Blackbaud Merchant and Payment Services

Charity and Nonprofit Credit Card Processing FAQs

Still have questions? Review our FAQs for additional information.

Blackbaud Merchant Services Basics

Disbursements

Mobile Credit Card Processing

Reporting

Security

Recurring Gifts

Updating Credit Card Data

Storing Credit Card Data

Digital Wallets

Blackbaud Merchant Services Basics

Will Blackbaud Merchant Services work with my Blackbaud solutions?

Yes. Blackbaud Merchant Services is ready to use with our award-winning, PCI-compliant software solutions including Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT, Raiser’s Edge, Blackbaud NetCommunity, Blackbaud CRM, Blackbaud Luminate CRM, Blackbaud Luminate Online, Blackbaud TeamRaiser, Blackbaud eTapestry, Blackbaud Enrollment Management System, Blackbaud School Website System, Blackbaud Online Express, and Online Express Bill Pay. Our seamless integration enables you to maximize your Blackbaud investment, so you’ll eliminate double entry and gain extensive time savings with streamlined bank reconciliation.

Which cards can I accept with Blackbaud Merchant Services?

For customers processing in Canadian dollars, Blackbaud Merchant Services supports Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. For customers processing in U.S. dollars, Blackbaud Merchant Services supports Visa®, MasterCard®, American Express® JCB, Discover, and Diner’s Club.

Does Blackbaud Merchant Services process debit cards?

No. Blackbaud Merchant Services does not yet support processing of Interac debit cards but will in the future.

Does Blackbaud Merchant Services support ACSS (direct debit) transactions?

No. Blackbaud Merchant Services does not yet offer support for Automated Clearing Settlement System (ACSS) transactions but will in the future.

Can I set up multiple Blackbaud Merchant Services accounts?

Yes. You may set up as many Blackbaud Merchant Services accounts as you need at no charge and for no monthly service fee.

Do I need to keep my current merchant accounts with Visa and MasterCard?

It’s not necessary. When you use Blackbaud Merchant Services, Blackbaud is your single point of contact for your Blackbaud software, gateway, merchant accounts, and PCI compliance. That means that when you have a question, you have just one company to call.

Can I keep my relationship with my local bank?

Yes. Blackbaud Merchant Services deposits funds into your bank(s) of choice.

What is Blackbaud OneRATE?

Blackbaud OneRATE gives you one flat rate across all transaction and credit card types. Blackbaud Merchant Services processes all transactions, including real-time, batch, point-of-sale, card present, and card not present. The rate is the same, regardless of card type, even for rewards cards, corporate cards, and cash-back cards, making it easy to budget. With OneRATE, there are no hidden or additional fees. You may be surprised to learn how much you’re really paying when you factor in all the added fees.

Can Blackbaud Merchant Services save my staff time on credit card processing?

Yes. In most cases, Blackbaud Merchant Services saves clients considerable time on reconciliation of credit card transactions with their bank statements because payments are grouped and disbursed together. Each donation is listed on your disbursement report, eliminating the guesswork of which payments or donations correspond to which bank deposit. Many nonprofits also eliminate wasteful double entry, allowing them to spend more time on their organization’s mission.

What currencies does Blackbaud Merchant Services process?

With Blackbaud Merchant Services, you can accept online payments from anywhere around the world. Blackbaud Merchant Services supports disbursements in Canadian dollars (CAD), U.S. dollars (USD), Australian dollars (AUD), British pounds (GBP), and Euros (EUR) and organizations located in the following countries: Canada, United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Belgium. Your nonprofit must have a legal entity/corporation and local bank account in the country of origin. For example, to disburse funds in CAD, the bank account must be domiciled in Canada. To disburse funds in USD, the bank account must be domiciled within the 50 United States; to disburse funds in AUD, the bank account must be domiciled in Australia; to disburse funds in GBP, the bank account must be domiciled in the UK; and to disburse funds in EUR, the bank account must be domiciled in the European country of origin.

In addition, if an Australian constituent makes a donation to a Canadian charity using an Australian-issued credit card, the constituent will be charged the equivalent in Australian dollars and, in some cases, a small currency conversion fee may be charged by the issuer. The Canadian charity, however, will have funds deposited to their Canadian bank account in CAD and will not pay any cross-border fees or other currency conversion charges when using Blackbaud Merchant Services. For additional questions about Blackbaud Merchant Services, chat with Payment Services Support.

Disbursements

When will I receive my funds from Blackbaud?

Blackbaud Merchant Services provides four-time-per-month disbursements. Canadian, U.S., and Australian customers can choose between daily and four-time-per-month disbursements. GBP and EUR processing customers receive disbursements four times per month.

Mobile Credit Card Processing

Can I accept credit card payments with my mobile phone or tablet?

Yes. Using Blackbaud MobilePay, which is integrated with Blackbaud Merchant Services, you can process credit card payments from iPhone®, iPad®, iPod Touch®, or Android™ phones or tablets. Blackbaud MobilePay transactions can be made with our card reader or by manually keying in the credit card data. In addition, Blackbaud MobilePay is now integrated with the Raiser’s Edge Event module and app, enabling you to check-in attendees, register new guests, and accept credit card payments at off-site events using your iPad. All data is then integrated directly into your Raiser’s Edge database.

Blackbaud MobilePay also integrates with Blackbaud Luminate Online and Blackbaud TeamRaiser, letting you easily take payments while canvassing or at events.

Can I process transactions remotely and at any time?

Yes. You’ll have unlimited 24/7 access to a secure, online portal where you can process payments at off-site events. Also, with Blackbaud MobilePay, you can process credit card transactions on your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone or tablet so that you never miss a payment. Transactions are made by swiping the credit card through a Blackbaud MobilePay credit card reader or by entering card information into the application manually (Blackbaud charges the same rate for both types of transactions).

Is Blackbaud MobilePay integrated with Raiser’s Edge?

Yes. Blackbaud MobilePay is now integrated with the Raiser’s Edge Event module and app, making it possible for you to check-in and register attendees as well as accept registration payments—all from your iPad. The data you enter syncs directly with your Raiser’s Edge database.

Which mobile phones and tablets are compatible with Blackbaud MobilePay?

Blackbaud MobilePay works with iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices running the most current or previous version of the iOS operating system. It also works with phones or tablets running the most current or previous version of the Android operating system.  Please contact Payment Services Support with any questions.

Is there an extra charge for Blackbaud MobilePay?

No. Since Blackbaud MobilePay is powered by Blackbaud Merchant Services, you pay OneRATE on every transaction with absolutely no hidden fees or mobile processing charges.

In what markets is Blackbaud MobilePay currently available?

Blackbaud MobilePay is currently available in Canada and the United States.

Is Blackbaud MobilePay integrated with Blackbaud CRM solutions?

Blackbaud MobilePay is integrated with Blackbaud Merchant Services as well as the Raiser’s Edge Event module and app, allowing MobilePay transactions to sync with your Raiser’s Edge database. It is also integrated with Blackbaud Luminate Online and Blackbaud TeamRaiser to use for both one-time and recurring credit card payments as part of canvassing or events.

While it is not yet integrated with other Blackbaud CRM solutions, you can still synchronize your systems by exporting transactions from the Blackbaud Merchant Services web portal and importing or keying them in to your other Blackbaud applications.

Does Blackbaud MobilePay provide the end consumer with a receipt or confirmation of payment?

Yes. Once the transaction is processed, the consumer has the option to receive an automated email acknowledgement/confirmation. The email acknowledgement/confirmation is delivered to the consumer-provided email address. The Blackbaud MobilePay system-generated email acknowledgement/confirmation currently supports HTML format. PDF confirmation/acknowledgements are not currently supported. In addition, Blackbaud Merchant Services retains a master copy of all MobilePay transactions. Blackbaud Merchant Services and the Blackbaud MobilePay app also enable organizations to resend the acknowledgement/confirmation. Please consult your tax advisor on your tax receipt requirements.

Is Blackbaud MobilePay Terminal available in Canada?

Blackbaud MobilePay Terminal is currently only available in the United States. Blackbaud Merchant Services customers in Canada can still use the previous Blackbaud MobilePay app with the swipe-only readers.

Reporting

What type of reporting is available?

You will have unlimited 24/7 access to a secure, online portal where you can see your transactions in real time, perform reconciliations, and run or export batch, detail, or custom reports. You can save time reconciling your bank statements with detailed disbursement reports that show you which transactions were included in each deposit.

Security

Is it safe to use Blackbaud Merchant Services?

Absolutely. Blackbaud has been processing payments since 2000 and has helped charities and nonprofits raise billions of dollars for their causes. Our Blackbaud Vault encrypts sensitive information and keeps your constituents secure by removing the risks associated with storing credit card information.

Is Blackbaud MobilePay credit card data secure?

Yes. Upon swipe, Blackbaud MobilePay encrypts and stores all credit card information on Blackbaud secure servers—not on the mobile phone or tablet.

What fraud-prevention features are available in Blackbaud Merchant Services?

All Blackbaud Merchant Services clients benefit from standard fraud prevention as well as proactive fraud monitoring by our in-house Compliance team. For additional protection, Blackbaud Merchant Services provides an added layer of fraud management to help specifically with online (card-not-present) transactions. Click here to learn more or download the data sheet.

Recurring Gifts

Can I process recurring gifts with Blackbaud Merchant Services?

Yes. Blackbaud Merchant Services can process single transactions and recurring gifts. If your organization has a sustained giving program, you can take advantage of our Credit Card Updater service. This service makes it possible to automatically update Visa, MasterCard, and American Express data for credit cards from participating card-issuing banks. Currently, this service is available to Canadian and U.S. organizations using Blackbaud Merchant Services with Blackbaud CRM, Blackbaud Luminate Online, and Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT/Raiser’s Edge. Click here to learn more.

Updating Credit Card Data

How can Blackbaud Merchant Services help me keep credit card data, such as expiration dates, current?

Blackbaud Merchant Services offers Credit Card Updater, a value-added service that helps ensure credit card data is accurate. Blackbaud partners with Visa, MasterCard, and American Express to provide the service. When your organization enables it, credit card data for your sustaining gifts is analyzed each month to identify expired or out-of-date credit card information. Credit Card Updater provides new card numbers and expiration dates when available. Currently, the service is available to Canadian and U.S. organizations using Blackbaud Merchant Services in Blackbaud CRM, Blackbaud Luminate Online, and Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT/Raiser’s Edge. Learn more

Is there an additional charge for Credit Card Updater?

Credit Card Updater is included with Blackbaud Merchant Services for Canadian accounts (created on or after March 4, 2020), U.S. accounts (created on or after March 20, 2019), and Australian accounts. In addition, it is also included for Canadian and U.S. accounts that switch to the bundled package from within the Blackbaud Merchant Services Web Portal. For Canadian and U.S. accounts created before the dates above, there is a nominal cost of $0.30 per update (or $30 monthly minimum). However, there is no charge if no cards are updated. This cost is easily offset by the financial loss of not collecting a recurring gift due to expired card information. In addition, by using Credit Card Updater, you won’t risk losing the gift by contacting the constituent about the expired card. This will also free up staff time that might otherwise be spent on outreach to donors whose cards have expired.

How do I sign up for Credit Card Updater?

If you are processing in: Canadian dollars and created your account on March 4, 2020 or after, U.S. dollars and created your Blackbaud Merchant Services account on March 20, 2019 or after, or Australian dollars, Credit Card Updater has already been enabled. Please follow the steps outlined in the product documentation to ensure that it has been turned on in your Blackbaud software and cards are being registered for the service.

If you are processing in Canadian dollars and created your account prior to March 4, 2020 or are processing in U.S. dollars and created your Blackbaud Merchant Services account prior to March 20, 2019, you will need to switch to the bundled package from within the Web Portal. The bundled package includes Credit Card Updater at no additional charge along with daily disbursement of funds and Blackbaud MobilePay. Administrative users have access to upgrade by clicking the link on the home page of the Web Portal and agreeing to the terms.

Storing Credit Card Data

Are there requirements my organization must adhere to when storing credit card numbers and payment tokens?

Yes. Please click here to learn more.

Digital Wallets

Does Blackbaud Merchant Services provide support for Apple Pay, Masterpass, and Visa Checkout?

Yes. Organizations processing with Blackbaud Merchant Services can accept one-time credit card donations using Apple Pay in Blackbaud eTapestry (eCommerce and non-embedded DIY pages, CAD, USD, GBP, and EUR), Blackbaud Luminate Online (CAD and USD), Blackbaud TeamRaiser (CAD and USD), Blackbaud Online Express (donation forms with support coming for event/membership forms, CAD, USD, GPB, and EUR), Blackbaud Internet Solutions (Service Pack 19, CAD, USD, GBP, and EUR), and Blackbaud NetCommunity (Service Pack 5, CAD, USD, GBP, and EUR). In addition, Masterpass and Visa Checkout are supported for one-time credit card transactions in Blackbaud eTapestry (CAD, USD, GBP, and EUR), Blackbaud Luminate Online (CAD and USD), Blackbaud TeamRaiser (CAD and USD), Blackbaud Online Express donation forms (CAD, USD, GBP, and EUR), Blackbaud Internet Solutions with Service Pack 19 (CAD, USD, GBP, and EUR), and Blackbaud NetCommunity with Service Pack 5 (CAD, USD, GBP, and EUR). Blackbaud will continue to expand its digital wallet integration to other software solutions.