E-commerce solution Onboarding
FAQs about setting up your online solution
Discover everything you need to know about onboarding your e-commerce payment solution.
Here you will find FAQs on the process, the required documents, explanations of terms as well as other important questions and answers on the topic of onboarding.
General information and procedure
- What is onboarding?
Onboarding is the process of setting up the merchant account.
The onboarding process follows the contract signing and includes a thorough identity verification (risk assessment) of the merchant, the individual configuration of your products and the final setup of your e-commerce payment solution. Once the onboarding process is complete, you can start using your products.
- How long does onboarding take?
The expected duration of the onboarding process is nine business days, provided that all required documents are submitted in full on your part.
We kindly ask for your understanding that, under certain circumstances, the processing time may be slightly longer.
- Where can I see the status of my onboarding process?
You can check the status of processing at any time via the homepage of the PAYONE Community.
Don't have access to the PAYONE Community yet? You can request access through our contact form.
- When can I use my payment methods in live mode?
Once the onboarding process is complete, you can start processing payments. You can find information on the go-live for the individual payment methods in the PAYONE Community.
Don't have access to the PAYONE Community yet? You can request access through our contact form.
Documents and records
- What documents does PAYONE need from me?
Depending on the service, we require certain documents from you. Below is a list based on the services you have booked to provide you with an overview:
For the PAYONE PaymentService we need the following:
Self-disclosure of your company
Identification of the authorised signatories
Copies of the ID cards of the authorised signatories
Current commercial register excerpt of your company (no older than six months)
Bank confirmation of the payout account (IBAN and company name must be included)
PCI compliance, which you perform on the corresponding platform
Test access to the online store or, alternatively screenshots of the store (if it is not yet active)
Direct debit authorisation, if this was not covered in the service agreement
As long as we do not have a valid direct debit authorization, we will charge the payment by invoice according to the PAYONE price-performance directory.
For the PAYONE AccountConnect we need the following:Identification of the authorised signatories
Copies of the ID cards of the authorised signatories
Current commercial register excerpt of your company (no older than six months)
Additional data for the technical integration of payment methods from other payment service providers (e.g. PayPal e-mail address)
- Why does PAYONE need so many documents from me?
Due to the legal requirements of the Payment Services Supervision Act, the regulations of the BaFin (Federal Financial Supervisory Authority) and the increased due diligence obligations of the Money Laundering Act, PAYONE is obliged to request certain documents.
- What is a bank confirmation and what is it needed for?
Your bank confirmation is required for the risk assessment. As the PAYONE Payment Service transactions run via our escrow account and are paid out in a contractually agreed cycle, we require proof under the Money Laundering Act that the payment account is actually held in the name of our contractual partners (bank details and identification). This bank confirmation can be a screenshot from your online banking or an official document from the bank, which must include the company name, IBAN and the bank name.
- Why did PAYONE obtain a (new) extract from the commercial register?
In the case of new customers or expansion of the stationary business model to the e-commerce sector, a new commercial register excerpt is required for the risk assessment, which must not be older than six months. If this period has passed since the last use of your commercial register excerpt, we will independently retrieve an up-to-date excerpt from the commercial register portal.
- I have already been a PAYONE network customer (for years), why do I have to submit the documents again?
The risk assessment for using our e-commerce services is conducted by separate departments and covers various focus areas, which is why resubmission is necessary.
- What is the Transparency Register? What is a Transparency Register extract?
The Transparency Register regulated in § 18 et seq. of the Money Laundering Act serves to record and make accessible information about the beneficial owners of entities and foundations subject to registration requirements. The purpose of the Transparency Register is to prevent money laundering.
We require extracts from the Transparency Register to determine the beneficial owners.
Explanation of terms
- What is the PAYONE Merchant Interface?
The PAYONE Merchant Interface (PMI) is the back office portal for PAYONE e-commerce customers. The PMI supports the management of payments and provides detailed insights into individual transactions and payment processes.
- What is the risk assessment?
A risk assessment ensures that new and existing merchants are always compliant with the current security and compliance standards of PAYONE, as well as with the latest regulatory requirements. The aim is primarily to minimise credit and fraud risks. To achieve this, the risks associated with the merchants and their respective industries are analysed, evaluated and, if necessary, measures are taken. A holistic approach, such as company identification, financial metrics and transaction histories, is essential in a risk assessment.
- What is the PAYONE PaymentService (PPS)?
The PAYONE PaymentService (PPS) enables the merchant to process payments through an insolvency-proof escrow account held by PAYONE. PAYONE handles the technical processing of the payment transactions, while the financial aspect of the transactions is managed through PAYONE's bank accounts in a fiduciary capacity. The merchant regularly receives a detailed statement of all payment transactions, which can be viewed in the PMI. The processed payments are periodically transferred to the contractual partner, taking into account refunded payments, agreed fees and security withholdings.
The basic terms for the PAYONE PaymentService are set out in the "PAYONE PaymentService Terms and Conditions."
- What does PAYONE AccountConnect mean?
With AccountConnect, payments are made exclusively via the bank accounts and acceptance contracts of the contractual partner. PAYONE is only responsible for the purely technical aspects of payment processing. The money from the transactions carried out is directly transferred between the contractual partner, the customer and the involved financial institutions (bank, acquirer, payment service provider).
- What is a merchant account?
The use of the PAYONE platform requires a merchant account, which provides access to the PAYONE Merchant Interface (PMI), reporting and a personal service supporter. Additionally, your merchant account includes integration with standard interfaces as well as at least one payment portal and a sub-account.
- What is a payment gateway?
A payment gateway is similar to a settings page where you define how payments should be processed.
With PAYONE, you can set up multiple payment gateways in your merchant account to manage payment methods and notifications.
- What are sub-accounts?
Sub-accounts enable the grouping of transactions and receivables for reporting purposes. Each payment must be assigned to a sub-account. A merchant account can have an unlimited number of sub-accounts and user rights can be assigned individually to each sub-account.
Other questions about onboarding
- Why are test access and screenshots required in advance for the webshop?
A detailed insight into your online store is required for the risk assessment. This may include test purchases, and we will evaluate the entire sales process - from the product selection to the checkout - along with the availability of key information such as terms and conditions, imprint, privacy policy and more. If your final URL is not yet live, we will review the content through screenshots of the test or staging version.
- I can not yet estimate my transaction volume (e-commerce sales volume). Why do I have to specify this?
If the revenues from SEPA direct debit, credit card, or account-based payments are to be processed through the PAYONE escrow account, PAYONE requires an estimate of the volume. This will determine an appropriate transaction limit, based on which PAYONE calculates your risk limits. These limits are set to secure the credit and transaction volume on your PAYONE escrow account. The limits initially defined are not fixed and can be adjusted at any time.
- What are the requirements for the letterhead?
For the setup of your commissioned services, we require a two-page PDF with your letterhead layout. The first page will be used as the first sheet for invoices, credit notes and/or reminders. The second page will be used for all subsequent pages. The editable PDF template for the letterhead is available directly in the PAYONE Community.
The combined size of both pages should typically be around 300 KB and must not exceed 500 KB.
Don't have access to the PAYONE Community yet? You can request access through our contact form.
- What are my risk limits and transaction limits?
Your risk limits or transaction limits are based on the volume of your transactions in your PAYONE escrow account and are valid for 28 days.
Example:
We have set a risk limit of €1,000 for your credit notes. If you issue a credit of €900 on day 1, you will only be able to issue an additional €100 in credits during the 28-day period. After 28 days, the full €1,000 will be available again.Of course, it is not in our interest to restrict your sales. This measure is intended to minimize risks for both parties. If you expect significantly higher transaction volumes, please contact us in advance so we can review and adjust the sales limit.
By the way:
The initial limit is determined based on the information you provide in the self-disclosure form, as well as an individual review of your business model and can be adjusted at any time in consultation with PAYONE. - Which companies are required to be entered in the Transparency Register?
The obligation to register applies only to legal entities under private law, partnerships registered in the commercial register and legally capable foundations.
Entities subject to registration are:
e.V. (registered associations), legal entities of associations, AG (public limited companies), KGaA (partnership limited by shares), GmbH (limited liability companies), UG (entrepreneurial companies), eG (cooperative societies), SE (European Company), European Economic Interest Groupings, KG (limited partnerships), OHG (general partnerships), PartG (partnerships under professional law) and legally capable foundations.Entities not subject to registration are:
Sole proprietorships, GbR (partnerships under civil law), e.K. (registered merchants), communities (e.g. WEG - residential property associations), non-legal entities (e.g. non-registered associations), legal entities under public law (institutions and corporations), companies under formation (e.g. GmbH in formation) and inheritance communities. - Why are contract transfers and migrations carried out on the first of each month?
To ensure accurate fee allocation, we wait for the beginning of the new month and carry out contract transfers and migrations on the first of each month.
- Which payment methods do I need in my online store?
The optimal payment methods for your online store depend on various factors, such as your target audience, regional specifics in your target markets or the type of products you offer. For the majority of small and medium-sized businesses in Germany, we recommend a combination of PayPal, credit card payments (Visa and Mastercard) and a commonly used account-based payment method. We will be happy to discuss whether this payment method mix is sufficient for you in a personal consultation.
- What are the costs for PAYONE's e-commerce solutions?
The costs for merchants are made up of various components. Typically, we distinguish between the following for our e-commerce solutions:
Setup fee:
A one-time fee for onboarding the merchant and setting up the merchant account.Monthly basic fee:
A fixed monthly amount for providing and maintaining the technical infrastructure.Transaction fee:
Usually consists of a fixed transaction fee and a percentage of the transaction amount (discount rate).
Through these different pricing components, we can offer our merchant clients various pricing models, allowing merchants to choose the model that best suits their business needs.
- Can I continue to use my terminal?
Your terminal remains fully operational for cashless payments. However, it is no longer possible to manually process transactions without the customer's presence. The corresponding functions are no longer supported on our end.
- What is the PAYONE Merchant Interface (PMI)?
The PAYONE Merchant Interface is an online portal for PAYONE's e-commerce customers. Within the PMI, there is an input mask for Mail Order/Telephone Order. Through this, all payment-related information, such as the customer's account and card details, can be directly entered and payments can be securely initiated and managed.