packages depending on your transaction volume.
If you are a new or small business, we recommend that you start off on our Small Business Service. This is for merchants who expect to process less than 1,000 transactions per quarter.
If you are an expanding business or you are already trading online but wish to switch providers, we recommend that you apply for our Corporate Business Service. This is for merchants who expect to process over 1,000 transactions per quarter.
If you are an established business that already processes a high volume of transactions, we recommend that you apply for our Bespoke Business Service. We will provide a service that is tailored to your payment processing needs at competitive transaction rates. Pricing on application.
Partners
Protx works with a range of partners who provide shopping cart software and web development services. To view a list of the partners we work with please visit the partner section of our website.
Payment Gateway
Protx is a Payment Gateway, also known as a Payment Service Provider (PSP). A Payment Gateway provides the secure link between your website and your merchant bank to ensure that your customers’ card details remain secure throughout the transaction process.
Payment Service Provider
Protx is a Payment Service Provider (PSP), also known as a Payment Gateway. A Payment Service Provider provides the secure link between your website and your merchant bank to ensure that your customers’ card details remain secure throughout the transaction process.
PayPal integration
Protx has integrated with PayPal Express Checkout giving you the opportunity to add PayPal as a payment option on your payment page. If you are a certified PayPal Business Account user and you want to use the Protx payment pages, this facility can be included in your package free of charge. Standard PayPal transaction fees apply.
PCI
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) was set up by Visa and MasterCard to standardise the security surrounding the card payments industry. If you accept payments by credit and debit card you will need to comply with the rules set out by PCI DSS. Protx is a level 1 PCI compliant Payment Service Provider. If you use our VSP Form or VSP Server solution you are covered for PCI under the Protx approval. If you plan to use our VSP Direct solution you will need to make sure that you are PCI compliant. Read further details on PCI.
Pricing policy
Protx offers different pricing packages depending on your transaction volume.
- If you process under 1,000 transactions per quarter, you will be charged £20 per month with no additional fees on our Small Business Service.
- If you process over 1,000 transactions per quarter, you will be charged 10 pence per transaction with no additional fees or monthly charges on our Corporate Business Service.
- If you process over 5,000 transactions a month, you can apply for our Bespoke Business Service, pricing on application.
- If you wish to process telephone payments or mail order payments ONLY, our prices start at just £10 per month for up to 300 transactions per quarter.
Priority Support
Protx provides Priority Support as an additional service, available on request. If you would like to ensure that your enquiries are dealt with straight away, you can receive guaranteed response times through this service. Details on request.
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Real-time payment
A real-time payment is used by our systems as the default option. There are two stages to a real-time payment: authorisation and settlement.
Authorisation is obtained from the bank in real-time as soon as the card details have been submitted to Protx. Once a transaction has been authorised, the customer’s card is “shadowed” so that those funds are reserved for that one transaction and cannot be spent elsewhere.
In order to receive the funds into your bank account, these transactions must be sent for settlement with your merchant bank. Protx sends a batch settlement file to your merchant bank on a daily basis, containing all the authorisation codes obtained that day. It then takes the banks 3 to 4 days to pay this money into your business bank account, depending on the agreement you have with your bank.
Recurring billing
Recurring billing applies to merchants who process recurring, regular or subscription payments (through Visa, Visa Debit and MasterCard). If you wish to set up recurring billing with Protx, you will need to obtain a Continuous Authority merchant number. Protx is set up to process Continuous Authority payments with Bank of Scotland, Lloyds TSB Cardnet, Barclays Merchant Services, HSBC and NatWest Streamline. If you wish to process recurring or subscription payments you will need to set up a Continuous Authority merchant account with one of these banks. Read further details on recurring billing.
Register and Authorise
Register and Authorise is a payment type that is available to Protx merchants who wish to delay settlement of their orders for longer than 6 days, but do not have 3D Secure available on their account. For example, VSP Terminal users or merchants processing American Express cards. The card details are registered at the time the order is placed, but are not sent for authorisation until requested by the merchant. Read further details on Register and Authorise.
Repeat Payment
Repeat payment is a payment type that is available to Protx merchants who wish to take a one-off repeat payment. For example if a customer places another order, or decides to extend an existing order. If you wish to make one-off repeat payments through Protx you can do so provided you have this payment type enabled on your account.
Reporting and Reconciliation tool
Our comprehensive reporting and reconciliation tool VSP Admin is included with each of the Protx packages at no extra cost. VSP Admin enables you to manage your transactions and run bank settlement reports to reconcile payments directly with your bank account. If you plan to use one of our different payment options, you can also release deferred transactions, authorise authenticated transactions or make repeat payments from within the VSP Admin area.
Rule base
Protx gives you the option of setting up a rule base on your account to automatically accept or reject transactions based on your fraud screening results. This saves you from manually checking the results of each transaction and allows you to tailor the way in which AVS/CV2 and 3D Secure authentication responses are handled on your account. Read further information on setting up a rule base on your Protx account.
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Sage 50 Accounts
If you are a Sage 50 Accounts user and you would like to take telephone payments from within your Sage 50 Accounts software, please visit the Sage Payment Solutions website for further details on this product.
Sage Instant Accounts
If you are a Sage Instant Accounts user and you would like to take telephone payments from within your Sage Instant Accounts software, please visit the Sage Payment Solutions website for further details on this product.
Sage (UK) Limited
Protx is a division of Sage (UK) Limited, a subsidiary of the Sage Group plc. Sage is a leading supplier of business management software and services to 5.4 million customers worldwide. Protx was acquired by the Sage Group plc in November 2006.
Service Selector
If you need help deciding which package is right for you, please visit our service selector. We will recommend a package based on the information you provide.
Settlement
There are two stages to the transaction process: authorisation and settlement. Transactions are authorised in real-time as soon as the card details have been submitted to Protx. In order to receive the funds into your bank account, these transactions must be sent for settlement with your merchant bank. Protx sends a batch settlement file to your merchant bank on a daily basis, containing all the authorisation codes obtained that day. It then takes the banks 3 to 4 days to pay this money into your business bank account, depending on the agreement you have with your bank.
Set up process
Merchants can be up and running with Protx in a few days. For details on how to set up a Protx account please read our section on getting started.
Shared Server
If your website is hosted by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or a third-party hosting company, it is more than likely that you are sharing server space with other websites. This means that it is hosted on a shared server, and you should select our product VSP Form. If you wish to use our solutions VSP Server or VSP Direct, it is advisable that you have your own dedicated server with a fixed IP address.
Shopping Cart
A shopping cart is a piece of software that is used to create an online “storefront” or an ecommerce website. Shopping carts are generally very easy to use and will allow you to do everything from designing the look and feel of your website, to handling stock and shipping transactions. Protx is pre-integrated with many of the major shopping carts. If you have already chosen your shopping cart software, please check with the shopping cart directly to see whether or not it is pre-integrated with Protx. Alternatively, to choose a shopping cart provider you can view a list of our shopping cart partners.
Small Business Service
Our Small Business Service is for new or small businesses that are likely to process under 1,000 transactions per quarter. If you fall into this category you will be charged £20 per month with no other fees. Learn more about our Small Business Service.
Switching to Protx
If you are already trading online with an alternative payment service provider, we can provide advice on how to switch to Protx without incurring downtime. Please read our guide to switching to Protx for further details.
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Terminal only pricing
If you ONLY wish to process payments over the telephone or via mail order, you can do so with our virtual terminal only service from £10 a month. This package allows you to process up to 300 transactions per quarter. If you process over 300 transactions per quarter you will be moved onto our Small Business Service where you will pay £20 a month. To use the virtual terminal only service you will need a mail order/telephone order (MOTO) merchant account from your merchant bank.
Testing my account
Once you have applied for a Protx account by completing our online application form, you will be required to test your account before you can start accepting payments from your customers. The testing process involves setting up a user on your VSP Admin account, putting a test transaction through your website and refunding this transaction. You will be sent details on the testing process after you have submitted your application form to Protx. Alternatively, you can visit the Protx Support website for further information on how to test your account.
The 3rd Man
Protx partners with The 3rd Man to provide Verified Payment Data Query (VPDQ), an extensive risk management tool that screens all your transactions for fraud. The results of VPDQ are stored within VSP Admin, the Protx reporting and reconciliation tool. VPDQ provides fraud indicators to show high risk (red), medium risk (amber) and low risk (green) transactions in the reporting area of VSP Admin. Detailed reports are also provided which show why a transaction has been given a particular rating. Merchants can decide whether or not they wish to accept a transaction following The 3rd Man results. Read more about The 3rd Man.
Transaction process
There are a number of stages involved in the transaction process, from securely processing your customer’s card details to sending the funds for settlement with your merchant bank. View the transaction process in detail and the role that Protx plays.
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Verified by Visa (VbV)
Verified by Visa (VbV) is a fraud screening initiative launched by Visa to provide a more secure method for authenticating the cardholder at the time of the transaction. The scheme requires the customer to enter a unique password at the checkout stage that has been registered with their issuing bank, thus verifying the cardholder. A fully authenticated transaction cannot be charged back to the merchant if the customer later denies the transaction. Protx provides Verified by Visa as part of its 3D Secure service at no extra cost. 3D Secure is the technology behind Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode.
VSP Admin
VSP Admin is a comprehensive account administration and reporting tool which is provided free of charge with all the Protx packages. It enables you to manage your transactions and run bank settlement reports to reconcile payments directly with your bank account. If you plan to use one of our different payment options, you can also release deferred transactions, authorise authenticated transactions or make repeat payments from within the VSP Admin area. Download the VSP Admin user manual.
VSP Direct
Protx provides three different solutions for website payments depending on your circumstances. If you wish to host your own payment pages, you will need to use our product VSP Direct. VSP Direct is recommended to merchants who wish to keep customers on their own website for the entire transaction process and/or want to create their own customised reports. To use this product your website must have a fixed IP address and you must purchase an SSL certificate because your customer’s card details are being entered on your own site. Read further details on VSP Direct.
VSP Form
Protx provides three different solutions for website payments depending on your circumstances. If you wish to use the Protx payment pages but you do not host your own website, you will need to use our product VSP Form. VSP Form is our most popular solution and is recommended to merchants who share hosting facilities run from third party servers. Read further details on VSP Form.
VSP Server
Protx provides three different solutions for website payments depending on your circumstances. If you wish to use the Protx payment pages and your site is hosted on a dedicated server, you can use our product VSP Server. VSP Server is recommended if you wish to run order and transaction reports from your own server, but you do not want to collect credit card details on your website. To use this product your website must have a fixed IP address. Read further details on VSP Server.
VSP Simulator
If you choose to perform a custom integration you can use our VSP Simulator system to test and develop your website. VSP Simulator is an expert system that emulates the VSP Test and Live systems. It allows you to check that messages are being exchanged correctly between your site and ours. VSP Simulator also provides detailed feedback on any errors or issues, allowing you to debug and enhance your code. Read more about the VSP Simulator.
VSP Terminal
If you wish to take payments over the telephone or via mail order you can do so through our virtual terminal. The VSP Terminal can be used alongside your ecommerce account as a back up to website orders, or can be used as a standalone solution from only £10 a month. Read further details on VSP Terminal.
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Web developer
If you have not yet developed your website up to the point where your customers can select the goods they wish to purchase, you may need to enlist the help of a web developer. Protx partners with numerous web agencies that can help you to develop your site. View a list of the web agencies that have partnered with Protx.
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3D Secure
3D Secure is the technology behind Verified by Visa (VbV) and MasterCard SecureCode (MSC), the fraud screening initiative launched by the card schemes to provide a more secure method for authenticating the cardholder at the time of the transaction. The scheme requires the customer to enter a unique password at the checkout stage that has been registered with their issuing bank, thus verifying the cardholder. A fully authenticated transaction cannot be charged back to the merchant if the customer later denies the transaction. This scheme is mandatory for the processing of international Maestro cards, and will soon be made mandatory for the processing of domestic Maestro cards. Protx provides this service at no extra cost. Read further information on 3D Secure.