Payments at PCI Compliance?

Quick question: I'm getting ready to implement Zen Cart on our ecommerce site. We currently just link directly to PayPal Express and Amazon for payment processing. I'll be adding Google Checkout to this once we implement Zen Cart.

Since all our payment transactions are happening off-site, can I configure Zen Cart to not store any credit card or payment information?

The host I'm thinking of moving to charges a large extra fee for monthly PCI Compliance scanning and I'd like to avoid that if at all possible, which in theory if we aren't storing any CC data should be fine?

Thanks!!

It sounds like you're thinking you can slip Zen Cart in behind your existing store to handle checkout. That is not the way it works; ZC is designed to BE your store. (Apologies if I misread your intent.)

Zen Cart integrates whatever payment gateway you choose so that ZC never even sees the customer's credit card info, let alone store it for any length of time. Still, integrated gateways require PCI compliance, scanning, etc. If you have offsite processors like Paypal etc., the PCI scans should not be necessary... though there's no telling what your host may still require. Ask them pointed questions.

Thanks gjh! We are going to use Zen Cart as the store so that our site looks more professional. Right now we just use buttons for single item purchases directly to gateways. Having a cart would not only look more professional, it allows us to nudge customers towards filling it more, rather than buy single items (we don't have a huge range of items yet, although we expect to start adding, which is why the interest in a cart solution.)

I'm looking at A Small Orange, just because I already have one site hosted there. Although I see ZC has some "favored" hosts as well.

The certified hosts are expected to know Zen Cart to some degree (they vary) and be suitable for running it. Other hosts may be fine, as long as they are geared to supporting PHP and MySQL database-driven e-commerce.

I have been using BluePay gateway with the Zen-cart, the last 2 years they hired this joke firm called controlscam.com ( controlscan actually) i fill out this long questionnaire with too many redundant questions, hoop jumping, I have 0 employees scanning credit cards at a POS, now they have to scan my ISP web site host, where the zen-cart sits, when once they open up the ports for them to scan, they come up with all this un-compliant BS. We are forced to find another payment gate or ditch zen-cart totally? Too many years of keeping our good old zen-cart for 8 years now, no problems with cc or pp fraud. My ISP host have no idea of their scan and how to answer them, they say that is my problem to deal with. Anyone have any suggestions of a new credit processor company that has cc at 1.25% or 1.5% Square is easy for swiping CC at trade shows, and I read can be used with the zen-cart, simple but charge 2.99% like pp does. I rather get the 1.5% deal on the CC orders. Does nay one have a suggestion?