Payments Online with the USAePay Payment Gateway

Frequently Asked Questions

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  What is the USAePay payment gateway?

  The USAePay payment gateway connects your website, software, virtual terminal or card reader to your merchant account and payment processor for online, mobile, in-person and phone or mail order payments. NMI acquired USAePay in February 2021, when nearly 90,000 merchants used the gateway, and USAePay now operates as part of NMI.

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  Is USAePay a merchant account or a payment gateway?

  USAePay is a payment gateway, not a merchant account. A USAePay merchant account is really a merchant account from an acquiring bank on a processor USAePay supports, such as TSYS, Global Payments, First Data, Chase Paymentech, Worldpay or EPX, linked to the gateway. AllayPay sets up the merchant account in your business’s name and connects it to the gateway, so you hold your own MID.

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  What is the difference between USAePay and the NMI gateway?

  USAePay and the NMI gateway are both owned by NMI, which bought USAePay in February 2021, but USAePay still runs its own merchant console, APIs and developer documentation. At the time of the deal, USAePay was known for card-present point-of-sale use in retail and restaurants, while NMI covered eCommerce, unattended, retail and mobile payments. AllayPay offers the NMI gateway directly.

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  What payment methods does USAePay support?

  USAePay supports Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover cards, ACH and eCheck payments, Apple Pay and gift cards. ACH works only after your processor enables it on the merchant account. Apple Pay works online through Pay.js and in person on contactless terminals such as the Castles MP200L.

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  Can I accept payments through my website with USAePay?

  Yes. USAePay gives you three ways to take website payments: hosted payment forms that USAePay builds and hosts, the Pay.js JavaScript library for a custom checkout on your own page and plugins for the 78 shopping carts on its registered cart list. Developers can also send sales straight to the USAePay REST or SOAP API.

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  Does USAePay integrate with eCommerce platforms and business software?

  Yes. USAePay integration is available for 78 registered shopping carts and software tools, including WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, Ecwid, PrestaShop, Volusion and X-Cart. The list also covers CRM and billing platforms such as Konnektive CRM, Lime Light CRM, WHMCS and Salesforce through the AppFrontier Chargent app. Shopify does not appear on the USAePay list.

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  Does USAePay include a virtual terminal?

  Yes. The USAePay virtual terminal is the web-based merchant console, where authorized users run Simple Charge, Auth Only, Voice Auth and Simple ACH transactions from a browser. Phone and mail order businesses use it to key in card and ACH payments. USAePay also offers iOS and Android mobile point-of-sale apps for payments away from a desk.

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  Which card readers work with USAePay?

  USAePay’s EMV certification chart lists the Castles MP200, MP200L and Vega3000 as certified on FirstData Nashville, Rapid Connect, TSYS, Global, EPX and WorldPay. Ingenico Telium 2 and Tetra devices are certified only on Rapid Connect, and the Ingenico ICMP only on Global through the iOS app. Check your processor against the chart before you buy a USAePay card reader.

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  Does USAePay offer recurring billing?

  Yes. USAePay recurring billing runs on stored customer profiles in the Customer Database, with weekly, monthly or yearly schedules, custom intervals such as every two months and a fixed or open-ended number of payments. Recurring charges can run on cards, ACH or gift cards, and a declined charge is retried for up to three days. Your reseller must enable recurring billing on the account.

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  Can USAePay store customer payment methods?

  Yes. The USAePay Customer Database stores credit cards, checking and savings account details and gift cards on the gateway. Each customer profile can hold several payment methods with one set as the default, so you can run repeat and recurring charges without keeping full card numbers in your own system.

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  What are USAePay hosted payment forms?

  USAePay hosted payment forms are checkout pages that USAePay hosts on its secure servers. A drag-anddrop editor lets you add your logo, fields and custom approved or declined screens, or redirect customers to your own result URLs. Advanced Editing adds options such as Buy Now buttons, discount codes, convenience fees and reCAPTCHA. Because USAePay hosts the payment fields, your website handles less card data.

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  What is USAePay Pay.js?

  USAePay Pay.js is a JavaScript library, formerly called Client JS, that collects card or Apple Pay details in the customer’s browser and returns a one-time payment key. Your server uses that key to run the sale through the USAePay REST API, so your server does not handle raw card numbers.

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  Can I send invoices through USAePay?

  Yes. USAePay invoicing lives in the Invoices section of the merchant console. You can email a quote or a finalized invoice, and the customer can download a PDF or click Pay Invoice to pay by card, or by check when Allow Pay By Check is turned on. Automatic reminders and statuses such as Sent, Viewed and Paid show what is still due.

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  Does USAePay support Apple Pay?

  Yes. USAePay supports Apple Pay online and in person. For web checkout, you need an Apple Developer account, an Apple Merchant ID and registered website domains, plus a Payment Processing Certificate and a Merchant Identity Certificate uploaded to the merchant console. Then you add the button with Pay.js. Contactless Apple Pay on terminals such as the Castles MP200L needs no extra setup.

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  Does USAePay support ACH and eCheck payments?

  Yes. USAePay ACH payments run through Simple ACH in the merchant console, the API and emailed invoices, using the customer’s name, routing number and account number. Your processor must enable ACH on the account first. The Check Manager tracks each ACH transaction’s status, such as Settled or Returned, and webhooks can alert your software when an ACH payment settles or is returned.

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  What fraud prevention tools does USAePay provide?

  The USAePay Fraud Manager includes 18 fraud modules, such as AVS Response, Card ID Checker for CVV2, Bin Type Blocker, Block by Card Country, Country Blocker by IP address, Duplicate Detection and Fraud Profiler risk scoring. The Credit Card Blocker stops known bad cards and your own blocked list. The modules screen sales before approval, and AllayPay adds chargeback monitoring on the merchant account.

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  Is USAePay PCI compliant?

  Yes. USAePay states that it is a Level 1 PCI compliant payment gateway and renews that status through an annual Level 1 audit and Report of Compliance. Banks and resellers can request its Attestation of Compliance. Hosted forms and Pay.js reduce the card data your business handles, but you still validate PCI compliance for your own setup.

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  Can USAePay help reduce failed recurring payments?

  Yes. USAePay Card Updater refreshes stored Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover card numbers and expiration dates for recurring customers. Each update returns a result such as Card Number Updated, Expiration Date Updated or Account Closed, so you know which customers to contact. Card Updater must be enabled on your account with a compatible processor.

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  Can I issue refunds through USAePay?

  Yes. USAePay refunds can be issued from the merchant console or through the API once a sale has settled. Before settlement, you void the sale instead, and some processors let you release the held funds right away. If you cannot find the original transaction, Open Refund lets you refund with the card number, expiration date and amount.

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  Does USAePay provide APIs and webhooks?

  Yes. USAePay provides a REST API, a SOAP API (v1.7), REST SDKs for PHP, .NET and Python, an iOS UI library and a sandbox for testing. Webhooks cover 23 events, including successful and failed sales, refunds, ACH settlements and returns, Card Updater results and batch settlement. Each webhook can carry an X-Signature header so your software can verify the sender.

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  Is USAePay suitable for enterprise payment processing?

  USAePay supports many larger operations with Level 3 processing, user roles in the merchant console, API access and multi-currency processing. Multi-currency needs two merchant accounts, one domestic and one international, which can sit under one console login but use separate source keys. Businesses that need settlement in several currencies should plan for that second account.

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  Can high-risk merchants use the USAePay payment gateway?

  The USAePay payment gateway can work for high-risk merchants when the acquiring bank behind the merchant account approves the business. That approval comes from the bank and processor, not from the gateway. AllayPay specializes in high-risk industries such as CBD, nutraceuticals, vape, travel and firearms. When USAePay is not available on the approved account, AllayPay sets up NMI, Authorize.net or Fluid Pay.

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  How much does the USAePay payment gateway cost?

  USAePay does not post a public price list. Its documentation directs merchants to their merchant service provider for pricing, so gateway, per-transaction and ACH fees vary by provider. Request a free quote from AllayPay for your merchant account and gateway.

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  How does USAePay compare to Authorize.net?

  USAePay and Authorize.net are both payment gateways that connect to a separate merchant account, but they differ in ownership and setup. USAePay has been part of NMI since February 2021 and is set up through your merchant service provider on a processor it supports. Authorize.net is a Visa solution. AllayPay offers Authorize.net directly, along with NMI and Fluid Pay, and can set it up when USAePay does not run on your approved account.

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  Why use AllayPay® for a USAePay payment gateway?

  AllayPay, Inc. is a Plantation, Florida ISO that has focused on high-risk and hard-to-place merchants since 2016. AllayPay serves more than 1,000 active merchants, processes over $1.1 billion a year and is a registered ISO/MSP of Fifth Third Bank, N.A. You hold your own MID, work with a dedicated U.S.-based account manager and can add chargeback monitoring. AllayPay boards U.S. businesses only.

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  How do I get started with USAePay through AllayPay®?

  Request a free quote from AllayPay with your website, products, expected monthly volume and average sale amount. AllayPay offers same-day approvals for many businesses. After the merchant account is approved, we confirm whether USAePay runs on your processor or set up NMI, Authorize.net or Fluid Pay, then configure your checkout, virtual terminal, ACH or recurring billing.