The card isn't here. The payment still is.
Phone orders, mailed-in forms, invoices, retainers on file. Card-not-present is how offices get paid, and it runs from a browser, not a terminal. We set it up on real merchant accounts with the keyed-rate guardrails configured from day one.
Get a free rate analysisHow we set this up
Card-not-present has a reputation for being expensive, and half of it is deserved: keyed transactions genuinely cost more, because the networks price the risk of a card nobody inspected. The other half is self-inflicted, from setups that skip address verification and invoice tools that bolt a convenience fee on top of bad rates.
Done right, the stack is simple. A virtual terminal keys phone orders with address verification so they qualify for the best keyed rates available. Invoices go out by email with a pay button and autopay for repeat clients. Recurring billing handles the contracts. All of it on the same negotiated account as the rest of your processing.
The centerpiece for our North-attached accounts is Payments Hub, the web portal below. SwipeSimple and ProCharge bring their own web-side tools when they're the better fit.
What we carry
Payments Hub
The merchant portalNorth's web portal: virtual terminal, invoicing with autopay, recurring billing, disputes and full account reporting behind one login.
- Key in phone orders with address verification
- Invoices with autopay for repeat clients
- Recurring billing schedules
- Disputes and full transaction history
Best for: Offices that bill by invoice and anyone on a North-attached account.
SwipeSimple dashboard
The lightweight web sideEvery SwipeSimple account includes a web dashboard with a virtual terminal, payment links and invoices by text or email.
- Virtual terminal from any browser
- Payment links, no invoice required
- Invoices by text or email
- Exportable reporting
Best for: Micro-merchants who want the web half without a bigger system.
ProCharge gateway
Web payments + QuickBooksElectronic Payments' gateway and desktop app: keyed orders at the office computer, posting to QuickBooks automatically.
- Desktop app for all-day keyed entry
- QuickBooks sync built in
- Recurring billing and card-on-file
- Real-time reporting
Best for: Offices that key orders all day and reconcile in QuickBooks.
Payments Hub: the portal behind the account
Virtual terminal, invoicing with autopay, recurring billing, disputes and every transaction on your North-attached account. We wrote up the whole thing: what it does, what the plan tiers cost and how we configure it.
Read the Payments Hub page →SwipeSimple
The web dashboard with virtual terminal and payment links is half the product. The full write-up, reader included, lives on its own page.
Read the SwipeSimple page →ProCharge
Gateway, desktop app and the QuickBooks sync that posts keyed orders to the ledger by itself. The full write-up lives on its own page.
Read the ProCharge page →Keyed will always cost more than tapped. The setup decides how much more.
Card-not-present rates are the most misconfigured thing we see on statements: no address verification, wrong transaction codes, invoices riding a convenience-fee patch. The networks publish exactly what a keyed transaction needs to qualify for its best rate; we configure for that on day one and the difference shows up on the first statement.
Fair questions
What is a virtual terminal?
A web page where you type in a card instead of tapping it: phone orders, mail orders, cards on file. It turns any computer into the payment desk, on your merchant account's rates.
Why do keyed transactions cost more?
Card networks price risk, and a card nobody physically inspected is riskier. That premium exists on every processor; the setup determines whether you pay the minimum version of it or the careless version.
Can customers pay an invoice online?
Yes. Invoices go out by email or text with a pay button, and autopay can be attached for repeat clients, retainers and monthly billing.
Is this the same as e-commerce?
Cousins. E-commerce is the customer typing their own card into your website; a virtual terminal is you keying it. Plenty of businesses run both on one account, and we set up the e-commerce side too.
Do I need Payments Hub or something else?
If your account runs through North, Payments Hub is the natural fit: the core portal comes with the account and paid tiers add features. SwipeSimple and ProCharge make more sense when their app side is already the right fit. We match it to how you bill.
Can my fee program apply to keyed payments?
Program rules for card-not-present differ from the counter, and some programs shouldn't apply there at all. We configure it correctly for your program and put it in writing.