The iMerchant POS can interface with the Charge It Pro system for processing for Credit, Debit and third party gift cards.
The Charge It Pro system is a cloud based processing system that is managed by Payment Process Partners. Being cloud based there is no software to install or update.
Back office functions such as configuration settings, reporting, inquiries, settlement, etc. are accessed via the Charge It Pro web portal.
Since the data is stored in the cloud, the store does not have to worry about securing the card processing server for PCI compliance or worry about backups.
The system supports several reader devices which support the EMV or chip based cards as well as the traditional magnetic stripe cards. Some readers also support NFC devices such as cell phones.
Each Charge It Pro payment device must be attached to a Freedom Device Controller (FDR) supplied by Charge It Pro.
The FDR is connected to the local network and must have access to the internet. [i]merchant connects to the payment device via the local network, and the FDR contacts the processor via the internet.
The iMerchant POS sends the device sale information including the sale amount and type of transaction.
The device then prompts the customer to swipe the card and sends the data directly to the payment processor.
This arrangement deems the iMerchant application and the PCs out of PCI compliance scope since the card information is not handled within the iMerchant application, on the PC, or on the local network.
Setup
Each payment device is assigned a unique URL address, a Client MAC, and a “Lane”. These values are assigned by Charge It Pro and must be entered in the [i]merchant device properties form.
Go to Tools > Parameters > Charge It Pro Device.
This parameter defines a Charge It Pro device that can be associated with a register.
The same Charge It Pro device can be used on multiple registers.
Creating a device
Create a new device by selecting “New” and entering a code and description to identify the device within iMerchant.
Fill in the URL, Client MAC, and Lane information that was sent by Charge It Pro.
Associate the device with a PC
The Charge It Pro device must be associated with PC using the PC Settings parameter.
Go to Tools > Administration > PC Settings
Find the PC/Register that is being configured and select properties.
Find and select the Charge It Pro device that will be used on this PC.
Save the settings.
Configuring Tenders to accept Charge It Pro
Go to Tools > Parameters > Tenders
Select the tender to be updated or select New to add a new tender.
The Credit Card tab will be active on tenders that support Charge It Pro. These are Credit Cards, Debit Cards, and Gift Cards.
On the Credit Card tab, select Charge It Pro as the interface.
A Tender must be created for each credit, debit, and gift card that will be using Charge It Pro.
Older tenders that were associated with PC Charge can be updated, however it is better to create new ones specifically for Charge It Pro.
If an older tender is being updated, the sales taken using the older interface cannot be voided, and might have a problem recreating the sale when reprinting an invoice.
Since duplicate tender codes cannot exist, when replacing old tenders with new, it is best to update the code used on the old tender to identify is as old or from PC Charge.
This also allows you to use the same common names for the new Charge It Pro tenders.
Every card type accepted by Charge It Pro, VISA, Master Card, etc., must be defined within iMerchant.
If a Charge It Pro tender is not set up for a card that is allowed in Charge It Pro, POS will give the user an error and void the accepted transaction.
Some debit cards will report back the card type VISA, Master Card, etc. A separate iMerchant debit tender can be created for each card type which allows the debit card types to be broken out within POS.
If a specific card type debit card tender is not present in iMerchant, the generic “Debit” type will be used.
For auditing purposes, the card type returned from Charge It Pro will be appended to the input method used that is saved with the tender.
Deleted tenders will not appear on the tender selection list, but are retained for historical reporting.
POS Changes with Charge It Pro Devices
When a tender has multiple interfaces, say Charge It Pro and PC Charge, the user will be prompted to choose “Charge It Pro Device”, or “Local Prompt” before processing will occur.
If only one interface exists this extra selection is not needed.
The “Local Prompt” option uses the traditional screen dialogs.
When selecting a tender that uses the Charge It Pro Device, POS will send the device the amount due and prompt the customer to swipe the card.
Once the card is swiped, the amount must be validated on the device, and the customer will then be asked if the dollar amount is correct.
Answering “No” to the amount cancels the transaction and iMerchant gives an option to enter a new dollar amount.
Once the prompts are complete, the transaction is processed and the results are sent to the [i]merchant.
If the dollar amount was altered, POS will adjust the tender amount and prompt for another tender.
If the card cannot be swiped, the customer must cancel the transaction on the Charge It Pro device.
Pressing Cancel on the device will prompt for a cancel confirmation.
Pressing “OK” cancels the transaction, but pressing “Corr”, correct, will offer a manual entry on the device.
Auditing transactions
When interfacing with Charge It Pro, POS includes the SaleID as a reference. The iMerchant SaleID is saved in Charge it Pro “ID” field.
Charge It Pro sends a transaction reference number back from each transaction.
The POS tender transaction detail record saves this in the “RecNum (CPro)” field.
The POS tender transaction finder displays, and allows searched on this field.
Troubleshooting & System Updates
If you see the following error after upgrading iMerchant:
The Charge it Pro Server version in imrchnt does not match the version installed by Charge It Pro!
Contact your system administrator, we will need to copy the existing file called "cipeinet.dll" from the c:/chargeitpro/eiserver/ folder into the folder in C Program Files x86 for iMerchant. Error can occur when a new iMerchant version is installed onto a system, if charge it pro may have updated their dll.
If you are running SAAS the file will be on the terminal server, if you are working with an Offline POS station then the file will be on the local PC.
If you have any trouble, don't hesitate to contact your iMerchant rep for more information.
Device Not Connecting to New PC
If you have changed PCs and your device isn't connecting. Go to Parameters / Charge it Pro and into the device connected to that PC. Click SETUP Flagship / Then go into DEVICES.
Here you will need to change the COM Port to match which port the device is connected into. Try each port and click TEST until you find the right port. Then click SAVE and also save the Charge it pro device settings in IMRCHNT next to complete.
