Live Merchant Account for testing?

Question

Sorry if this is not a programming question, but I'm not really sure where to ask this. I will need to test an application using a live merchant account (specifically for refunds), but I don't want to sign up and pay for an actual merchant account because I will only use it for testing. Is there another solution for this? Or is there a prepaid/not long term/cheap way to get a merchant account? Thanks!

Answer 1

I know that when I was developing a site to use Authorize.net several years ago, I was able to request a developer account for free and use it long before we officially signed up with Authorize.net. You need to keep in mind, however, that different merchant solutions will have different means of communication with their service, so if you test with Merchant A, you might have to make huge changes to be able to use the final merchant solution you settle with.

Good luck!

Answer 2

I also heard about such things as developer merchant accounts. But, again, the fees, terms & and conditions always depend on a provider you choose. Make sure the company / financial institution does not require paying any hidden fees or obscene cancellation fees before you set up your developer account.