Payment Card Processing for Canadian Customers

First Data Canada (Fully Integrated - Canadian Customers Onboarded on or after March 1, 2025)

All Canadian customers onboarded after March 1, 2025 will be onboarded to First Data Canada.  The nuances discussed in this support article do not apply to Canadian customers onboarded after March 1, 2025.  

Customers onboarded before March 1, 2025 use Elavon to process payments by default.  It is highly recommended to change to First Data Canada, because it offers a "fully integrated" solution with the following benefits:  

• Processing rates will remain unchanged.
• Tighter integration between Aluvii and First Data Canada means more reliable payments (the issues described in the section below are no longer an issue).
• Faster authorizations (less time waiting at the payment device)
• Support for refunds without card present
• Support for Find Missing Payments feature
• Compatibility with future payment features 

The process to change your processor to First Data Canada are as follows:

1. Application (10-15 minutes) - email support@aluvii.com and ask for a unique link to an application.  When you receive the application, fill it out and submit.  The application will take up to a week to process.
2. Payment Terminal Hardware:
   1. Ingenico brand - Ingenico brand payment terminal hardware is not compatible with First Data Canada.  We recommend the Verifone P400 ($420 CAD).  The majority of customers with Ingenico devices currently rent their Ingenico devices, so the Ingenico device can be returned to Sola (formerly Cardknox) after receiving the replacement device.  If you'd like to continue renting your replacement Verifone P400 payment terminal hardware, we have arranged for you to continue your rental at the same price you are paying now.
   2. PAX brand - we understand that PAX branded devices will work with First Data Canada.  We will work with our first customer with PAX devices to make the change and confirm this and update this article at that time.
3. Route New Transactions through First Data Canada:  Once your First Data Canada processing account has been setup, Aluvii support will assist in swapping out the processing keys to route new transactions through First Data Canada instead of Elavon.  It is recommended that the Elavon account remain active in parallel to the First Data Canada account for a month or two to process any refunds.  At that point, the Elavon account can be closed.  

Elavon (semi-integrated - Canadian Customers Onboarded before March 1, 2025)

This article explains in moderate depth how card-present charge card payments are taken through Aluvii for Canadian customers and some of the issues that can arise.  

When a cashier takes a charge card payment against a shopping cart, this is the background process that occurs:

1. Cashier adds individual sellable items to the shopping cart in the register.
2. Cashier clicks collect in the register, which launches the payment screen.
3. Cashier clicks credit-sale on the payment screen.
4. Aluvii pushes information about the order (OrderId, Amount Due, etc.) to Cardknox BBPOS (aka the payment gateway).
5. Cardknox pushes information about the shopping cart to the EMV payment pin pad device (Verifone, Pax, Ingenico branded device).
6. Customer inserts card into EMV payment device.
7. The EMV payment device sends information such as amount due and card information to Elavon (aka the processor).
8. Elavon processes the card.
9. Elavon reports back to the EMV payment device that the transaction is approved (or declined) as well as information about the approval (auth number, etc.).
10. The EMV payment device displays approval messages and prints receipts as necessary. 
11. The EMV payment device reports payment information back to Cardknox BBPOS.
12. Cardknox BBPOS reports the payment information to Aluvii and to the Cardknox online portal.
13. Aluvii records the payment information against the shopping cart information for reporting, receipts, refunds, etc.

Occasionally, there is a communication error in step 11.  The EMV payment device does not report the payment information back to Cardknox BBPOS.  This results in neither the Cardknox online portal nor Aluvii receiving the payment information; therefore, the Aluvii payment screen remains open awaiting a response from Cardknox BBPOS that is not forthcoming.  

The payment needs to be recorded manually in Aluvii by recording a custom tender created for this purpose.  Many name it "Elavon Stand-Alone Payment" or "Offline Tender."  

Cardknox is currently in the process of a direct integration with _______.  When that is complete, numbers XYZ above will be eliminated from the process which will eliminate the reliance on the payment device to communicate information to Cardknox BBPOS.