Guideline for Establishing Merchant Accounts

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to provide guidance on establishing merchant accounts for accepting payment cards (credit and debit cards).

Scope

This guideline applies to all UNC Charlotte employees, affiliates and authorized users who will interact with payment card data, functions or systems as part of their job duties.

Contacts

Direct general questions about this guideline to the Office of the Bursar – Merchant Services at ecommerce@charlotte.edu.

Guidelines

To accept card payments, campus units (academic, administrative, organizations, affiliates and employees) must establish a merchant account through the North Carolina Office of the State Controller (NC OSC) via the Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs’ (VCBA) designee (Office of the Bursar – Merchant Services).

1. Consultation: Departments considering accepting card payments should first consult their division or college/administrative Business Officer.
2. Initial Interest Form: Complete the Initial Interest Form to determine if opening a new merchant account is appropriate.
3. Application: If opening a new merchant account is deemed feasible, complete the EC-Application to Process Payment Cards (EC-APP) located at path, S:\Campus Merchants\eCommerce Forms\EC-APP – Application to Process Payment Cards form, and submit it to ecommerce@charlotte.edu. The EC-APP must include:
   • The business need for accepting payment card transactions
   • Anticipated transaction volume
   • The proposed method for accepting card payments (e.g., online, in-person)
   • Signatures from the person responsible for managing the account, the Department Head and the division or college/administrative Business Officer
4. Review: The Office of the Bursar – Merchant Services will review submitted requests and consult with OneIT as needed. The review will assess feasibility, functionality, compliance and impact on business operations.
5. Approval: Upon approval, the Office of the Bursar – Merchant Services will work with the campus unit to determine the appropriate merchant account type, based on the intended card acceptance method:
   • Online (Card Not Present – CNP)
   • In-person (Card Present – CP)

If a separate merchant account is necessary, the Office of the Bursar – Merchant Services will establish it and submit orders for any necessary Point of Sale (POS) terminal equipment to be utilized through NC OSC.

Third party contracts associated with the request must comply with the Guideline for Contracting with Integrated Third Party Service Providers or the Guideline for Outsourced Payment Processing as applicable.

Related Resources

• Standard for Accepting Electronic Payments
• Guideline for Contracting with Integrated Third Party Service Providers
• Guideline for Outsourced Payment Processing

Revision History

• Initially approved by the AVC for Finance on November 25, 2024