What are the supported integration methods for Canadian transaction processing?
The following Forte products support Canadian transaction authorizations:
Canadian merchants must be set up with a Canadian Processor. Contact Customer Service for more information.
Can I process both Canadian and US transactions with the same Merchant ID/Location ID?
Credit card transactions can be processed using the same Merchant ID/Location ID as long as the cards display a major card brand on them (e.g., VISA, MasterCard, Discover, etc.).
ACH transactions can NOT be processed using the same Merchant ID/Location ID. When we create your Forte merchant account, we assign you to an Originating Depository Financial Institution (ODFI). Currently, we do not offer any ODFIs that support cross-border transactions. For details on which ODFI would work best for your business, contact your Forte Sales representative or Forte Relationship Manager for details.
What information do I need to pass for Canadian ACH transactions?
Although it may not be required by all banks, Forte recommends sending the customer’s full address, state, and zip code data to ensure the transaction processes successfully.
How do I format Canadian Routing Numbers?
Canadian routing numbers can be entered directly with eight digits as it appears on the financial institution's Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) code or as nine digits created from MICR code. For example, if a bank's MICR code is BBBBB-AAA, then its routing number in Forte's system can be entered as BBBBBAAA (no spaces or dashes, only digits) or 0AAABBBBB (With zero inserted as the leading digit). The three-digit code (AAA in our example) represents the financial institution, while the five-digit code (BBBBB) identifies the branch. For a directory of Canadian financial institutions, click here, and for the directory of branches click here.
Can I use the REST API Applications object for Canadian Merchants?
When submitting applications for Canadian merchants, you must specify Canada as the country by passing owner.country=CA. If you do not do this, our system will default to a US address and will throw an error when attempting to recognize the street address, locality, region, and postal code of a Canadian address. NOTE: The owner_2, owner_3, and owner_4 objects are not required for Canadian merchants.