Clearly establish why you are reading the technical document. Are you seeking familiarity, solving a specific problem, or accomplishing a particular task? Knowing your goal is crucial.
Quickly review the cover, table of contents, and any introductory chapters (limit to 5 minutes). This step provides an initial sense of the document’s content and organization.
Spend 30 seconds to 2 minutes scanning through the entire document by scrolling quickly. Focus on images, tables, diagrams, and captions. Look for elements that seem familiar and immediately understandable, such as APIs, schematics, flow charts, or block diagrams.
Pause and delve deeper into sections that pique your interest or are relevant to your goals. If the content becomes uninteresting or irrelevant, move on.
After your initial scan, revisit the table of contents. You’ll have a better grasp of the document’s structure and can make more informed decisions about what to explore further.
Choose what to read next based on the level of interest or usefulness to your objectives. If the document doesn’t contain valuable information, don’t hesitate to close it. You can consider it “read” after this overview.
If you don’t find what you’re looking for during this process, don’t hesitate to close the document and seek alternative sources. Practice both reading and comprehension by scanning pages for meaningful content rather than reading linearly from start to finish.
To initiate online credit card processing, begin with your bank checking account and establish a Merchant Account. This account connects you to the credit card processing network, ensuring secure and accurate processing of credit card transactions. It’s similar to the traditional card-swipe machine but adapted for online transactions.
Ensure that your Merchant Account is internet-enabled if you plan to accept online credit card transactions. Some accounts are specifically designed for online use, while others may work in conjunction with your regular Merchant Account.
The Payment Gateway acts as a bridge between your system and the Internet Merchant Account, securely transmitting credit card data. While the Gateway handles routing, the actual approval or decline of transactions occurs within the Merchant Account. Think of the Gateway as a router for credit card information.
Recognizable Payment Gateways include Authorize.net, PayPal (with products like Website Payments Pro and PayFlow Pro), and First Data. These Gateways simplify the online setup process, often including the creation of the Internet Merchant Account.
Your application can interact with the Payment Gateway in various ways. For simple applications like shopping carts, users are redirected to the Gateway for credit card processing. More advanced applications, such as online registration, may use an API (Application Programming Interface) to securely transmit credit card data to the Gateway.
In an online registration scenario, the process involves:
a. User entering credit card details. b. Secure transmission of data to the Payment Gateway. c. Payment Gateway routing the credit card to the Internet Merchant Account. d. Internet Merchant Account connecting to the Merchant Account for processing. e. Results sent back to the Gateway and the application. Validation, Refunds, and Settlement:
If a credit card is declined, the user typically sees a general error message without specific details. Successful transactions result in order numbers for future reference. Refunds are safer when processed using these order numbers rather than directly to the card. The settlement process transfers funds from the buyer to your bank, managed by the Merchant Account, and may take several business days.
Online credit card processing involves various fees: