Program's Back End Question
 

Is there any way to determine which processers a sponsor is using if they are not using Ccbill or Epoch's affiliate system?

If a new sponsor is using the $150 version of nats, how do we know that they have decent billing behind the scenes? What if they're only using Verotel, a checking system, Mastercard-only or European dialler? These systems might work on their cultivated in-house traffic, but not for general affiliate traffic. Won't this affect conversions? Do we have a right to know?

I ask because I am noticing an awful lot of new programs popping up lately, many Canadian based. Since Visa USA is not available to Canadian webmasters, how are they all getting access to Ccbill & Epoch? ARE they getting access? Personally I have special circumstances which make it possible, but I don't see how so many others do.

Please rest assured that we are indeed using the reputable US processors that you mentioned. My partner and I have access to US billing, but I do sometimes wonder about some of the others, especially when their conversion ratios are "off".

If you would like specific details, please drop me an email and I'll be happy to share that information with you or any other valued affiliate.

terry |at| popularniches |dot| com

Being in Canada and not being able to get processing (other than a merchant account or setting up a company in Europe) is the MAIN reason I never went on my own with my paysites.

That and the fact NS Cash is very very good people. :)

EDIT: So yeah I guess I'd wonder how they can do it.

I have clients in Europe and Australia that each have a Corporation (one is a Delaware Corporation, the other a Florida Corporation) that is the US arm of their company that disburses the money to their Australian and European counterparts.

Its not a cheap setup -- I wouldn't be surprised to hear both spending a few thousands a year to maintain the paperwork and whatever required.

I also have two clients that have processing offshore which required substantial documentation and one had to hire an employee in Amsterdam(?) so that they could have a European presence. Again, not cheap, but, opened up doors for them as a US based company able to take particular European payment methods.

These days, its pretty easy to set up a foreign corporation and satisfy the requirements for the merchant and processing companies. Just a matter of how much you really want to do it. :)

Not that there aren't people doing things illegally to do the same, but, its not impossible to have a foreign corporation that passes muster with the credit card processing companies.

I'd check the actual billing pages off their sites for the answer. The join would pop to the actual biller page.

ummm.. y not just ask? |waves|

If they are using Nats or MPA just enter fake info into the join feilds, click join and it'll bring you to whatever biller they are using. It'll show you their primary biller, as for the cascade you'll need to get declined to figure that out.