New Zenner
- Join Date:
- Jun 2017
- Location:
- Boston
- Posts:
- 1
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- 0
Saving Credit Card Info with Authorize.Net
Hello all!
I'm using V.1.5.5e of Zen Cart. I've been a Zen Cart user for many years, since version 1.3.8. I was wondering if anyone has used the Authorize.Net Customer Information Manager (CIM) with Zen Cart to save customer credit card info on Authorize.Net's servers, and then used the info to process recurring payments of varying amounts manually with Zen Cart. I am using 1.5.5e and am in the process of adding code to allow use of the CIM with the Authorize.Net module. If you have, please chime in.
Would anyone else have any interest in this? If there is already a module for this, I apologize for missing it! I'm happy to share, but I'm not yet sure what the best way is. I've watched the demos from Authorize.Net on the Customer Information Manager. It has both a user interface via the Authorize.Net website, and a full API. Details of customer pay methods, and shipping profiles can be entered on the website, or transmitted by the API. You can enter the card info yourself (if you customer provides it to you on the phone), or the customer can enter the info into your website and the API can store it in Authorize.Net's servers. A customer ID or profile ID ties it back to your Zen Cart records. Processing a transaction is easily done via the Authorize.Net website or the API.
I run a computer repair company - so my customers enter orders into Zen Cart, along with their payment details, then they ship me their laptops. After I repair them, many days later, I process their orders in Zen Cart. The exiting Authorize.Net module does not work for me for these types of transactions. I don't want to authorize the credit card until I am ready to ship. Also - I have customers who want to use a "credit card on file" - so they don't have to enter it each time.
Many businesses have a need to save customer credit card payment info for processing recurring transactions, but obviously you have to comply with PCI requirements - which is costly. These looks like a way to be PCI compliant without too much hassle. With the CIM, you can still enter your customer's credit card numbers yourself, you can see the whole credit card numbers on the CIM website, and you can process recurring transitions without storing the card information on your own servers.
My approach is to extend the functionality of the Authorize.Net payment module to allow for charges to be submitted to CIM records, and functionality to create new CIM records "on the fly" as orders are entered. Managing the CIM records can be done easily via the Authorize.Net website.
