NMI payment gateway: features and sign-up information
For clients of WooCommerce, PrestaShop, Foxy Cart, and Ecwid – among many others, NMI (Network Merchants Inc) has become a premier payment gateway provider.
NMI is an especially popular choice for high-risk businesses like online smoke shops that sell bongs, pipes, or glassware – in addition to vape sites, web-based FFL to FFL transactions, Internet-based tactical businesses, cigar websites, and online CBD stores.
Beyond regulated items, NMI is a well-liked solution for many businesses that already have a merchant account and simply need a “payment gateway only” or those retail stores whose point of sale systems require NMI in order to connect chip readers or pin pads.
NMI offers payment gateway options other providers do not
NMI has some unique patented features like its multi-merchant account balancing function which allows access to more than one merchant account under one login. As a widely compatible, full-featured payment gateway, NMI performs well for our high-risk merchants.
The payment processing options through NMI include recurring billing, the ability to manage multiple accounts using the proprietary ATRI multi-merchant account balancing system mentioned above, credit card number and expiration date automatic updaters, as well as a PCI compliant customer vault storage infrastructure that allows you to streamline your checkout process for return customers by safely storing their data on NMI’s servers.
These features make NMI the “go-to” payment gateway for FFL dealers, CBD sites, electronic cigarette /e-vapor merchants, tactical sites, pipe, and glassware websites, online cigars, and sophisticated, multi-site e-commerce merchants.
NMI not only integrates with popular carts, such as WooCommerce, but it also works well with dozens of other website builders and shopping carts.
If you would like to learn more about high-risk credit card processing for your product and website, you can look up your shopping cart and research payment options for your high-risk product using our high-risk merchant resource guide or contact us for free one-on-one advice.
Note: NMI does not integrate with Shopify, if you need a high-risk payment gateway for Shopify, please read our guide to Shopify Payments alternatives for high-risk websites.
Ready to get started with the NMI payment gateway?
If you are ready to sign up for an NMI gateway only account, have questions, or would like a merchant account processing recommendation, please fill out the short form below for a fast reply. If you are looking for some more information on the NMI payment gateway, scroll down past the contact form to read more.
Fill out this short form, and we will send you our fast NMI payment gateway set-up info ASAP.
Signing up for NMI: 2 types of website owners
1. You already have a merchant account and only need the NMI gateway
If you already have a merchant account, we can set up an NMI payment gateway only account for you ASAP (usually the same day). Just use the form above, and we will email you the quick set-up procedure right away.
2. You need a merchant account too or are not sure what you need
If you are just getting started and need a credit card processor, our long-established merchant account contacts can provide a perfect credit card processing relationship with a new NMI payment gateway that we can integrate easily and quickly. These accounts are available fully integrated with credit card processing through our trusted partners and can be ready to accept all the key credit card types right out of the box.
If you are new to high-risk e-commerce, it can sound confusing at first, so please remember we are here to help. Use the contact form above or give us a quick call anytime and we will lay it all out in a simple, easy to understand way. We love start-ups and enjoy taking the time to help folks understand e-commerce.
NMI payment gateway: common high-risk product types
This guidance on high-risk products allowed on the NMI payment gateway platform is for general information only. Things change quickly in the world of high-risk payment gateways so please reach out to us with the exact details of your products and offers so we can better give specific advice.
Also, please consult an attorney before engaging in any sort of regulated e-commerce and read all your payment provider’s and site builder’s terms and conditions before signing up with any service.
Does NMI allow bongs, pipes, and grinders?
Yes. The NMI payment gateway allows legal smoke shop websites to accept credit cards using their payment gateway. Pipes, bongs, grinders, and other common smoke shop products should be fine as long as the back end merchant account is set up for your exact products and services.
Read more about smoke shop payment processing.
Does NMI allow CBD and hemp products?
Yes. NMI allows legal, Farm Bill compliant CBD and hemp sites to use their payment gateway – but again – only if the merchant processor it’s connected to is CBD friendly.
Read our CBD Payment Gateways 101 page to learn more about accepting credit cards for CBD online.
Does NMI allow cigars and loose tobacco?
Yes. But there are restrictions associated with the merchant account piece. Please read our Premium Cigar Payment Gateways 101 to learn more about how to sell cigars online, or contact us and we’ll put you in touch with a cigar merchant account expert that can go over all the details.
You can learn more about selling cigars with NMI here.
Does NMI allow vaporizers and e-juice?
Yes. NMI does allow online vaping and electronic cigarette payment gateways – if the payment processing is set up correctly. If you want to sell vape online there are a ton of rules so you MUST talk to an attorney first.
Please check out our dedicated vape payment gateway page for some general information on payment gateways and integrations.
Does NMI allow FFL-to-FFL dealers and tactical websites?
Yes. NMI allows legal, online FFL to FFL websites, tactical sites, and survival sites as long as the back-end processing is underwritten correctly. As with any regulated product, all business owners looking to sell tactical items online should seek the advice of a qualified attorney before they launch their business.
The top features of the NMI payment gateway
NMI’s ATRI or multi-merchant account balancing
ATRI stands for “advanced transaction routing interface” and is a proprietary feature only available through NMI resellers and partners. The NMI ATRI allows merchants to route sales through multiple accounts, using multiple processors, all through a single gateway login.
The NMI ATRI feature permits automated routing based on the product name, merchant account, risk category, sale amount, or even based on a percentage of gross sales amounts to assist merchants who need to add multiple merchant accounts because of volume cap limits with their primary processor.
ATRI is an option as some online, high-risk, or direct response (DR) merchants have multiple merchant accounts for various campaigns and want to manage them all through one login and route their transactions to the correct merchant account automatically. The NMI ATRI allows you to do this in a natural, manageable way.
High-risk merchants often need to process some products or campaigns through higher cost “high-risk” accounts, but run other products through lower-cost “low-risk” merchant accounts as a cost-saving measure. When using any multi-merchant account balancing interface, it is essential to make sure you do not violate any rules with the card brands, regulators, or your processor. It’s always a good idea to check in from time to time and keep your processor up to date with your current business practices.
We often see high-risk processors allow sales under a specific dollar amount through their merchant account. For example, they process sales with a $500 cap, but they don’t enable the purchase of higher cost packages through their merchant ID. In these cases, many merchants have found a second merchant account, often at a higher % rate to run these higher-risk sales.
Transaction routing and load balancing is best when done with your credit card processor’s blessings and should only be done with precise, accurate credit card descriptors. ATRI, when done correctly, allows processors only to take products they want and enables merchants to be cost-efficient while managing the routing of transactions automatically and seamlessly using NMI’s automatic transaction routing.
Payment gateway transaction routing may sound complicated, but it is as simple as typing the thresholds into the NMI gateway and selecting which transactions you want to go to which merchant account. Reach out to us anytime to learn more.
Get NMI’s ATRI load balancing features through a trusted NMI reseller
You cannot sign up for NMI directly; you must use a reseller. It is essential to get your gateway from an independent reseller, like us, if you want to manage multiple accounts from one gateway.
If you get your gateway from a processor, they likely will not be able to provide you access to the account balancing features as credit card processors do not usually allow competitor’s merchant accounts to be boarded on gateways they provide.
ATRI is a feature that needs to be “turned on,” and resellers like us have the experience and ability to help merchants balance multiple credit card processors when appropriate. We are experienced, responsive, and have an A+ rating with the BBB. Let us know how we can help.
Manage multiple web properties in one place
NMI allows you to operate multiple e-commerce sites, products and merchant accounts through one streamlined gateway interface.
Do you want to manage multiple websites, utilizing more than one merchant account? Then using NMI as your gateway will allow you to use one username and password to access all your gateway activity and report on all your sales activity from one place all while routing transactions to the correct merchant accounts. Additionally, if you’re using WordPress, you can use plugins like Jigoshop for your many high-risk e-commerce sites, as it integrates really well with NMI.
ACH – Simplified online check acceptance
ACH stands for “automated clearing house”, a national financial network that allows the movement of money. For e-commerce merchants, ACH enables them to accept “e-checks.” This means online merchants can have their customers pay them online simply by having shoppers enter their checking account number and routing number instead of their credit card number, all through NMI’s single payment gateway.
With our one on one support, we offer a simple, streamlined way to add ACH based online check acceptance to your website all through the same interface that you use to accept credit cards. You can set up automated recurring ACH payments from your customers to simplify your monthly billings. ACH is often much less expensive than taking credit cards and may increase your site conversions too. Contact us to learn more!
NMI Customer Vault
NMI’s Customer Vault allows website owners to store their customers’ cardholder data such as credit card number, expiration date, billing address, and multiple shipping addresses in one, secure, PCI compliant environment.
Returning customers can save the hassle of having to re-enter their information on your site which results in happier customers for you.
You can also charge your repeat customers through the virtual terminal without the added liability of viewing sensitive personal and cardholder data.
NMI’s Account Updater, regardless of your processor
Using the NMI payment gateway allows you to access their account updater features regardless of your processor. NMI’s Account Updater automatically requests updates for credit cards stored in the secure NMI Vault.
Now, if a customer’s credit card expires – you won’t have to risk interrupting their service. Additionally, you won’t have to reach out to clients to update their credit card numbers when cards are replaced or expired.
NMI’s account updated does not require special integration with your processor. All that is needed is to sign up for the NMI Vault which allows for the PCI compliant storage of cardholder data.
NMI Recurring Billing
NMI’s recurring billing feature allows merchants like you to bill your clients on a regular recurring basis for as long as required. The system and processes are PCI compliant and always updated with the latest security advances helping protect your business and your customers.
Encrypted keypads, swipers, and chip readers specifically for NMI
We offer the ability to add fully secured and encrypted USB keypads, chip readers, swipers, and full-featured terminals to your NMI gateway. This allows you to securely enter cardholder data without the PCI hassles and liability of entering cards using your standard keyboard.
This is terrific for business to business companies who accept card data by phone or mail and need to enter it and for telephone order companies looking for added security. Keypads can also enhance full-featured software and payment management systems like the ADD Energy E3 software suite which is popular with fuel companies.
QuickClick
NMI’s Quick Click is a simplified checkout system (or “buy now”/”donate now” button). For some merchants, without complex offerings, it can allow them to avoid using 3rd party carts altogether. QuickClick buttons are added to your site using HTML that is generated by logging into your NMI account and using the QuickClick HTML generator.
NMI offers three types of “QuickClick” buttons.
Shopping Cart Button: This connects products so customers can add several products to the cart system. It also supports Recurring Billing.
Fixed Price Button: Does not connect to the ‘Shopping Cart’ system and will only process one item at a time.
Donation/Payment Button: This allows the customer to enter an amount and checkout.
NMI also offers virtual terminal-based products, EMV retail solutions, in addition to Omnichannel features that allow many merchants to manage their retail and e-commerce through one gateway and one merchant account. Contact us with any questions, or when you are ready to get started.
Six level NMI gateway support
Dedicated agent support. Every NMI payment gateway provided comes with the comfort that you will have a dedicated agent there to be your contact, liaison, and hand-holder whenever needed.
Direct 800# support. In addition to your reseller agent, you will have access to NMI’s skilled, highly trained, stable team of tech support agents via phone. You do not need to enter an account number to get through, only to tell the agent the same information again when they pick up the phone. There is no complicated phone tree, you just call, press 1 and you will be directly transferred to one of NMI’s internal gateway experts. You can always call us directly at 207-772-8737 with any questions as well, regardless of who your processor or reseller is – we are happy to help.
High-level email support. If you ever have a hypothetical question, a non-time-sensitive issue, or a truly high-level question you can group email NMI’s entire support team at one time. Someone on the team will get back to you right away with accurate, friendly information. We always recommend to our customers that they CC us so we can jump in and help whenever needed as well.
Developer integration support. NMI offers merchant-specific, high-level integration support for those merchants who want to get under the hood and customize their integration to perform complex data routing, multiple system integration, and specialized reporting.
Live NMI gateway status updates. NMI offers a live status page to help you quickly eliminate variables and assist you with any errors you may have. You can sign up for status alerts as well. This is like the “is it up” pages you may find elsewhere online, but includes broader and more specific updates on items, like telecommunications issues and specific platform interruptions. To view NMI’s real-time status and to sign up for alerts and updates you can visit NMI’s status page by clicking this link, http://status.transactiongateway.com.
Video tutorials with brief descriptions. NMI offers a vast array of features, setting, and attributes for you to take full advantage of. To help you get a good overview, we provide you with videos and short summaries of various features we think you’ll find useful to your high-risk business. These pages give you videos that explain each feature in full, with brief summaries allowing you to quickly identify which feature fits your business. These pages cover the general features, other features, as well as iProcess, SwIPe, and settings.
Accept credit cards with NMI ASAP
Whether you need a gateway and merchant account combo or a stand-alone NMI payment gateway, we can help. Complete the short form below to get started.