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Getting Started with NMI

Updated: February 16, 2026

Getting Started with NMI

To get started with NMI, contact ryan@equippaymentsolutions.com to set up your affiliate login.

Onboarding a Merchant Account

Refer to this video walkthrough for the merchant onboarding process: Boarding a New Merchant Account

Note: Request a VAR sheet from the processor, Shift4 in most cases. You will need to create a case and request it.

Account Creation Process

Start by navigating to Add Merchant Account from the homepage or main menu. You'll need to choose from three account types:

  • Standard Account: Normal gateway with full services
  • Mobile-only Account: For iProcess only (allows one credit card processor)
  • Test Account: For testing purposes with standard services but no fees

Merchant Information Setup

Company Details:
  • External identifier is optional but useful for chains with multiple locations using the same company name (e.g., use location as the identifier)
  • Enter all standard address in
Company Contact:
  • This person becomes the primary user and receives the welcome email
  • The email address you enter here determines who can set up the account password and access the portal initially
  • This information appears on customer receipts if the merchant chooses
Billing Information:
  • Enter account number and routing number for monthly fee billing
  • For international merchants or special cases, you can use 123-123-123 for both fields
  • Set username for primary user (minimum 4 characters; system validates availability)

Processing Setup

Processing Types:

Select what the merchant will process: credit cards, checks, cash, or any combination.

Credit Card Configuration:

  1. Select the credit card processor platform (TeSys, First Data Omaha, etc.)
  2. Enter the Merchant ID (MID) from their tariff sheet
  3. Set the Merchant Category Code (MCC) by searching categories or entering the code directly
  4. Classify the account: e-commerce (default), retail, MOTO, or restaurant
Billing Types:
  • Standard: Default billing method
  • Multi-channel: Different rates for e-commerce vs. card-present transactions (e.g., $0.10 for e-commerce, $0.07 for card-present)
  • Card-present only: Restricts to card-present transactions only with potentially lower rates

Transaction Settings

Payment Types:

Select which card brands to accept (Visa, Mastercard, etc.). Default is all enabled.

Account Limitations (optional):

  • Max Monthly Volume: Set a cap on monthly processing (zero = unlimited)
  • Max Ticket Amount: Limit individual transaction size
  • These are hard limits that will block processing if exceeded
AVS/CVV Pre-check:
  • Void on decline (default): Runs full authorization, then voids if AVS/CVV rules fail
  • Separate pre-auth transaction: Runs $0 or $1 validation first to avoid running large amounts through the MID unnecessarily
Duplicate Velocity Controls:
  • Default: 20 minutes
  • Prevents accidental double charges when customers double-click submit buttons
  • Can enable merchant override option for special cases

Required Fields Configuration

Set which transaction fields are mandatory:

  • Common choices: address, zip code, CVV (card security code)
  • Available but less common: city, state, phone, email, social security number
  • Merchant-defined fields available for special use cases
  • Important: These are hard limitsā€”transactions will be blocked if required fields aren't provided

Services Activation

Choose which services to enable:

  • Active: Service is enabled immediately
  • Offered: Merchant can see and sign up for the service later
  • Disabled: Service is not available
Common services to consider offering:
  • Customer Vault
  • Automatic Card Updater
  • Invoicing

Some services include video tutorials and info cards for reference.

Fee Schedule Setup

Merchant Notifications:

  • Choose whether merchants can see their billing statement in the control panel
  • Set whether they receive email notifications when gateway fees are billed
Fee Options:
  • Select from pre-configured fee schedules, or
  • Create a custom fee schedule with custom pricing per service
Bill Me Feature:
For any service fee (setup, monthly, or per-transaction), you can check "bill me" to:
  • Cover that fee on behalf of the merchant
  • Hide the fee entirely from the merchant's view
  • Useful for promotional deals or bundled services

Ā Final Steps

  1. Review Summary: Check all entered information
  2. Edit if Needed: Use edit buttons to make any corrections
  3. Activation Option: Choose to activate pending services immediately or wait for merchant to agree to terms
  4. Create Merchant: Send the welcome email to the new user

Once created, the merchant receives a welcome email within seconds to set their password, agree to terms of service, and begin processing.Ā 

Helpful Reference Videos: