How payments work in Zen Cart
Zen Cart's documentation lists payment modules you switch on in the store. For Authorize.Net it lists an AIM module, a CIM module for cards on file, and a SIM module that it marks as deprecated. It also lists PayPal and Square modules.
A gateway is the connection that passes each sale from your store to the company that settles your card money. You choose which module your checkout uses.
Zen Cart is free, open-source shopping cart software.
This guide covers online and invoice payments, the ones Zen Cart takes through its payment connection.
What changes and what stays
What changes
- The payment connection inside Zen 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
- Zen 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 owner or developer who is comfortable changing payment modules and wants control over the gateway.
- 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 with heavy custom code on its checkout and no one to test changes.
- 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 Zen Cart allows for your setup. Plans and settings differ, so we confirm what your Zen 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 Zen 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
- If your store still uses the SIM module, Zen Cart's own documentation marks it deprecated. Plan a move to a current module either way.
- 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 Authorize.Net module should I use?
Zen Cart lists AIM, CIM for cards on file, and SIM, which it marks deprecated. Ask your developer which one your store runs today.
Can I keep customers' saved cards?
Zen Cart describes the CIM module as the one for card on file. Moving saved cards between gateways needs a plan with your gateway.
Does Zen Cart document other gateways?
Yes. Its payment page also lists PayPal and Square modules.
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 Zen Cart. There is no pressure to switch.