Sign up for your iCharge account on the Free Trial Page.
The same sign-up process applies for all iCharge services.
You can select the services you need in the sign-up form.
This will determine your initial account settings, but you can always change your account settings yourself later.
All iCharge services are available to you under one account and you can turn them on and off as required at any time.

You will shortly receive an email with your account details, including login and initial password for PayManager, your merchant administration system. Login to PayManager and explore its functions.

Your account operates in Test Mode, allowing you to test out the services you need on your website or your mobile phone.
Under Test Mode, there is no bank connection, no money is involved and you can use dummy card numbers.
For web payments, you can start integrating your website to iCharge using any of the APIs available.
For mobile payments, you can try out any of the iCharge Mobile solutions on your own phone.

To conserve system resources, your free iCharge account is automatically suspended after 60 days unless it is activated for Live Mode.
You will be notified by email when your account is suspended.
When suspended, your account cannot be accessed, but all your details are still intact for a further 30 days.
If you are not yet ready and need more time, please contact us to extend your free trial, and we will be happy to unsuspend it.
If you do nothing, your account will be completely deleted after 30 days of suspension.

iCharge works with your own merchant account - your funds move directly into your merchant account without passing through us.
This means there is no time delay between the transaction and money received in your merchant account.
Any time delay between your merchant account and your bank account (Settlement Time) is your bank's responsibility, usually one or two days.

Applying for a merchant facility from a bank may take a few weeks.
This has the longest lead time of the whole process, so you should get your application(s) in as early as possible.
iCharge works with merchant accounts from the major Australian banks including ANZ, BankSA, BankWest, CBA, NAB, St George and Westpac.

If you already have a business account with a bank, that is a good place to start, but may not always be the best option in the end.
Merchant fees vary greatly from one bank to another, and different banks present different degrees of difficulty in getting a merchant facility.
So it is possible and you may find a better offer from a different bank.
It is advisable to apply to more than just one bank and compare their terms and fees.
Your merchant account and business account are quite separate and may be provided by the same or different banks.

Banks have specific conditions for providing online merchant accounts to businesses.
These vary from bank to bank and their policies also change over time.
To minimise delay and to maximise your chances of success, please contact us before contacting the bank.
We will be happy to prep you up with the latest information and answers for your application.

When your merchant application is approved, the bank will notify you of your Merchant ID, Terminal ID and some other numbers.
You are now ready to activate your iCharge account for live transactions.

Your iCharge account can be switched over to process live transactions once your merchant account details are registered on the system.
You can do this yourself in PayManager > SETUP > Activate Primary Merchant for Live Operation and following the steps there.
Alternatively, we can do it for you if you forward your merchant details to us.

Once your merchant details are registered on the system and you have paid the initial charges, you are ready to go live.
Just click the Live Mode switch in PayManager > ADMIN > Controls and you're in the money!