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Blackbaud Merchant and Payment Services

Nonprofit Credit Card Processing FAQs

Still have questions? Review our FAQs or email bbms@blackbaud.com for additional information.

Blackbaud Merchant Services Basics

Disbursements

Mobile Credit Card Processing

Reporting

Security

Recurring Gifts

Updating Credit Card Data

Digital Wallets

EMV Chip Cards

Blackbaud Merchant Services Basics

Will Blackbaud Merchant Services work with my Blackbaud solutions?

Yes. Blackbaud Merchant Services is ready to use with our award-winning, PCI-compliant software solutions including Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT, Raiser’s Edge, Blackbaud Luminate Online, Blackbaud NetCommunity, Blackbaud CRM, Blackbaud eTapestry, Blackbaud Altru, Blackbaud Online Express, onBoard, and onMessage. Our seamless integration enables you to maximize your Blackbaud investment, so you’ll eliminate double entry and gain extensive time savings with streamlined bank reconciliation.

Which cards can I accept with Blackbaud Merchant Services?

Blackbaud Merchant Services processes Visa®, MasterCard®, American Express®, JCB (US dollars only), Discover®, and Maestro® (where accepted) credit cards.

Does Blackbaud Merchant Services process debit cards?

Yes. Blackbaud Merchant Services will process debit cards that do not require a PIN.

Does Blackbaud Merchant Services support ACH (direct debit) transactions?

Yes. Blackbaud Merchant Services can process ACH payments in Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT, Raiser’s Edge, Blackbaud NetCommunity, Blackbaud Online Express, Blackbaud eTapestry, onBoard, and onMessage.

Can I set up multiple Blackbaud Merchant Services accounts?

Yes. You may set up as many Blackbaud Merchant Services accounts as you need at no charge and for no monthly service fee.

Do I need to keep my current merchant accounts with Visa, MasterCard and American Express?

It’s not necessary. When you use Blackbaud Merchant Services, Blackbaud is your single point of contact for your Blackbaud software, gateway, merchant accounts, and PCI compliance. That means that when you have a question, you have just one company to call.

Can I keep my relationship with my local bank?

Yes. Blackbaud Merchant Services deposits funds into your bank(s) of choice.

What is Blackbaud OneRATE?

Blackbaud OneRATE gives you one flat rate across all transaction and credit card types—including Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and Maestro. Blackbaud Merchant Services processes all transactions, including real-time, batch, point-of-sale, card present, and card not present. The rate is the same, regardless of card type, even for rewards cards, corporate cards, and cash-back cards, making it easy to budget. With OneRATE, there are no hidden or additional fees. You may be surprised to learn how much you’re really paying when you factor in all of the added fees. Want to know more? Get a free benefit analysis from a Payment Services Specialist.

Can Blackbaud Merchant Services save my staff time on credit card processing?

Yes. In most cases, Blackbaud Merchant Services saves clients considerable time on reconciliation of credit card transactions with their bank statements because payments are grouped and disbursed together. Each donation is listed on your disbursement report, eliminating the guesswork of which payments or donations correspond to which bank deposit. Many nonprofits also eliminate wasteful double entry, allowing them to spend more time on their organization’s mission.

What currencies does Blackbaud Merchant Services process?

With Blackbaud Merchant Services, you can accept online payments from anywhere around the world when your supporters use Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diner’s Club International®, and Maestro. Blackbaud Merchant Services supports disbursements in U.S. dollars (USD), Canadian dollars (CAD), British pounds (GBP), and Euros (EUR). Your nonprofit must have a legal entity/corporation set up in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, or Ireland and it must also have a local bank account in that country. For example, to disburse funds in USD, the bank account must be domiciled within the 50 United States or Puerto Rico. To disburse funds in CAD, the bank account must be domiciled in Canada and to disburse funds in GBP or EUR, the bank account must be domiciled in the UK or Ireland.

In addition, if an Australian constituent makes a donation to a U.S. nonprofit using an Australian-issued credit card, the constituent will be charged the equivalent in Australian dollars and, in some cases, a small currency conversion fee may be charged by the issuer. The U.S. nonprofit, however, will have funds deposited to their U.S. bank account in USD and will not pay any cross border fees or other currency conversion charges when using Blackbaud Merchant Services. For additional questions about Blackbaud Merchant Services, chat with Payment Services Support.

Disbursements

When will I receive my funds from Blackbaud?

Blackbaud will soon provide an option for daily disbursement of funds to customers processing U.S. dollar transactions. With our current disbursement schedule, funds are disbursed into your designated bank account four times per month, and we provide all clients with a disbursement calendar for the entire year.

Mobile Credit Card Processing

Can I accept credit card payments with my mobile phone or tablet?

Yes. Using Blackbaud MobilePay, which is integrated with Blackbaud Merchant Services, you can process credit card payments from iPhone®, iPad®, iPod Touch®, or Android™ phones or tablets. Blackbaud MobilePay transactions can be made with our card reader or by manually keying in the credit card data. In addition, Blackbaud MobilePay is now integrated with the Raiser’s Edge Event module and app, enabling you to check-in attendees, register new guests, and accept credit card payments at off-site events using your iPad. All data is then integrated directly into your Raiser’s Edge database. Learn more.

Blackbaud MobilePay also integrates with Blackbaud Luminate Online and Blackbaud TeamRaiser, letting you easily take payments while canvassing or at events.

Can I process transactions remotely and at any time?

Yes. You’ll have unlimited 24/7 access to a secure, online portal where you can process payments at off-site events. Also, with Blackbaud MobilePay, you can process credit card transactions on your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone or tablet so that you never miss a payment. Transactions are made by swiping the credit card through a Blackbaud MobilePay credit card reader or by entering card information into the application manually (Blackbaud charges the same rate for both types of transactions).

Is Blackbaud MobilePay integrated with Raiser’s Edge?

Yes. Blackbaud MobilePay is now integrated with the Raiser’s Edge Event module and app, making it possible for you to check-in and register attendees as well as accept registration payments—all from your iPad. The data you enter syncs directly with your Raiser’s Edge database.

Which mobile phones and tablets are compatible with Blackbaud MobilePay?

Blackbaud MobilePay works with iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices running the most current or previous version of the iOS operating system. It also works with phones or tablets running the most current or previous version of the Android operating system.  Please contact Payment Services Support with any questions.

Is there an extra charge for Blackbaud MobilePay?

No. Blackbaud clients receive up to two free Blackbaud MobilePay card readers at no cost* and additional card readers are available upon request. These readers can be used to process credit card transactions on your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or Android phone or tablet. Since Blackbaud MobilePay is powered by Blackbaud Merchant Services, you pay OneRATE on every transaction with absolutely no hidden fees or mobile processing charges. *Up to two credit card readers are free to Blackbaud clients.

In what markets is Blackbaud MobilePay currently available?

Blackbaud MobilePay is currently available in the United States and Canada.

Is Blackbaud MobilePay integrated with Blackbaud CRM solutions?

Blackbaud MobilePay is integrated with Blackbaud Merchant Services as well as the Raiser’s Edge Event module and app, allowing MobilePay transactions to sync with your Raiser’s Edge database. It is not yet integrated with our other CRM solutions. However, you can still synchronize your systems by exporting transactions from the Blackbaud Merchant Services web portal and importing or keying them in to your other Blackbaud applications.

We are continuing to expand Blackbaud MobilePay integration with our other Blackbaud products.

Does Blackbaud MobilePay provide the end consumer with a receipt or confirmation of payment?

Yes. Once the transaction is processed, the consumer has the option to receive an automated email acknowledgement/confirmation. The email acknowledgement/confirmation is delivered to the consumer-provided email address. The Blackbaud MobilePay system-generated email acknowledgement/confirmation currently supports HTML format. PDF confirmation/acknowledgements are not currently supported. In addition, Blackbaud Merchant Services retains a master copy of all MobilePay transactions. Blackbaud Merchant Services and the Blackbaud MobilePay app also enable organizations to resend the acknowledgement/confirmation. Please consult your tax advisor on your tax receipt requirements.

Reporting

What type of reporting is available?

You will have unlimited 24/7 access to a secure, online portal where you can see your transactions in real time, perform reconciliations, and run or export batch, detail, or custom reports. You will be able to save time reconciling your bank statements with detailed disbursement reports that show you which transactions were included in each deposit.

Security

Is it safe to use Blackbaud Merchant Services?

Absolutely. Blackbaud has been processing payments since 2000, and has helped nonprofits raise billions of dollars for their causes. Our Blackbaud Vault encrypts sensitive information and keeps your constituents secure by removing the risks associated with storing credit card information.

Is Blackbaud MobilePay credit card data secure?

Yes. Upon swipe, Blackbaud MobilePay encrypts and stores all credit card information on Blackbaud secure servers—not on the mobile phone or tablet.

What fraud-prevention features are available in Blackbaud Merchant Services?

All Blackbaud Merchant Services clients benefit from standard fraud prevention as well as proactive fraud monitoring by our Compliance Team. For organizations that require additional fraud protection, Blackbaud Merchant Services offers a premium Fraud Management service that provides comprehensive screening to help detect payment card fraud. This service is available for a nominal per-transaction charge. Click here to learn more or download the data sheet.

Recurring Gifts

Can I process recurring gifts with Blackbaud Merchant Services?

Yes. Blackbaud Merchant Services can process single transactions and recurring gifts. If your organization has a sustained giving program, you can take advantage of our Credit Card Updater service. This service makes it possible to automatically update Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express data for credit cards from participating card-issuing banks. Currently, this service is available to U.S. and Canadian organizations using Blackbaud Merchant Services with Blackbaud Altru, Blackbaud CRM, Blackbaud Luminate Online and Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT/Raiser’s Edge. Click here to learn more.

Updating Credit Card Data

How can Blackbaud Merchant Services help me keep credit card data, such as expiration dates, current?

Blackbaud Merchant Services includes Credit Card Updater, a value-added service that helps ensure credit card data is accurate. Blackbaud partners with Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express to provide this premium service. When your organization subscribes, credit card data for your sustaining gifts is analyzed each month to identify expired or out-of-date credit card information. Credit Card Updater provides new card numbers and expiration dates when available. Currently, this service is available to U.S. and Canadian organizations using Blackbaud Merchant Services in Blackbaud Altru, Blackbaud CRM, Blackbaud Luminate Online and Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT/Raiser’s Edge. Click here to learn more.

Is there an additional charge for Credit Card Updater?

Yes. There is a nominal cost of $0.30 per update (or $30 minimum per month). You will not be charged if no cards are updated. This cost is easily offset by the financial loss of not collecting a recurring gift due to expired card information. In addition, by using Credit Card Updater, you won’t risk losing the gift by contacting the donor about the expired card. This will also free up staff time that might otherwise be spent on outreach to constituents whose cards have expired.

How do I sign up for Credit Card Updater?

To subscribe to Credit Card Updater, please click here and complete the short form.

Digital Wallets

Does Blackbaud Merchant Services provide support for Apple Pay, Masterpass, and Visa Checkout?

Yes. Organizations processing in USD with Blackbaud Merchant Services in Blackbaud Luminate Online and Blackbaud TeamRaiser can accept one-time credit card donations using Apple Pay, Masterpass, and Visa Checkout. They can also use Visa Checkout for recurring transactions. In addition, organizations using Blackbaud Internet Solutions or Blackbaud NetCommunity with Blackbaud Merchant Services may use Masterpass and Visa Checkout for one-time gifts. Blackbaud will continue to expand its digital wallet integration to other online software solutions.

EMV Chip Cards

What is EMV?

U.S. banks are now issuing EMV chip credit cards. EMV is named after its original developers: Europay, MasterCard and Visa. These credit cards have a small computer chip that makes them more difficult to counterfeit with the intent of significantly reducing fraud for card-present transactions.

What happened in 2015 regarding credit cards with EMV chips?

On October 1, 2015, the card networks implemented chargeback rule changes that shifted the card-present liability in the event of a chargeback due to fraud to merchants/nonprofits if an EMV card is presented, but the transaction is not completed using an EMV/chip reader. Previously, if there was card-present fraud, the card issuer usually took on that liability and chargeback. However, as of October 1, 2015, if your nonprofit accepts payments in a card-present environment and does not have a terminal, virtual terminal, mobile device, or point-of-sale system that is enabled to process EMV secure chip cards, you may be liable in the event of a chargeback that results from fraud.

What is the impact on nonprofit organizations?

In general, nonprofits experience very low rates of fraud, typically 0.05 percent of charges are disputed as chargebacks and, of those, less than 20 percent are due to fraud. Nearly all fraudulent transactions are online transactions, which are not impacted by EMV changes (EMV only impacts card-present transactions). A typical organization that processes 4,000 transactions per year would have, on average, two chargebacks per year (mostly online charges). So, to most nonprofits, the impact of this change is minimal. Regardless, Blackbaud will provide certain additional protection to Blackbaud Merchant Services™ customers who accept credit and debit cards for card-present machine-read transactions. This additional protection started on the date of the liability shift (October 1, 2015) and will continue until 60 days after the date that Blackbaud supports EMV card readers. Please see below for more information.

How do EMV requirements affect PCI compliance?

Use of an EMV-compliant point-of-sale system has no correlation to Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) requirements. EMV is intended to help reduce card-present fraud, and PCI compliance is intended to provide security around credit card data. Blackbaud has been validated as a Level 1 Service Provider and Payment Gateway. Use (or nonuse) of EMV-enabled equipment does not impact an organization’s PCI compliance.

Are Blackbaud solutions enabled to process EMV secure chip cards?

Blackbaud is committed to delivering an EMV-compliant point-of-sale (POS) and mobile processing solution. Our ability to provide that solution has been delayed by our partners, who are still awaiting hardware certification and have yet to finalize the Software Development Kit (SDK) that we need in order to begin integration work. While we aggressively research alternatives, Blackbaud remains committed to delivering an EMV solution that meets the needs of our customers, both in terms of features and costs. Until that solution is available, we will continue to extend liability coverage to Blackbaud Merchant Services and CyberSource customers for chargebacks that occur for card-present, machine-read transactions where a chip-enabled card was swiped using a magnetic stripe reader. Please review the information below for specific details or email bbms@blackbaud.com with any questions.

Do I need to purchase all new EMV-capable credit card readers when available from Blackbaud?

That will be a decision your organization will need to make. Existing credit card readers—including Blackbaud MobilePay™—will continue to work for current credit cards and new EMV chip cards by swiping the cards’ magnetic stripe or keying in the card information. There are no industry requirements or fines forcing the purchase of new card readers. However, as of October 1, 2015, if your organization does not have an EMV card-capable point-of-sale system, and your customer (constituent) is using an EMV card, you will still be liable for a chargeback that results from fraud until you also have an EMV-capable credit card reader. However, that chargeback may be covered by Blackbaud’s liability protection (see below for details).

What is the liability risk to my nonprofit to continue using my current card readers?

How much fraudulent card-present activity is your organization currently experiencing for in-person transactions? The risk is only for fraudulent transactions that have an EMV chip used in a card-present transaction. For these charges, there is a liability shift. Typically, the risk is extremely low for nonprofit organizations. Regardless, Blackbaud will provide certain additional protection to Blackbaud Merchant Services customers who accept credit and debit cards for card-present machine-read transactions. This additional protection will start on the date of the liability shift (October 1, 2015) and will continue until 60 days after the date that Blackbaud supports EMV card readers. Please see below for more information.

Does Blackbaud provide protection for Blackbaud Merchant Services’ card-present transactions made with an EMV chip card?

Yes. Blackbaud provides certain additional protection to Blackbaud Merchant Services customers who accept credit and debit cards for card-present, machine-read transactions. This additional protection started on October 1, 2015 and will continue until 60 days after the date that Blackbaud supports EMV card readers. During this time, Blackbaud will cover the cost of chargebacks that occur for card-present transactions with chip-enabled cards that are swiped using a magnetic stripe reader. This additional protection is limited to Blackbaud Merchant Services customers using Blackbaud Altru, Blackbaud Merchant Services Virtual Terminal, and Blackbaud MobilePay transactions for chip-enabled cards that are swiped using a magnetic stripe reader. This additional protection includes transactions for the purchase of goods and services for which the nonprofit has a financial loss such as ticket sales, event registrations, scheduled program registrations, membership sales, and merchandise sales. Note, however, that fraudulent, card-present transactions for the purpose of making a financial donation to you are not included in this additional protection program. To receive the liability coverage, your organization must meet all of the criteria above and you must indicate in your communications with Blackbaud’s Chargebacks Team that you have suffered a financial loss. Please email chargebacks@blackbaud.com with any questions.

Will Blackbaud provide protection for Blackbaud Merchant Services’ customers using The Patron Edge?

Yes. Blackbaud’s liability coverage extends to Blackbaud Merchant Services customers using The Patron Edge (excluding The Patron Edge Online) to accept credit and debit cards for card-present transactions. This additional protection is effective as of December 1, 2016 and will continue until 60 days after the date that Blackbaud supports EMV card readers. It covers the cost of chargebacks up to $1,000 per transaction for chip-enabled cards that are swiped using a magnetic stripe reader. This includes transactions for the purchase of goods and services for which the nonprofit has a financial loss such as ticket sales, event registrations, scheduled program registrations, membership sales, and merchandise sales. Fraudulent, card-present credit or debit card transactions for the purpose of making a financial donation to your organization are not included. To take advantage of this coverage, your organization has to meet all of the criteria above and must notify Blackbaud’s Chargebacks Team that you have suffered a financial loss by emailing chargebacks@blackbaud.com.

Does Blackbaud provide protection for CyberSource gateway card-present transactions made with an EMV chip card?

Yes. Until we have an EMV-capable POS solution available, Blackbaud will provide additional protection to U.S. customers processing payments using a CyberSource gateway in Blackbaud Altru. This protection will start on January 1, 2016 and will continue until 60 days after the date that Blackbaud supports EMV card readers. During this time, we will reimburse clients the cost of chargebacks up to $1,000 per card-present transaction that are due to the EMV liability shift. This protection is limited to CyberSource gateway customers using Blackbaud Altru for card-present transactions with chip-enabled cards that are swiped using a magnetic stripe reader. Coverage is limited to transactions for the purchase of goods or services where the nonprofit suffers a financial loss (such as ticket sales, event registrations, scheduled program registrations, membership sales, merchandise sales, and group ticket sales Fraudulent, card-present transactions for the purpose of making a financial donation to the organization are not included in this additional protection program.

To receive reimbursement, customers must email chargebacks@blackbaud.com and 1.) indicate they have suffered a financial loss and 2.) provide Blackbaud with documentation from their payment processor that the chargeback resulted from the EMV liability shift on an EMV (chip) card transaction and that the cardholder was disputed in accordance with their processor’s requirements but settled in favor of the cardholder. Blackbaud will review all requests and refunds will be subject to Blackbaud approval.

Please contact chargebacks@blackbaud.com with questions.

Upon availability of an EMV-compliant point-of-sale system, what will the cost be to the nonprofit?

The cost of an EMV-compliant point-of-sale terminal will be significantly more expensive than traditional card readers and is ultimately dependent on the provider that Blackbaud partners with and the specific feature set that best suits your organization.

Is there a plan to eliminate the magnetic stripe in the long run?

There are no specific plans to eliminate the magnetic stripe. Worldwide chip migration will be gradual, and until we reach ubiquity, the magnetic stripe on the back of the card will continue to provide global interoperability.

Is there a liability shift for EMV cards that applies to online/website credit card transactions?

No. EMV chip card liability rules apply only to card-present transactions in which you read the card information from a machine. They do not apply when credit card numbers are typed into a website or other system.

Will online transactions be impacted at all by the move to EMV chip cards?

As EMV technology becomes more widely used for card-present transactions, it is expected that fraudsters may shift more to online or card-not-present transactions. Nonprofits should be prepared for this anticipated shift and utilize fraud-prevention tools. Blackbaud Merchant Services offers Premium Fraud Management in addition to its standard fraud-prevention settings.