How payments work in CS-Cart
CS-Cart's documentation says to open Settings, then Payment methods, and choose the Authorize.Net API processor. The page lists these fields: login, transaction key, currency, hash value, test or live mode, transaction type and an optional order prefix.
The page also says your server needs PHP cURL support turned on.
CS-Cart is online store and marketplace software.
This guide covers online and invoice payments, the ones CS-Cart takes through its payment connection.
What changes and what stays
What changes
- The payment connection inside CS-Cart: either a new gateway login, or a new account behind the gateway you already use. We tell you which after we read your statement.
- Who settles your card money and sends your monthly statement.
- Your fees. We show you the real numbers from your own statement and never predict them.
What stays
- CS-Cart itself, with your customers, records and the way you work.
- What your customers see when they pay, in most cases.
Who this suits
Best fit
- A store or marketplace with an admin who can test checkout changes.
- Your processing contract is near its end, or you can time a change around it.
- You have not looked at your statement in a while and want a person to read it with you.
Not a fit
- A store still on a very old version that has not been updated for years.
- Your statement is already clear and you are happy with it. Then the honest answer may be to stay where you are.
- You are in the middle of a contract with a large early cancellation fee and cannot time a change.
What a switch involves
- Send your latest statement. A person reads it with you and works out your effective rate. This is free and there is no pressure to switch.
- We check what CS-Cart allows for your setup. Plans and settings differ, so we confirm what your CS-Cart account can do. If the honest answer is to stay, we say so.
- Apply for the new account, if a change makes sense. This takes business and bank details. How long it takes varies with the account review and with any hardware involved.
- Update the payment connection in CS-Cart. Enter the new connection details in your payment settings and run a test payment before you tell customers anything.
- Move saved cards and recurring payments, then close the old account. Do this when your contract allows it. Closing the old account too early can stop recurring charges.
Timing varies. We give you a realistic timeline for your setup when we read your statement.
What to watch
- Use test mode and run a test payment before you switch the method to live.
- Cards your customers have saved on file. Ask whether they can be moved to the new setup, or whether customers would need to enter them again.
- Recurring billing and subscriptions, which are tied to those saved cards.
- Gift card balances, if you sell gift cards.
- Card surcharges. Card network rules and some state laws limit them, so check before you add or keep one.
- Your current contract end date and any early cancellation fee.
Questions merchants ask
Which processor do I pick in CS-Cart?
The documentation says to select Authorize.Net API in the processor list.
What do I enter?
The page lists login, transaction key, currency, hash value, test or live mode and transaction type. The order prefix is optional.
Does my server need anything?
CS-Cart's documentation says PHP cURL support must be available.
How do I see what I pay now?
Open your monthly processing statement and add up every fee. Divide that total by your card sales for the month. The result is your effective rate, the real percentage you pay after every fee. Our free statement review walks you through it.
See what you pay, for free
A person reads your statement with you and tells you what each fee means and whether a different processor is even possible with CS-Cart. There is no pressure to switch.