eMarket Guidelines

Cardholder

Customer to whom a card is issued or an individual authorized to use the card.

Cardholder Data

Any personally identifiable data associated with the cardholder. This could be an account number, expiration date, Card Validation Code (CVC), Card Verification Value (CVV), or Card Identification Number (CID).

Transact

A software application used by Western Washington University for recording transactions related to cash, checks, ACH, or payment cards.

Transact eMarket

Transact eMarket includes Storefront and Checkout solutions that can be used independently or together, allowing various campus-wide departments to accept and authorize payments seamlessly. The individual department defines types of payments and can include one-time payments for events on campus and conference registration fees.

Chargebacks

The deduction of a disputed sale previously credited to a university unit’s account when the unit fails to prove that the customer authorized the credit card transaction.

Payment Cards

Credit cards or debit cards issued by a financial institution. Contact the emarket@wwu.edu for acceptable payment cards.

Payment Card Industry

Payment Card Industry (PCI) is a council formed by the credit card industry (VISA, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express) to establish Data Security Standards (DSS) for the industry.

Point-of-sale Terminal

A point-of-sale (POS) terminal is an electronic terminal and printer where the university unit swipes a credit card to obtain authorization for the transaction. A receipt is printed, which the customer signs.

University Unit

A department, service center, student organization, or other university entity that accepts payments to conduct business.

These guidelines aim to establish procedures for accepting online payments, including credit cards, at Western Washington University that will minimize risk and provide the greatest value, security, and service to each university department within the rules, regulations, and guidelines established by the Payment Card Industry (PCI).

All university departments that accept online credit card payments on behalf of Western Washington University are affected. This includes employees, temporary employees, and other workers in the university departments. These guidelines also apply to external applications linked to Western Washington websites that accept payment cards.

Any university department that conducts business on behalf of Western Washington University through payment card transactions and any university department responsible for developing and/or maintaining the infrastructure surrounding accepting credit card payments (i.e. website, software programs, etc.)

Becky Kellow
360-650-3720
Becky.Kellow@wwu.edu

Credit cards may be accepted by university departments for various purposes, including the sale of goods or services and the donation of gifts. Treasury Services may immediately remove any university department’s ability to accept credit cards if that unit’s actions violate any part of this Policy or puts the university at risk. Please contact Treasury Services if you have any questions regarding permitted transaction types.

• Acceptable Credit Cards
  Western Washington University accepts VISA, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. Western Washington University has negotiated contracts for processing credit card transactions. Individual university departments must not attempt to negotiate individual contracts with these or other payment card companies.
   
• Prohibited Credit Card Activities
  Western Washington University prohibits certain credit card activities for departments that include, but are not limited to:
  • Accepting credit cards for tuition and fees.
  • Accepting credit cards for cash advances.
  • Discounting a good or service based on the method of payment.
  • Using a paper imprinting system.
  • Storing in anyway credit card information in paper files, on network drives, or hard drives on university computers.
• Credit Card Fees
  Each credit card transaction will have a merchant fee charged by the credit card company. Each university department processing credit card transactions will be charged for all credit card fees associated with transactions originating from their department.
   
• Credit Card Refunds
  When a good or service is purchased using a credit card, and a refund is necessary, the refund must be credited back to the account that was originally charged. Western Washington University prohibits refunds in excess of the original sale amount. Western Washington University also prohibits cash refunds. If a refund needs to be processed, please complete and submit the General Refund Voucher form.
   
• Chargebacks for Credit Card Transactions
  Occasionally, a customer will dispute a credit card transaction, ultimately leading to a chargeback. If not resolved, the transaction will be charged back against the university department’s general ledger account.
   
• Maintaining Security
  • Every university department accepting credit card payments on behalf of Western Washington University is subject to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS).
  • Western Washington University does not allow credit card and checking account data transmission via fax, e-mail, unsealed envelopes through campus mail, or wireless networks, as these are not secure.
  • Western Washington University requires that all external service providers be PCI compliant.
  • Access to cardholder data and checking account information is restricted to those with a business need to know.
  • For electronic media, cardholder data should not be stored in its entirety on servers, local hard drives, or external (removable) media, including CDs and thumb drives (also called flash drives).
  • For paper media (e.g., paper receipts and forms), records can only show the last four digits of the card number.

Western Washington University requires the proper procedures to be followed to grant the creation and use of an eMarket site. Western Washington University signatures are required for approval before creating an eMarket site. Please allow at least three (3) weeks to implement an eMarket site.

• Obtaining Approval for an eMarket
  Western Washington University requires all university units interested in using an eMarket site to obtain the proper approvals. An eMarket Request eSign Form needs to be completed before initiating a request. Please note that this form is for information purposes only to determine the necessity of creating your eMarket request. The eMarket Administrator has final approval to create or publish an eMarket. The form requires the following information:
  • Department information, including contact information.
  • Questions answered regarding the need for an eMarket and the type of transactions you will be processing.
  • Approval Routing
  • Person requesting the eMarket Checkout
  • Financial Manager/Budget Authority
  • Manager Treasury Services
  • eMarket Administrator
• Final Approval
  The following approval is needed before the final implementation of an eMarket Checkout:
  • eMarket Administrator
• eMarket Checklist Form
  The eMarket Checklist form is used by the eMarket Administrators to track progress throughout creating a new eMarket. The eMarket Administrators are required to update this form as each task is completed. A copy of the form should be filed with all documentation regarding the creation and implementation of an eMarket site.