Settle Payments and Disputes
It's easy to reconcile American Express payments with your own records. We'll pay the net amount we owe you. We arrive at this amount by deducting the Discount Rate and Goods and Services Tax on each transaction, prior to settlement, rather than asking for payment at the end of the month. We may also offset any adjustments to your Account, such as credits, refunds or Chargebacks.
Choose to receive your payments via direct deposit in your designated bank account or by cheque (a minimal fee is applicable for each cheque payment).
Enrol now on NEFT1 to receive your payments faster and to avoid cheque fees. Just download and fill in the NEFT form, stamp and signed by your authorised signatory, and fax it to us along with a copy of the cancelled cheque at 124-3363911 or contact Merchant Services for assistance.
When you become a Merchant, you'll receive a Merchant Payment Plan, outlining when we'll pay your business. We will pay you as per your pay plan from the date we receive the charges. In case of manual submission of payment please add 3-5days to your payment plan.
There may be times when your Account is in debit. Reasons for this may include refunds you have made to Cardmembers or a Chargeback debited to your account. If you submit frequent transactions to American Express, we'll deduct what you owe us from the next payment(s) we make to your business. In case those payments are not sufficient to clear the outstanding amount, we'll contact you to make other arrangements for settlement.
Reconciling Your Account Statements
If you are receiving payment via direct deposit into your designated bank account, a weekly statement will be sent to you for your records. If you are receiving payment by cheque, a transmittal mentioning the summary of charge number, Discount Rate deducted and the net amount payable to you will accompany your payment cheque.
Access your account 24/7 with our My Merchant Account/Online Merchant Services (OMS)
My Merchant Account/OMS enables you to significantly reduce your effort when reconciling payments or managing your Account. This powerful business tool delivers payment reconciliation and account maintenance straight to your PC.
To register for My Merchant Account/OMS, contact Merchant Services today at 1800 419 1414 (Toll Free) or 0124-674-4699 (Landline) from Monday to Saturday (10am to 9pm).
Stay informed with mobile alerts
Don't want to wait for your statements or log on to My Merchant Account/OMS? We have an even faster way for you. Register with us for mobile alerts and you'll receive an instant message when your payment is released. Just fill in the Mobile Alert Form on your company's letterhead, stamped and signed by your authorised signatory and fax it to us at 0124-3363911.
Reduce Fraud and Chargebacks
Many disputed transactions are the result of fraudulent activity related to lost, stolen or counterfeit Cards. By being alert to fraudulent transactions you can help to reduce subsequent Disputes and Chargebacks.
A "Dispute" is a Charge for which a claim, question or complaint has arisen. A Cardmember is not the only one who could initiate an investigation to the Merchant. American Express can also raise inquiries to Merchants.
A "Chargeback" is our reimbursement from you for the amount of a Charge subject to such right; it refers to the amount of a Charge subject to reimbursement from you (sometimes called "Full Recourse" in our materials).
Be Alert
Ensure that the person presenting the Card is the Cardmember. The American Express® Card is not transferable, even amongst members of the same family. Simple checks include matching the full name and Member Since date on the Card with the Card presenter. You should be suspicious of any customer who is nervous or attempting to hurry things up, purchasing large or expensive items without regard to detail or looking at the Card before signing the record of charge.
Be Careful
Check the overall appearance of the Card. Does it look tampered with? Is the signature panel taped or painted over with correction fluid or erased? Are there valid dates shown on the front of the Card?
- The American Express Card must be presented for all in-person Charge requests.
- If you have electronic authorisation capabilities, always swipe the Card through the Electronic Data Capture (EDC) terminal.
- Always compare the account number on the front and back of the presented Card with the account number on the printed receipt dispensed from your EDC terminal.
- Cardmember signature is required on the printed receipt for all face-to-face transactions. The signature on the receipt must match the name on the front of the Card and the signature on the back of the Card.
- Expiry date is required for all methods of authorization request (electronic or manual).
- American Express Cards are non-transferable. Only the Cardmember may use the Card.
- If you process Charge requests manually, or the magnetic strip on the back of the Card is unreadable and you must process the request manually, call authorisations for an Approval Code, obtain an imprint of the Card on a Record of Charge that meets American Express requirements, ask the Cardmember to sign the Record of Charge and compare the signatures. Additionally you will also need to send a Manual Authorisation form, which is duly filled and signed by the Cardmember along with Summary of Charge.
- Call Authorisations to obtain an Approval Code and mention that it is a Mail Order transaction.
- Your business is responsible for ensuring delivery to the appropriate customer billing address and for obtaining "signed proof" of delivery to the Cardmember's billing address.
- Write "Mail Order", "Telephone Order" or "Internet" on the signature line of the Record of Charge.
- Your business should only conduct transactions on the Internet using browser software that supports industry standard encryption protocols.
For Internet transactions ensure that your website is integrated with our Online Payment Gateway partner. For details call Merchant Services.
- To ensure higher levels of risk protection and service quality, always establish and use a separate Merchant Account Number for your mail order, telephone order and Internet Charge requests.
- If the Cardmember collects the merchandise from you, standard Card acceptance procedures for in-store purchases must be followed.
All you need to do is watch your customer's counter signature and compare with the original signature. If they are a reasonable match, you are guaranteed payment. There is no need for Authorisation and no other restrictions should be imposed. If you have additional questions, please call Authorisations.
Always get an Authorisation Approval Code, without this it is very difficult to support your position if a Cardmember claims a transaction is fraudulent.
Here are four methods you can follow to help reduce the number of Chargebacks:
- Respond to enquiry letters on time
- If you wish to contest a Cardmember's claim, please ensure that all material requested by us to resolve the Dispute reaches us by the date displayed on the enquiry letter
- Follow Card acceptance procedures accurately
- Always get the Cardmember's name as it appears on the Card, the account number and expiry date
Pay special attention when taking orders by telephone, mail order or the Internet even if you only occasionally accept such charges, the precise procedures should be followed and a great degree of caution should be exercised.
Introducing American Express SafeKeySM
American Express has been consistently supporting and providing our partners with industry leading protection against online fraud. As part of this commitment, we are launching a 3-D Secure® product called American Express SafeKeySM. It enables a higher level of security for your customers, providing them the confidence that industry standard measures have been taken to combat fraud.
SafeKeySM is a fraud prevention tool that helps prevent unauthorised online card use by confirming the Cardmember’s identity with an additional password. Cardmembers enrol in the authentication program through American Express or their Card issuing bank to receive this added layer of protection.
- Cardmember initial Checkout
- System checks Cardmember enrollment
- Authentication window is presented and Cardmember enters the SafeKey password
- Password is verified with issuer
- Transaction is authenticated or rejected
SafeKeySM is specifically designed to help protect American Express merchants and Cardmembers from fraudulent online transactions by enabling an additional layer of authentication for each transaction.
Merchants may qualify for SafeKey Fraud Liability Shift (FLS). FLS allows for the transfer of fraud liability from the Merchant to the Card issuer if specific criteria are met. This means exposure for SafeKey enabled merchant online fraud is significantly reduced.
The launch of SafeKeySM is in accordance with Reserve Bank of India's initiative to further enhance the security for online transactions on credit cards through adoption of industry standard measures. We encourage you to work closely with us to support the implementation and compliance of the Reserve Bank of India’s requirements.
Depending on your payment processing mode, varying levels of technical development may be required to support the integration of American Express SafeKeySM We will assign a Network Development Consultant to work with you on the implementation requirements once you have enrolled for SafeKeySM.
Enrolling is simple; just send an email to JAPA.SafeKey@aexp.com to start the process. Upon receipt of your email, you will be furnished with the relevant documentation to guide you through the necessary next steps for enrolment.
Have a query?
We welcome your questions. Call our Merchant Services today at 1800 419 1414 (Toll Free) or 0124-674-4699 (Landline) from Monday to Saturday (10am to 9pm) or find the answer here.
- National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) is a nation-wide payment system facilitating one-to-one funds transfer. Under this Scheme, individuals, firms and corporations can electronically transfer funds from any bank branch to any individual, firm or corporation having an account with any other bank branch in the country participating in the Scheme.
To know more about NEFT, call Merchant Services.