Cashnet/Transact Payments allows departments on campus to develop storefronts on the internet and receive credit card payments 24 hours a day, 7 days a week using a stable, fast, and secure server.
A merchant ID is required before setting up a Cashnet/Transact Payments storefront. The entire set up process can take anywhere from three to four weeks.
How Cashnet/Transact Payments works
- The customer browses a merchant storefront and submits an order. The order information is passed along to Cashnet’s/Transact Payments’ secure Web server where the customer enters their credit card information. Cashnet/Transact Payments processes the transaction and displays a confirmation or denial message.
- The merchant gathers daily transaction information from the Cashnet/Transact Payments Administration web site. This information is used to perform daily reconciliation.
Web application support, maintenance, and expectations
Security updates and general maintenance for web applications are critical for maintaining the safety and integrity of our systems. As with any custom web application developed by DoIT, it is assumed that the application(s) will require subsequent minor additions and changes. Ongoing costs include but are not limited to:
- Mandated security reviews and security patching
- Additional reports
- Migrations to improved hosting environments
- Alterations/updates to support new technology and compliance requirements
- Ad hoc support provided by Web and Mobile Solutions team (WaMS)
- Enhancements to the application as requested by the customer.
While WaMS will work to develop a secure and maintainable application, they expect customers to understand their application(s) and follow best practices to keep their applications secure. These include but are not limited to:
- Completing the annual UW Cybersecurity Awareness Training
- Understanding data classification and proper use
- Having an annual user account review where site administrators remove any users who have left their organization or who should no longer have access to any systems
DoIT will provide support via email, chat, or phone. The central email address for reporting errors and problems is wams-support@doit.wisc.edu. Requests sent to this address will propagate to an issue-tracking system to allow multiple members of the WaMS group to access and address them.
All support is charged at an hourly rate. WaMS will provide support and enhancement requests on a time and material basis; the amount billed is based on the hourly rate of the developer who does the work. The WaMS team’s average rate in FY24 is $100/hr.
Acceptable credit cards
Acceptable credit cards include Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express.
Fees
- VISA, Mastercard, and Discover: approximately 2.5%. American Express (AMEX): approximately 2.25 %.
- Elavon charges $.05 per refund transaction and a $5.00 monthly maintenance fee for the Merchant ID.
- Chargebacks are $7.50. Discover charges an additional $.05 per transaction.
Reporting
Payments Insider: A secure online customer portal from Elavon, the credit card processor, which displays transactional activity and monthly statements used for reconciliation and other merchant account business needs. Contact cashnet-help@bussvc.wisc.edu for access.
How to set up a storefront
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
Simple registration page
A simple registration page can contain information such as name, institution, email, multiple registration types, food preferences or lodging requirements. All the data requested fits on one page and none of the information on the page changes dynamically. It’s a simple HTML page that a customer fills out and submits all at once.
The most common way to handle this situation is for that initial page to submit to another local page that saves all the registration information in a local database. The customers browser is then forwarded automatically to the Cashnet/Transact Payments server where the credit card transaction takes place. If the transaction is successful, Cashnet/Transact Payments will send an alert to the email address provided by the customer. Optionally, Cashnet/Transact Payments can send a GET command to a hidden page on the local server with the result of the transaction. The result of this GET is not seen on the customers browser and therefore cannot be interrupted. This hidden page call can be used to mark the order as successful in the local database. It can also be used to send an email receipt to the customer.
Dynamic Registration Page
A dynamic registration page has some element that can change each time the page is loaded. An example is a registration page where the customer has to select among different sessions. As sessions fill up they are automatically taken off the page.
This type of page requires a database on the back end which is queries each time the page is brought up. Once the page is brought up the rest of the process works like the Simple registration page.
Storefront, no shopping cart
A simple storefront will be one page long and contain all the items that are for sale. The user indicates which items they wish to purchase, fills out their customer information and submits the form. The rest of the process works like the simple registration.
Storefront, with shopping cart
A shopping cart storefront is usually a very complex site. But in general the point of commonality is the shopping cart page. No matter how large the site is everything ends up on the shopping cart page. This page is interfaced to the Cashnet/Transact Payments pages in the same way as the a shopping cart site. All information about shipping, tax, rebates, etc. is collected on the shopping cart page and stored in a local database. The amount is then sent to Cashnet/Transact Payments and the customer continues as in the other setups.
Storefront requirements
All e-commerce pages and receipts must contain the following four pieces of information:
- Refund policy
- Example: If a participant cancels less than seven working days prior to the date of the event, no refund can be issued. A substitute may be sent in the place of the original registrant, but the individual participant or department is responsible for coordinating and communicating this to the <Wherever>.
- Privacy statement
- Example: The <Merchant Name> does not sell, rent, trade or distribute any personally identifiable information obtained from clients to a third party, except in cooperation with government agencies or as required by law. Information collected by <Merchant Name> is used for the administrative and operational purposes of our services.
- “Doing business as” explanation
- Example: Your credit card statement will reflect this merchants Doing Business as name as <Merchant Name>.
- Customer service contact details
- Example: Please contact <Merchant Contact person’s name, phone number, email address, and the address of merchant’s permanent establishment> if you have any questions.
Training
Review CashNet/Transact Payments Training Resources (PDF) for trainings/information on how to use the various features of Cashnet/Transact Payments, including:
- Login
- Finding transactions and reports
- Transaction details
- Voided transactions
- Refunds
Telephone and in-person training is also available. Contact CashNet-Help@bussvc.wisc.edu.
