Frequently Asked Questions

Q. I’m not sure what terminal, equipment or software I should buy. What is best for my business?

Whether you are starting a new business or expanding an existing one, CardConnect Paradise has the payment solution to support your processing needs. CardConnect Paradise serves traditional and Internet businesses, as well as restaurants, mail order/telephone order and home-based businesses.
Suggested services are:
Internet
Brick and Mortar
Mail Order/Telephone Order
Restaurant

Q. How long before I can accept credit and/or ATM/debit cards (i.e., the account is live)?

Once your merchant account is approved, which usually takes two business days, you will be able to accept cards the very next business day.

Q. What types of merchants does CardConnect Paradise sign up?

CardConnect Paradise processes credit and ATM/debit card transactions for more than 161,000 traditional and Internet businesses. Whether you are building an e-commerce Web site, a traditional brick-and-mortar business or a mail order/telephone order business, you will want to open a CardConnect Paradise merchant account, which enables you to accept credit cards and/or ATM/debit cards as payment for customer purchases.

Q. How does First Data Global GatewaySM Connect integrate with my Web site? 

To manually enter credit card transactions, you do not need any additional integration. You log on to a secure Web site and complete the credit card transaction using your First Data Global GatewaySM Connect virtual terminal.

Q. How is CardConnect Paradise allowed to process credit cards?

CardConnect Paradise is a registered service provider for clearing and settlement institutions that sponsor CardConnect Paradise to enter MasterCard® and Visa® transactions into the interchange system. The settlement banks are our clearing banks and are members of MasterCard® and Visa® associations; therefore, both card associations are obligated to guarantee the settlement of merchant funds.

Q. Can I be approved if I have bad credit or no credit?

We maintain one of the highest approval rates in the industry.

Q. How do I get my money?

There are four steps to getting your money. Initiating, authorizing, completing the transaction and receiving your funds.
Step 1 – Initiating the transaction to verify that a card is active and within the approved spending limit:
Brick-and-mortar and retail or restaurant environments swipe the card or key in the number through a point-of-sale terminal (i.e., card is physically present).
Mail order/telephone order environments enter the card identifiers the customer has provided you by mail, telephone or fax (i.e., the card is not present).
Internet environments where the customer provides your Web site with card identifiers (i.e., card is not present).
Step 2 – Real-time authorizing, which reduces chargebacks and catches card-entry errors:
Credit card number is entered.
Terminal or software transmits the credit card number and expiration date and sales total to CardConnect Paradise.
CardConnect Paradise transmits data to customer’s credit card-issuing bank.
Customer’s issuing bank approves or declines the transaction.
Step 3 – Completing the transaction:
Merchant’s terminal or software transmits transaction details to CardConnect Paradise in a batch at close of the business day.
CardConnect Paradise forwards transactions to each credit card company, which redirects the transactions to appropriate banks.
Bank debits credit cardholder’s account and credits CardConnect Paradise.
Step 4 – Receiving your funds:
CardConnect Paradise credits your merchant account, within two business days.

Q. When do my transactions get funded?

Within two business days after you submit your batches to CardConnect Paradise.

Q. How is my money protected?

CardConnect Paradise is equipped to address the key protection issues of both traditional and Internet merchants, including fraud, loss prevention and chargebacks. The company uses state-of-the-art security technology, and the First Data Global GatewaySM Secure Payment Gateway uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology designed to protect all merchant and payment information.

Q. What if I need help with my account? 

CardConnect Paradise has more than 200 customer service representatives available to serve you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in more than 140 languages and dialects. In addition, Mymerchantoffice.com, CardConnect Paradise’s merchant-dedicated Web site, allows you to access your merchant account information online at any time, from any location.