Shift4 - Infos & Best Practices
Visual Matrix PMS is the tool you are using to communicate with your gateway but Visual Matrix is not processing your credit card transactions. You are working with Shift4.
Shift4 Contact
Phone: (888) 276-2108
Shift4 Error Page (scroll down for the pin pad section)
The best way to make sure the batch will always settle is to never log into your gateway portal to make any modification. This can be:
- completing a sale in the portal in which authorization was obtained within Visual Matrix
- posting charges directly within the portal instead of in Visual Matrix
- posting a credit (refund) to a client directly from the portal instead of within Visual Matrix
Another settings to check on your portal is to make sure you do not have an "Auto Batch Close Settings" setup. If the batch closes automatically on the gateway portal before VM does or while the audit is running, then an error will occur and the batch will stay unsettled from VM point.
Process between the moment the Front Desk ask for a credit card number and the front desk confirm the response in Visual Matrix
Credit Card Tokens
Setup and Process Incidentals
Once setup in Management > Interfaces > Credit Card/Shift4, incidentals are processed automatically.
Learn more:
The setup incidental amount is added automatically to the amount to autorize at check-in and is automatically reversed at check-out if unused. The incidental amount will only be added to the total to be authorized by Visual Matrix on the day of check-in.
Some Authorizations Rules
An "Authorization" is not a charge. It is a pending hold. As long as the payment is not posted as a deposit (before check-in) or on the folio (during the stay or at check-out), the authorization will stay on hold until the release at check-out.
A "Reverse" is not a refund. It is a reversal of an authorization.
If a payment is posted lower than the available authorization, the balance will be automatically reverse. The amount of the authorization will be considered as released. Any attempt to reuse the authorization code for the complement without the credit card processor validation will most than likely lead to a charge back from the credit card provider.
Learn more:
Manual Entry vs PinPad Entry
When entering a credit card manually in the PMS, the credit card processor is unable to confirm that the card being used was truly present or not at the moment of the sale, and any transactions that are manually keyed will be categorized as "card-not-present" even if the card was physically present. This raises the possibility of a fraudulent transaction and makes higher chargebacks risks. As well, not only the processors fees will be higher but the merchant wil be liable.
When using an EMV device to use the credit card in the PMS, the cardholder had to insert the card into the device and occasionally even enter a personal pin code to authorize the transaction. If there is a chargeback, you can prove the mode of entry via your processor's/gateway's portal. The card issuer is then held accountable in this situation if credit card payments are made using a chip card and a pinpad payment terminal.
Voice Authorizations
Processing Refunds
To avoid credit card batch issues, all refunds must be done in Visual Matrix and not in your credit card gateway/processor portal.
What if your pin pads are not responding to Visual Matrix
There are two main reasons why the pin pads would stop communicating with Visual Matrix:
- The Server or Computer you are on is on wi-fi instead of the ethernet network on which the pin pads are connected.
- The Shift4 version of your PinPads may need to be updated. See Shift4 for this.
If the issue is not fixed quickly and you need to have a credit card interface running, you have the possibility to switch your processing from EMV to Manual by asking our Client Experience team. This will disconnect Visual Matrix from the pinpads and you will still be able to enter manually credit card numbers in Visual Matrix directly.
Shift4 Configuration Settings in Visual Matrix
Path: Management > Interfaces > All Interfaces > Shift4.
1. Shift4 uses one URL: utg.shift4api.com
If you have EMV processing with a single UTG*:
2. UTG URL/IP: which is the IP of the computer on which the UTG service* is installed. The Port is always 277.
3. The Terminal # has to match the number for the same terminal in the UTG service. Only Shift4 can check this information. If you are using Signature Capture, the SIG box should be checked.
*To communicate with the pin pads, Shift4 installs a service calls UTG either on your broker's computer or on another computer. We advise you to label which computer it is.
If you have EMV processing using multi-UTG* services:
4. Each pinpad should have a Terminal number, the IP address of the computer and the Port will still always be 277. If you are using Signature Capture, the SIG box should be checked.
*Having multi-UTG means that instead of having one service that controls all the pinpads, each pinpad is controlled by one service on a specific computer.
The IP address of the computer on which this service is installed is in the interface setup in Visual Matrix. If the IP has changed, Shift4 has to contact Visual Matrix to update the information.
For Best Western Hotels, GLS may have to be involved to get the IP adresses.
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