Datacap NETePay in Canada: what it does, and how to keep your POS when you change processors.

The short answer

• NETePay is the go-between. It sits between your POS and the terminal, and it talks to the processor for you.
• It works with more than one Canadian processor. Datacap's own table lists four, with Interac debit and tap on each one.
• It comes in two versions. NETePay Classic runs in your store. NETePay Hosted runs through Datacap's servers, and most newer Canadian terminals need it.
• The terminal is tied to the processor. Datacap says Canadian terminals are set up and bought through the processor, so a change can mean new keys or new terminals.
• Your POS reseller does the install. Datacap sells through POS resellers and tells merchants to start with them.

What Datacap NETePay does

NETePay takes the sale from your POS, runs the terminal, and sends the payment to the processor, so the card data does not pass through the POS.

Your POS sends the amount through a small Datacap control. The control runs the terminal and formats the receipt, and NETePay sends the card sale to the processor. The approval comes back to the POS on its own, so nobody keys the sale twice. Datacap says the processor is chosen in the NETePay setup, not in the POS code. That is why one POS can work with more than one processor. For the terminal side, see semi-integrated POS.

Terminals it runs on

Datacap's Canadian table lists a short set of terminals, and all but two older models need NETePay Hosted.

The model alone does not decide it. Datacap says a terminal can work with one processor and not another, and its P400 page lists a separate software load for each Canadian processor it names.

What it handles

Credit, Interac debit and tap work with every Canadian processor on Datacap's table, while tokens, offline mode and phone orders vary by processor.

Who uses it

Datacap says its software runs at more than 500,000 payment points, through more than 900 software partners. Its Canadian table covers retail and restaurant setups. The IM30 and Datacap's unattended options serve kiosks, vending and parking. See unattended payments.

Datacap's own case studies name POS and kiosk makers that run NETePay, such as Datapoint POS, CAP Software, 2TouchPOS and greenbox Robotics, and CenterEdge Software on NETePay Hosted. These are mostly US stores. Datacap has a separate Canadian control, so a POS built only for the US version is not ready for Canada. Ask your POS company which one it supports.

Keeping your POS when you change processors

NETePay is built so the processor can change while the POS stays. Datacap holds the processor certifications itself, and its comparison of Classic and Hosted lists processor switches, under its direct rental program, as a feature of both. For that to work in your store, all of this has to be true.

• Your POS and its version run NETePay for Canada. The POS has to be built to Datacap's Canadian control, and your version has to include it.
• The new processor is on Datacap's Canadian list for your setup. Each processor on the list has its own features and terminals. Check your processor is on its list, with the terminals and features you use.
• You open a new merchant account. An old merchant number does not move to another processor. See merchant account.
• Your terminals may need new keys or replacing. Datacap says Canadian terminals are set up and bought through the processor, and it lists separate terminal software for each Canadian processor.
• Your NETePay may change too. Classic has a separate application for each Canadian processor, and some processors are only offered on Hosted.
• Your POS reseller usually does the install. Datacap sells through POS resellers and sends merchants to them for upgrades.

If one of these does not line up, the change is bigger than a settings change. It is better to know that before you sign anything.

What to check before a change

Where CleverPays fits

Datacap builds NETePay and holds its processor certifications. Your POS reseller installs and supports it. The company that processes your card payments approves and settles each sale and, in Canada, sets up the terminals. CleverPays makes none of it.

We read your setup and name each part: the POS and its version, the NETePay version, the terminals and the processor behind them. Then we tell you in writing what a change would affect, before anything moves.