1. Are there any fees to open or maintain a Merchant Account?
As mentioned in the WePay Help Center, there is no setup cost or monthly fees to create or use a WePay/Chase-Manhattan Bank Merchant Account. We selected WePay due to their no-fee policy: NO SETUP FEES, NO MONTHLY ACTIVITY FEES, NO MONTHLY INACTIVITY FEES.
2. What are the Transaction Fees for Online Payments?
WePay charges credit and debit card processing fees of 2.9% plus 30¢ per transaction.
When the payer pays by Credit Card or voluntarily opts to cover the fees when paying by Debit Card, this processing fee will be paid by the payer.
When the payer pays by Debit Card and does not voluntarily cover the fees, this processing fee will be paid by the merchant.
Our Lodge Page charges the payer a small service charge or convenience fee that is detailed at the time of the transaction.
3. My member was charged a Convenience Fee. Why is that?
Our Lodge Page charges the payer a small service charge or convenience fee that is detailed at the time of the transaction. This is separate from the processing fees that go to WePay.
4. What is the Surcharge and how does it work?
Credit card processing fees default to Surcharging (Surcharging passes the credit card processing fee onto the payer, ensuring your chapter/club/lodge receives the full dues amount). In other words, the member will pay the credit card processing fee.
The chapter/club/lodge will bear the fees of 2.9% plus 30¢ per transaction if payment is made with a debit card unless the member voluntarily selects the "make a donation to cover debit card fees" button at checkout. This is because debit cards currently cannot legally be charged a surcharge, while credit cards can.
5. How can I recoup those Debit Card processing fees?
A member can select the button "make a donation to cover debit card fees" in order to automatically cover in full this 2.9% plus 30¢ per transaction for debit cards when making their Groupable Payment. Feel free to ask your members to pay by credit card or donate to cover the debit card processing fees. Here's an example note you can include in your emailed Dues Notices: Example Letter requesting Online Payment
6. What if I want to turn off Surcharging for all transactions?
If you do not wish to Surcharge, please click Disable in the Dashboard > Dues > Surcharging.
WARNING
*The Club will be responsible for the processing fees for all WePay transactions if the Surcharge is Disabled*
7. I have already set up my WePay Merchant Account, do I need to do anything?
If you already have a WePay Merchant Account, it is automatically Surcharging your members for Credit Card transactions at this time and allows the member to donate to cover their debit card fees.
Any credit card transaction will be automatically recorded in groupable:m2, and when a credit card payment is processed or when a member donates to cover their debit card fees, you will not see a FEES line in groupable:m2, since no fees are subtracted from your payout.
Any debit card transaction will record the FEES line as you are familiar with. You can recoup these by following FAQ #5 instructions.
8. Is it legal to surcharge a credit card transaction?
Pursuant to a settlement of the U.S. merchant class litigation, Mastercard, Visa, and other Credit Card Companies modified certain rules and business practices to permit U.S. merchants to apply an extra checkout fee, also known as a surcharge, to customers who pay with Mastercard-branded credit cards. The rule change permitting such surcharging went into effect on January 27, 2013. These fees are not allowed on Debit Mastercard or Mastercard prepaid cards.
The same is true for all other major credit cards after this settlement rule went into effect in 2013. Other national credit card processing services provide surcharging to customers. See xerofees.com and cheddarup.com for examples.
You can read Mastercard and Visa's surcharging statements below:
Mastercard Merchant Surcharge Rules
8. Can I bar my members from paying by debit card without paying the fees?
Credit card processing agreements currently do not allow you to require members to pay debit card processing fees. You can request that members pay by credit card or voluntarily cover the processing fees, but you cannot require it. Groupable Payments allows members to pay by credit or debit card.
9. We must receive funds that will equal that which all other members pay for their annual dues, as prescribed in Masonic Law. How does that work with debit cards?
The member pays your local group the full dues amount, and then WePay removes the processing fees before the funds are transferred to your local bank account. Your members are paying their dues in full whether they pay by debit or credit card.
Due to a current legal ruling, we are prohibited from requiring a surcharge on debit cards.
10. Why should I use Groupable Payments when it costs 2.9%+$0.30?
Great question! Let's take a look at real costs for dues collection and non-renewal.
Annual Dues Collection costs:
It costs $0.58 just in postage, plus all additional paper, ink/printer, envelopes, and second/third/final billing notice costs. The collection costs for just one member in a dues season could be upwards of several dollars per member per year, not counting your time in collecting, compared to setting up WePay once and emailing dues notices. At any point in the year, a member can click a dues reminder link from their Weekly Masonic Update or log in to OLP and make their payment.
Non-renewal and arrears costs:
Each parent organization charges annual assessments per member whether your member has paid their dues or not. It could be as low as $15, or as high as $75+. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to collect dues to cover your annual member expenses.
Increased renewal rates:
Our statistics since 2017 bear this out. Using Groupable Payments lowers non-renewal rates! Many members who don't pay on time don't have checkbooks or use them for anything other than annual dues. Why not let them pay instantly?
Many secretaries have been shocked to find that their first online payments come from members who are always in arrears, owe multiple years, or pay last. There's no reason to shame someone who doesn't want the hassle of writing and mailing or remembering checks or cash. We want to make it easier for members to remain active.
What's the upshot?
You might be saving everyone time and money by setting up Groupable Payments. For $100 in dues, the 2.9%+$0.30 = $3.20. That's much less than your parent organization's annual assessment and scarcely more than mailing several dues notices.
11. I would like more information about Groupable Payments. Where can I learn more?
For more information ➞ See Groupable Payments.
Setup your WePay Account by following these WePay: OLP - Accepting Credit Cards Setup instructions.
Our Lodge Page powered by Groupable Terms of Service
Groupable Payments: WePay Merchant Account Setup Requirements
Updated: 1/2022
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