How payments work in PayKickstart
PayKickstart's guide says to connect Authorize.net under Configure, then Integrations, then Payment. You enter your API Login ID, Transaction Key and Client Key, give the account a display name and pick a base currency.
Your Authorize.net account needs its Customer Information Manager service turned on, which PayKickstart's guide says you find under the Marketplace section.
PayKickstart is checkout and subscription software for online sellers.
This guide covers online and invoice payments, the ones PayKickstart takes through its payment connection.
What changes and what stays
What changes
- The payment connection inside PayKickstart: 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
- PayKickstart 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 seller with subscriptions or payment plans who wants to move with a plan for the saved cards.
- 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 seller who cannot afford any disruption to recurring charges this month.
- 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 PayKickstart allows for your setup. Plans and settings differ, so we confirm what your PayKickstart 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 PayKickstart. 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
- PayKickstart's guide says changing your Authorize.net API keys after connecting can break recurring billing. Existing subscribers would need to update their billing details through the billing portal.
- 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
What do I need in my gateway account?
PayKickstart's guide says to turn on the Customer Information Manager service and to have your API Login ID, Transaction Key and Client Key ready.
Will changing keys break my subscriptions?
PayKickstart's guide says changing API keys after connecting would prevent it from contacting Authorize.net to attempt rebills, and subscribers would need to update their billing through the billing portal.
Where do I connect it?
Under Configure, then Integrations, then Payment, according to PayKickstart's guide.
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 PayKickstart. There is no pressure to switch.