Credit Card Double Charges using Worldpay Merchant Services

Modified on Mon, Aug 19, 2019 at 11:43 AM

When you process a credit card using Worldpay’s Heritage platform, you may get a response saying the charge was declined when in fact the charge may have actually gone through.  This happens randomly and rarely.   Worldpay has not been able to determine why this happens so they have not been able to resolve this problem.


How do I know if I’m on Worldpay’s Heritage Platform?   

If Worldpay is your merchant and you are swiping credit cards with a magnetic swipe and not a chip reader, then you are on Worldpay’s Heritage system.


Why does this happen?  

When a credit card is swiped, SalonTouch is waiting to receive a code from Worldpay.  This code will either tell SalonTouch the charge was approved or declined.  If Worldpay does not send back an approval code within 30 seconds or less, then Worldpay will send back a declined code.  


This may not seem like a logical process but due to regulations preventing fraud, the transaction must timeout after a given time and Worldpay has determined that it is safer to return a declined response instead of an approved which may not be true.


What should I do if I get a Declined message?  

If you get a declined message immediately or within a few seconds (approximately) after swiping the credit card, then most likely the card was actually declined.  On the other hand, if you get the declined message after 30 seconds (approximately), then most likely the card was approved despite getting the declined messaged.


In the latter case, you probably should not attempt to swipe the card again if you got a declined message after 30 seconds.  If you do swipe the card again, most likely you are charging your customer again resulting in double charge.  Every time you swipe the card in this scenario, your customer is most likely being charged.


How do I know if the charge went through?

You can see if the card transaction went through at https://www.accessmyiq.com site.  You will need your login credentials to access this site.  You can also contact Worldpay and they should be able to tell if the charge went through.  They can be contacted at 800-859-5965.


What can I do so I no longer have this issue?

The best way to help protect against double charging is to move to a chip reader.  The chip reader has safeguards in place that will keep duplicate transactions from being processed.  However, if you are ever concerned if a charge went through or if you feel you may have double charged a customer, please visit your Worldpay merchant portal at https://www.accessmyiq.com or contact Worldpay at 800-859-5965.


Can I use the chip readers if I‘m using SalonTouch Evolution?

The short answer is NO!  You will need to upgrade to SalonTouch 10.  Please contact our sales department at 877-725-6686 option 2 or email at [email protected].


Do I have to pay for the chip reader even though this is a Worldpay issue?

The short answer is YES!  Unfortunately, neither SalonTouch or our two Merchant Processors have control over chip reader pricing so they are unable to offer these devices free of charge.  These are provided by third party companies.  We, SalonTouch, did manage for our clients to get a discount to help with the switch. 


Does SalonTouch work with other Merchant Processors?

Yes.  SalonTouch currently works with two merchant processors that offer chip readers.  Bluefin and Worldpay/Vantiv. 

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