Deploying Authorize.net in Canada
Authorize.net is the Visa owned gateway that carries card payments from a website, an invoice link or a virtual terminal to the acquirer that settles them. Kubera is a registered agent of Authorize.net and deploys the gateway and the acquiring behind it as one fitted setup.
What Authorize.net is
Authorize.net is a payment gateway owned by Visa and one of the longest established in North America. It connects to a long list of ecommerce platforms, shopping carts, invoicing tools and business software, and sits behind plenty of Canadian websites and even more American ones. It works well in Canada from a functional perspective, though not everything offered in the US is offered here. The integrations list is available on request; ask about your platform and we confirm the fit.
Visa owns both Authorize.net and Cybersource, and Cybersource does everything Authorize.net does and more. The short version: Authorize.net for straightforward ecommerce and invoicing, Cybersource for complex, enterprise requirements.
In Canada, we are able to support Shopify deployments leveraging our Authorize.net gateway. The Shopify page covers that deployment in detail.
What Kubera deploys
A gateway on its own does not settle funds. It needs a merchant account with an acquirer, and the two are set up as one deployment. As a registered agent of Authorize.net and of multiple acquirers, we board the merchant account, provision the gateway, connect it to your platform or virtual terminal, and test live transactions before the cutover, which is planned so your checkout has no downtime.
Staff who use the virtual terminal are trained on it, reporting is set up so your bookkeeper can reconcile deposits to orders, and support afterwards comes from the same team that did the deployment.
Support from our own dashboard
As a registered agent of Authorize.net, Kubera has its own Authorize.net dashboard. We configure and set up accounts there, and we manage them afterwards: troubleshooting, credential updates and configuration changes are handled directly by us, with no ticket to a gateway call centre and no waiting days for a response. Kubera is the first line of support for our Authorize.net merchants, and the way the accounts are set up, our clients almost never need to contact Authorize.net at all. Not every agent can offer that.
Payment links instead of card numbers in email
Plenty of businesses still email a PDF invoice with a form asking the customer to write in a card number, or keep card details in spreadsheets and filing cabinets. We deploy Authorize.net so the invoice goes out with a secure payment link instead, in the same email as the contract. The customer pays through the link with 3DS2 security, and the card is stored as a secure token for the next order. Get that credit card information out of your emails and out of your filing cabinets.
What to check on the statement behind your gateway
The gateway fee and the acquiring fee are two different lines, and the cost of accepting a card online is the sum of both. Underneath both sits interchange, and interchange is not one number. It varies with how the card is accepted: the data level passed (Level 2 and Level 3), 3DS security, whether the customer enters the card on a secure page or staff key it into a virtual terminal, the business category, and volume. A correctly configured deployment can sit on a lower interchange floor than the same business configured wrong somewhere else, so two quotes are rarely apples to apples. We configure the deployment so you are on the lowest floor available to your business, and quote the margin on top of it in writing.
Who it suits
Authorize.net fits businesses that invoice customers and want a secure payment link on the invoice, take orders by phone and want to move from keyed card numbers to links, sell online through a mainstream platform, or bill on a recurring schedule. It also fits businesses that sell both online and at a counter. Businesses with heavier, enterprise requirements are usually better served by Cybersource, and we say which before anything is scheduled.
Common questions
Is Kubera a registered agent of Authorize.net?
Yes. Kubera Payments Corporation is a registered agent of Authorize.net, as well as of Elavon Canada Company, Worldline, Planet and Windcave. We deploy the gateway and the acquiring behind it as one fitted setup, quoted in writing.
Can staff key in phone orders?
Yes. Authorize.net includes a virtual terminal for keyed transactions, which we set up and train staff on as part of the deployment. For most phone order businesses, a secure payment link is the better path, and we set both up.
Do we need a new merchant account?
Yes. The cost reductions come from the acquiring side, so we swap in a new merchant account and support your existing Authorize.net gateway. No development work is involved.
What happens to stored tokens and recurring billing?
On a merchant account update your tokens migrate securely, with no workflow changes and no data loss. And if recurring billing is being run by hand today, with paper records and cards keyed each month, we set it up so it is automated.
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