Electronic Payments

Electronic Payment Methods

Secure Order Forms

An order form is a simple page on your site that the customer fills in with their details and the details of the goods they want to buy. There is no automation and the fields in the forms are sent to you as an e-mail and do not use a PSP. This is a very basic method of taking orders through your online catalogue and can be very labour intensive.

A slightly more advanced option is available by using a shopping cart software product as most carts have the ability to either store credit card numbers securely so you can view them over the internet or send them securely over e-mail using a secure server.

Advantages

• Secure forms require a minimal outlay.
• No need to pay for a Payment Service Provider facility.
• No need for an extra internet merchant number for online transactions.
• Merchants can manually screen orders.
• Site superficially appears to be fully credit/debit card enabled.

Disadvantages

• Secure forms struggle to accommodate wide product offerings.
• Violates some acquiring banks' terms and conditions.
• There is no "real-time" authorisation of card details.
• Transactions are processed manually.