MOTO payments
Have you heard or been asked about MOTO payments and want to find out more? You’ve come to the right place.
Read on to discover what MOTO payments are, how they work and why they can be beneficial to you and your business.
Quick Links:
> What is a MOTO payment?
> How do MOTO payments work?
> What is a MOTO account?
> What is the difference between a normal merchant account and a MOTO merchant account?
> What are the benefits of MOTO payments?
> How much do MOTO payments cost?
> Why would your business need to take MOTO payments?
What is a MOTO payment?
A MOTO payment is a debit or credit card payment that’s taken over the phone, by post, fax or email – in other words, when the customer isn’t present.
MOTO payments – so named because they refer to Mail Order/Telephone Order payments – require the merchant to take a customer’s credit or debit card information and process payment using a secure web page (also known as a virtual terminal or payment gateway) or through their point of sale card machine.
Here’s how to accept MOTO transactions in through a virtual terminal in five simple steps:
- Log in to your virtual terminal online via a computer, laptop or mobile device
- Key in the customer’s name, postal address, email address and card details
- The transaction will be submitted to the customer’s bank for authorisation
- Once it’s approved, you’ll receive confirmation and the customer will be emailed a receipt
- You’ll receive payment within a few working days (as you would for payments processed via a credit card reader)
Accepting MOTO transactions through a card terminal is simple, too:
- Enter the sale amount onto your terminal
- Key in the customer’s long card number, expiry date and CVV2 code
- Select the ‘Customer Not Present’ option
- The transaction will then be submitted for authorisation
- Once it’s approved, the terminal will display a standard success message
- You’ll receive your money at the end of your standard settlement period
What is a MOTO account?
To accept MOTO payments, you need to have a MOTO merchant account. If you want to take only MOTO payments, you can use a stand-alone merchant account. If, like many businesses, you plan to also accept payments through an e-commerce site, you can opt for a payment gateway that lets you process both online and MOTO transactions.
What is the difference between a normal merchant account and a MOTO merchant account?
The main difference is that most normal merchant accounts take payments via a Chip and PIN terminal or PDQ machine. These are ‘customer present’ payments and are generally considered to be more secure than MOTO payments.
What are the benefits of MOTO payments?
Here’s why accepting MOTO payments can be beneficial to you and your business:
- Your customers have a fast, secure way to pay for goods and services
- You can reach a wider customer base, who can’t, or prefer not to, pay in person
- You can expand your sales operations, meaning you can take payments from anywhere in the country
- MOTO payments are easy to accept – all you need is access to a POS terminal, or a virtual terminal with internet access and a computer, laptop or mobile device
- You and your employees can access the virtual terminal and process payments from multiple locations
- You can take payments via major credit and debit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, Maestro and American Express
How much do MOTO payments cost?
To take MOTO payments, you’ll need to pay ‘card not present’ (CNP) fees. These are additional costs for payments made when the customer isn’t present. MOTO transactions are seen as less secure, so the fees can be higher than what you’d pay to process payments when the customer is there.
The exact costs will vary depending on which merchant service provider you use, so keep this in mind when choosing yours.
Why would your business need to take MOTO payments?
In summary, accepting MOTO transactions means you can be more flexible when it comes to where and how you process transactions for your customers – therefore reducing potential barriers to them buying from you.
If you want to find out more about MOTO payments and how they can help you and your business, get in touch with us today.
