An explanation of our secure online ordering system.

About Protx

Sage Pay is the union of Protx, the fastest growing payment service provider (PSP)
and Sage, one of the UK's most trusted business brands. We offer our 25,000+ customers
a secure payment service for the 4 billion transactions that we undertake on their behalf
each year.

The philosophy that has driven us since our launch in 2001 is still at the heart
of our business - to give our customers more than they pay for, and to make it really easy
for them to do business. We make the process of accepting payments simpler, faster and
safer for our customers, and consistently give them more for their money - more products
and services and greater safety and security.

We take the time to listen our customers and quickly respond. Whether your need for online payment is simple

or a completely tailored solution, we believe in delivering an extraordinary customer experience.

Shoppers

• How do I know if my payment has gone through?

When you pay for your order you will be sent to either a successful payment page or a failed payment page on the merchant website. You may also receive a confirmation email from the Sage Pay system which confirms the status of your transaction.

If you are in doubt about the status of your order, please contact the company you ordered from with all the relevant details and they will be able to advise you of your order status.

• I received an error code, what do I do?

If you receive an error code during the transaction process, please email this code to support@sagepay.com and we will advise you on how to proceed.

• My credit card has been rejected by your system as it is the wrong length / the issue number is incorrect?

The Sage Pay system will detect and reject any card number which is incorrectly formatted. If you believe that our system should accept the details you are entering, please email the first 6 digits of your card number to support@sagepay.com and we will advise you further.

• How do I know my details are secure?

Sage Pay is audited by an independent auditor on a regular basis to ensure that we comply with the latest security standards set out by Visa and MasterCard. If you have processed your order online using the payment pages hosted by Sage Pay, please locate and click on the padlock image which can be found on our payment pages to confirm that your details are collected in a secure environment.

The padlock is located in a different area of the payment page screen depending on the internet browser you are using - it can normally be found in the bottom right hand corner of the screen, at the top of the screen next to (or inside) the address bar or at the very top right hand corner of the screen. This padlock shows that your details are collected using 128 bit SSL technology.

Once you have entered your card details, Sage Pay will securely send these details to the bank to be authorised. This is a completely secure process and we ensure that your details cannot be accessed by a third party.

For more information on the security standards employed by Sage Pay, please visit our security overview section.

• Where can I find the Padlock on the Payment Page?

If you are using a MAC Browser then the padlock will be situated in the top right of your browser.

If the company that you are trying to purchase the goods from are using a html frameset, then you will need to click on the padlock around the top middle of the payment page. This will then allow you to bring the payment page out of its frameset and therefore your browser will be able to detect that the page is secure and thus display the padlock in your browser.

If you have anymore questions on this, please contact the company that you are trying to purchase the goods from.

• I have placed an order through your payment system but I have not received the goods/services which I paid for?

Sage Pay is a Payment Service Provider. We process payments on behalf of our customers and make sure that your transaction details are kept secure throughout the transaction process.

We do not hold any order or delivery details and we cannot process any refunds or cancel any orders on behalf of the merchants who use our service.

If you have a query regarding your order, please first contact the company you ordered from.

You should find the company's contact details on the company's website, the customer receipt, or on the Sage Pay transaction confirmation email if one has been sent.

Industry standards

As a payment service provider (PSP), thousands of businesses outsource their transaction security to us. It is our top priority to ensure that your customers' transaction data is kept secure at all times.

System security

Sage Pay's systems are scanned quarterly by Trustwave which are an independent Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) and an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV) for the payment card brands.

Sage pay is also audited annually under the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) and is a fully approved Level 1 payment services provider, which is the highest level of compliance. We are also active members of the PCI Security Standards Council (SSC) that defines card industry global regulation.

Transaction security

All transaction information passed between merchant sites and Sage Pay's systems is encrypted using 128-bit SSL certificates. No cardholder information is ever passed unencrypted and any messages sent to your servers from Sage Pay are signed using MD5 hashing to prevent tampering. You can be completely assured that nothing you pass to Sage Pay's servers can be examined, used or modified by any third parties attempting to gain access to sensitive information.

Encryption and data storage

Once on our systems, all sensitive data is secured using the same internationally recognised 256-bit encryption standards used by, among others, the US Government. The encryption keys are held on state-of-the-art, tamper proof systems in the same family as those used to secure VeriSign's Global Root certificate, making them all but impossible to extract. The data we hold is extremely secure and we are regularly audited by the banks and banking authorities to ensure it remains so.

Links to banks

Sage Pay has multiple private links into the banking network that are completely separate from the Internet and which do not cross any publicly accessible networks. Any cardholder information sent to the banks and any authorisation message coming back is secure and cannot be tampered with.

Internal Security

Entry to Sage Pay is controlled by Iris Scanners, which are the latest and most precise biometric security devices available for identification. As used by chemical plants, airports, police stations, prisons and other facilities where security is paramount. In addition, no one can enter or leave the building without a valid security pass.

Disaster recovery

Sage Pay operates on twin data centres to ensure optimal system security and up-time and has a full disaster recovery and business continuation policy.