NOBLE now provides credit and debit card payment capability directly to users through the Evergreen patron account interface.
Credit card acceptance is available in the staff client – library staff will not be handling credit cards. Debit cards with credit card logos (Visa, MasterCard) will also be accepted.
Patrons log in to their Evergreen account and if they have overdue items or fines, select items to be paid. When the total selected to be paid reaches $1.01 they will see a “Pay Selected Charges” button. The screen will refesh to allow them to enter their credit card information. Evergreen will clear the paid items from the user’s account automatically when the credit card transaction is completed, almost immediately.
The card funds come to a single NOBLE account. NOBLE maintains a separate bank account to segregate the funds.
Quarterly, NOBLE will calculate each library’s credit card income less fees and either issue a check or retain a credit against future NOBLE expenses, as the library designates. Each library will get a listing of the transactions that have been paid in the past quarter. The calculation and distribution of funds will be sent a few weeks after the end of the quarter.
NOBLE uses a secure credit card processor, Stripe, which meets the highest levels of PCI compliance. Credit card information is passed through and not retained in Evergreen. There is a charge for credit card processing, 2.2% plus 30 cents per transaction, a preferred rate for non-profits. There will be a minimum to use card payment of $1.01. To maintain the highest level of security, library staff must not handle patrons’ credit cards, even in assisting users to pay their accounts.
Evergreen is not able to assess a convenience fee limited to credit card transactions.
A preliminary screencast demonstrating the process is now available.
The acceptance of credit cards has been a long-term objective, and we are happy to make the service available, with the hope that it will improve service, make payment easier and quicker for users and increase and expedite the income coming to our libraries.