Mobile Solutions

MobileMerchant uses an app on your smart device, such as iPhone, iPad or Android smartphones, to process credit and debit card transactions, in conjunction with a small PIN Pad, which is linked using secured Bluetooth wireless technology. It’s this simple:

1. You enter the amount you wish to charge your customer into the app.
2. Your customer inserts their card into the PIN Pad and authenticates the transactions using their PIN, just like they would with any other POS terminal.
3. Your smart device then connects to Elavon via the internet to get authorisation for the transaction.

The whole process should only take a maximum of 30 seconds and is fully secure. As far as your customer is concerned it’s exactly the same process as paying for something in a shop. The MobileMerchant App is simple to install on your smartphone or tablet and this guide will help get you up and running as quickly as possible.

In order to process live card transactions, you’ll need to arrange the following:

1. A smart mobile device a. Android Smartphone OS 4.1.1 (or greater) b. iPhone/iPod OS 6.0 (or greater)
2. A merchant account with Elavon. To set up an account, visit us at www.elavon.co.uk or www.elavon.ie and select the Merchant Services tab.
3. Purchase a Datecs BluePad-50 PIN Pad from Elavon. 4. Download and configure the MobileMerchant App from the App Store or Google Play™. 

NOTE: Rooted/jailbroken devices are not supported as Elavon ensures the highest level of security when processing a transaction.

We are always on hand if you need to contact us. You might find it helpful to record the following information below when configuring the MobileMerchant App and if contacting Elavon Customer Services.

The Datecs BluePad-50 PIN Pad has its own internal battery, which needs to be charged before use. It can be charged from 3 sources:

1. Using the USB lead and the mains charger.
2. Using the USB connected to a computer.
3. Using the car charger.

When the charger is connected, the charging and power symbols will appear on the PIN Pad screen. The charging icon will disappear when fully charged. It can take up to 6 hours to go from zero battery life to fully charged. When connected to a USB port, the USB connection symbol will appear on the screen. The PIN Pad can be used while the battery is being charged, and the “power connected” icon, a small plug symbol, will flash on the LCD: A battery icon on the display shows the state of the battery. 

Symbols:

NOTE: Never use any other charger than the one supplied with the PIN Pad to avoid any damage.

The following will guide you through pairing your PIN Pad, installing the MobileMerchant App and configuring the app to take payment. 

With the PIN Pad successfully paired, install the MobileMerchant App on the mobile device from either the App Store or Google Play™.

Simply go to the relevant app store on your mobile phone or tablet, search for “Elavon” and you should find the Elavon MobileMerchant App.

Prior to launching the app, ensure you have the following information available for first-time configuration.

This information will be given to you after setting up an Elavon merchant account:

1. MobileMerchant Portal Username/Email
2. MobileMerchant Portal Temporary Password (please log in to MobileMerchant Portal and change your password prior to launching the app)
3. Terminal ID
4. Transaction Key Please check your welcome emails from Elavon for the above information.

NOTE: If for any reason the app set up is interrupted before completion (i.e. app is terminated), the set up process will start over from the beginning.

With the information listed in section 4.2, the following process will set up your MobileMerchant account. Taking a tour will show you all the nuances of the MobileMerchant App. 

There are a variety of options available to help you take mobile payments. At any point, press the Menu button in the top right, and select Settings to adjust the app settings. The following options may be configured. Note: these settings are optional and not required for use.

3.3.1 Tax

Enable Value Added Tax (VAT). The tax methodology is tax-inclusive pricing, so the tax rate is included with the sale.

3.3.2 Gratuity/Tip

Enable this feature to optionally allow for the entry of gratuity/tip amount to a transaction. Gratuity/tip amount can be configured in either a whole number or percentage amount.

3.3.3 Discount

Enable to optionally apply a discount amount on a transaction. The discount amount is applied to the order total. Additionally, the discount can be entered as a whole amount or percentage amount from the entry screen.

3.3.4 Elavon account settings

The Elavon account settings allow you to change the PIN Pad and MobileMerchant Portal sign in details. Note: This information can also be found in your welcome email.

3.3.5 Security

Within the Security settings, you can change the User PIN and disable the screen lock inactivity setting.

3.3.6 Additional customisation

Enable app sounds.

3.3.7 Update PIN Pad

The update PIN Pad setting updates the configuration, downloading any updates that are available.

1. Where contactless is supported on both the PIN Pad and the smart device (e.g. Apple Pay® or Android Pay™), the cardholder can select the contactless option when prompted by selecting the OK button on the initial screen below.
   
2.  Once the transaction has completed successfully the same transaction summary and receipting options as above will be displayed. 4.3. Magnetic stripe and signature transaction 
   1. Some cards may not yet have chips embedded in them, in which case the magnetic stripe will need to be utilised. The cardholder would typically be aware of how their card works and will simply need to swipe their card through the magnetic stripe reader at the top of the PIN Pad. 
   2. The MobileMerchant App will automatically request the signature to be entered on the screen of the mobile phone or tablet and the same steps as detailed in section 4.2 will apply. 

1. Press the menu option on your mobile device or on the top of the app and select Transactions.
2. Wait for the app to retrieve transaction details from the server.
3. After the transactions have been retrieved from the server and displayed, scroll the list and select a transaction row to see more detail or to refund or void the transaction. By default, only transactions that occurred within the previous 7 days will be retrieved. If other criteria are needed, please see 4.3.3 Advanced Search opposite.

The details of a transaction will appear when it is selected from the transaction list. Upon initially viewing a transaction, more details need to be retrieved from the server about that particular transaction such as the refundable amount. You may notice that the transaction details are updated very shortly after loading a transaction. If the transaction is refunded or voided then those actions will be available (see below).

The details include:

• Transaction date: The date and time when the transaction was performed. This is shown according to the time zone of the device.
• Transaction amount: The amount of the transaction.
• Card details: This includes the type of credit or debit card, the last four digits of the card, the expiration date, and the type of transaction. • Auth code: The authorisation code of the transaction.
• Result: Whether the transaction was approved or declined.
• Entry type: The code that indicates the manner in which the transaction was processed.
• Transaction ID: The ID of the transaction.
• Terminal ID: The ID of the PIN Pad on which the transaction was processed.
• Transaction state: Whether the transaction was committed or not.
• Settlement state: Whether the transaction has settled or not.
• Amount refundable: The remaining amount of the transaction that may be refunded.
• Amount refunded: The amount of the transaction that has already been refunded.
• Notes: The notes that were entered for the transaction, if any.
• Related transactions: For a sale, any refunds that are linked to this transaction. For a refund, the sale which was refunded.

Depending on the status of a transaction, a sale might be refundable.

Examples:

• A sale that has been committed but not settled might be refundable.
• A sale that has been committed and settled might only be refundable.
• A sale that has already been fully refunded will not be refundable.

1. View past transactions (see Section 4.3 Viewing Past Transactions), find and select the transaction that is to be refunded. On the transaction details, select the Refund button.
2. Enter in the amount to be refunded. The total amount of the refund must be equal to or less than the total amount charged. Please note, if you have (exclusive) tax enabled, then the refund amount should just be the item amount excluding the tax portion, which will be calculated automatically and added to the total amount refunded. For example, a customer purchases an item costing £1.00 with exclusive tax of £0.07 (at a 7% rate) so pays a total of £1.07. If the customer then wants a refund, the item cost should be entered as £1.00 and the tax amount will be automatically calculated to equal the total amount of the refund, £1.07. If you entered an item cost of £1.07 then tax would be calculated on this amount and added, and would, therefore, exceed the total amount charged in the first place.
3. Then, follow the steps that you would take to enter a sale transaction (See Section 4.2 Performing a Sale) as the steps to enter a refund are similar.

The primary function of the MobileMerchant Portal is to provide a detailed reporting interface that lets you search for any particular transaction or any group of transactions for a configurable date and time range.

In addition to the reporting interface, another key function that can be utilised (depending on your credit rating and preferences) is the Virtual Terminal (shown below). It lets you take card payments over the phone in situations where a customer may be ordering a product or service in advance, or may not be present to pay with their physical card using the PIN Pad.

If you have an Elavon MobileMerchant account, but do not have access to this part of the MobileMerchant Portal, please contact the support team to find out if your account can be updated to include this feature.

1. 1. Connectivity issues One of the most common reasons why transactions may fail in normal operating conditions is a lack of network connectivity. Mobile terminal solutions are designed to work anytime and anywhere and require the mobile phone or tablet that is being used with the PIN Pad to have network access at the time of each payment. This can be access to a mobile network or a Wi-Fi network; a lack of consistent network access will mean no payments can be processed.
   1. In such cases it is advisable to find a way of getting network access which may involve switching to a local Wi-Fi network or using a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot from another device (with permission of the owner if the device belongs to someone else).
2. 2. Transaction history not available Another common error is when transaction history data is no longer available in the app. The most common reason for this is that the MobileMerchant Portal (WebMIS) password has expired and needs to be reset, or has been changed online and needs to be updated in the app.

1. 1. Optimising the battery life of your terminal Mobile payment PIN Pads use batteries not only for portable/ mobile use, but also to help protect the PIN Pad from hackers and fraudsters by enabling regular security checks on the security keys that are embedded in the PIN Pad. It is therefore important to ensure that the PIN Pad is sufficiently charged at all times. A failure to keep the PIN Pad sufficiently charged can result in the security mechanism shutting the PIN Pad down (below a certain charge level, the security keys will be deleted, rendering the PIN Pad unusable, until reactivated by the manufacturer in a secure environment).
   • During normal operation the battery charge will be used up and when the charge level hits a pre-defined threshold a prompt will be displayed on the screen of the PIN Pad: “BATTERY LOW”.
   • It is important to charge the PIN Pad at the earliest possible opportunity after this prompt is displayed on the screen to prevent any risk of the charge dropping below the minimum required levels to prevent the deletion of the security keys.
   • When PIN Pads are stored for longer periods without being used, the batteries will also discharge so it is important to charge the PIN Pad from time to time. The recommended intervals for charging PIN Pads that are not in constant use is at least 3 months, but it is advisable to check charge levels every month as PIN Pad batteries that are not used regularly will not offer the same performance range as batteries that are used and charged more frequently.
   • Long-term storage can lead to a reduction in battery capacity, although maximum capacity can be regained by going through several cycles of fully charging and discharging the battery.
   • Optimal operating and storage conditions – when using and storing the PIN Pads it is advisable to stay within the following guidelines to optimise the operating efficiency and life expectancy of the battery:
   • When charging the battery, ensure the ambient temperature is within 00 C – 450 C
   • In general usage scenarios the ambient temperature should remain within the –100 C – 550 C range • If storing the PIN Pad over longer periods the optimum range in the storage location should remain within the -100 C – 250 C range
2. 2. Charging symbol on the PIN Pad screen When the PIN Pad is switched on and plugged into a charger, the charging icon will appear on the screen of the PIN Pad. If the PIN Pad is not switched on, this icon will not appear on the screen, but the battery will still be charging while the PIN Pad is plugged in. If charge levels in the battery permit, the PIN Pad can be powered on to see the charging icon and charge status.
3. 3. Invalid BPK In cases where the battery charge has dropped below the required level referred to in section 6.2 above, the security keys will be deleted and the message Invalid BPK will be displayed on the screen of the PIN Pad. This message would also be displayed if the PIN Pad has been tampered with in any way as it is the standard security mechanism. 

• If this occurs, you will need to contact Elavon’s Support Team who will advise on how to obtain a replacement as the PIN Pad will not be able to process transactions. 
• If your Elavon account includes the use of the MobileMerchant Portal (WebMIS) for card-not-present transactions, you can still process payments remotely using this feature.

Keeping your password up-to-date Security is a key requirement where card payments are concerned. All providers of online interfaces such as the MobileMerchant Portal are required to enforce a password change every 90 days. All customers will therefore receive a password expiry reminder email in the run up to the end of each 90 day period. It is advisable to login to the MobileMerchant Portal to update your password as soon as the reminder email is received.

Once you have updated your MobileMerchant Portal (WebMIS) password online, you will also need to change the MobileMerchant Portal (formerly WebMIS) password in your MobileMerchant App in order to be able to access your transaction history view in the app:

1. Go to the Settings Menu
2. Select Elavon Account
3. Select MobileMerchant Portal or WebMIS (depending on the version of your app. Please ensure you update to the latest version of the app).
4. Type in your new Password