Mobile Commerce in the United Kingdom

Overview

Mobile Commerce in the United Kingdom is a payment method which allows processing payments by using mobile billing in the United Kingdom. Purchases can be processed by using Payment Page and Gate.

General information

Payment method type mobile commerce
Payment instruments mobile phone accounts
Countries and regions GB
Payment currencies GBP
Currency conversion
Purchases +
Payouts
Stored credentials payments
Full refunds
Partial refunds
Chargebacks
Notes
  • the following network operators are supported:
    • EE
    • O2
    • Three
    • Vodafone
  • in order to start processing payments by using Payment Page, the merchant must provide the ecommpay key account manager with a URL to the applicable terms and conditions of payment processing via the web service (the URL is displayed to customers on Payment Page)
  • when processing payments by using Gate, the merchant must grant access to the applicable terms and conditions of payment processing via the web service to the customer on the payment interface
Onboarding and access fee refer to your ecommpay key account manager

Interaction diagram

Payment processing by using the Mobile Commerce in the United Kingdom payment method requires merchant's web service, one of ecommpay interfaces, and the ecommpay payment platform as well as technical facilities of the provider.



Operations support

  Interfaces Amounts, GBP* Times**
Payment Page CMS Plug-ins Gate Dashboard minimum maximum basic threshold
Purchases + + 0.10 40.00 1 minute 24 hours

The maximum monthly payment amount by using one phone number for Vodafone is 100.00 GBP, for other operators—240.00 GBP.

** The basic and threshold times are defined as follows:

  • The basic time is the average estimated time between the moment a payment is initiated in the payment platform and the moment the initiator receives the callback with the payment result. The basic time evaluation is made on the assumption of normal operation of all technical facilities and communication channels and typical customer behaviour (if any input from customer is required). Use the basic time to estimate when reacting to the absence of payment result callbacks or when checking payment status.
  • The threshold time is the maximum possible time between the moment a payment is initiated in the payment platform and the moment the initiator receives the callback with the payment result. A payment is automatically declined if its waiting time exceeds the threshold time. If you need a customised threshold time limit, contact ecommpay technical support.

Processing scenarios

When purchases are performed, the funds are debited from the customer's mobile phone account.

Figure: Purchase by using Payment Page with a saved phone number



Figure: Purchase by using Payment Page with a unsaved phone number



Figure: Purchase by using Gate with a saved phone number



Figure: Purchase by using Gate with a unsaved phone number



The sections that follow provide detailed information about what you need to perform payments and how you can analyse the information on payments and operations.

Purchases by using Payment Page

General information

In the Mobile Commerce in the United Kingdom method, when processing a purchase by using Payment Page, the merchant web service should send a request with the required parameters and signature to the ecommpay URL and get the callback with the payment result from the payment platform. The Mobile Commerce in the United Kingdom payment method can be preselected when Payment Page is opened. For more information, see Preselecting payment methods. The full sequence and particularities of the purchase process are provided below.



Figure: Purchase by using Payment Page

  1. A customer initiates a purchase on the merchant's web service.
  2. The merchant web service sends to the specified ecommpay URL the purchase request for processing the purchase by using Payment Page.
  3. The payment platform receives the request for processing the purchase by using Payment Page.
  4. The payment platform performs the initial request processing that involves validation of the required parameters and signature.
  5. Requested Payment Page is generated into the ecommpay payment platform as specified in the project settings and the request parameters.
  6. Payment Page is displayed to the customer.
  7. The customer selects the Mobile Commerce in the United Kingdom method.
  8. The phone number input form is displayed to the customer.
  9. The customer enters the phone number.
  10. The payment platform receives the purchase request for payment processing from Payment Page.
  11. The payment platform performs the internal purchase request processing and sends it to the provider service.
  12. The purchase request is processed on the provider service side.
  13. If the customer performs the payment by not using a saved number, the provider sends the additional payment information callback to the payment platform.
  14. If the customer performs the payment by not using a saved number, the SMS with the payment confirmation code is sent to the customer from the provider side. The customer can indicate on Payment Page that they want the phone number to be saved on the provider side for 30 days. If the customer performs the payment by using a saved phone number, the SMS with the confirmation code is not sent to the customer.
  15. If the customer performs the payment by not using a saved number, the confirmation code input form is displayed to the customer on Payment Page and the choice to save the phone number is given to the customer. If the customer performs the payment by using a saved phone number, the input form is not displayed to the customer.
  16. If the customer performs the payment by not using a saved number, the customer enters the confirmation code on Payment Page and confirms the purchase. If the customer performs the payment by using a saved phone number, they are not required to enter the code. In some cases another SMS can be sent to the customer from the provider side, to which the customer must respond with an SMS to confirm the payment.
  17. The payment is processed on the provider side.
  18. The provider service sends the result notification to the payment platform.
  19. The payment platform sends a callback with the payment result to the web service.
  20. The payment platform sends the result to Payment Page.
  21. A page with the payment result information is displayed to the customer on Payment Page.

The sections that follow discuss the request format and the Payment Page parameters to use in the Mobile Commerce in the United Kingdom payment method and provide the information on the format of callbacks with payment results. For the general information on how to use the API, see Payment Page API Description.

Request format

When using the Mobile Commerce in the United Kingdom method, consider the following:

  1. You must provide values for the basic minimum of parameters. Listed below are the parameters that are mandatory for any payment method:
    • project_id—the project ID obtained from ecommpay
    • payment_id—payment ID unique within the project
    • payment_currency—payment currency code in ISO-4217 alpha-3 format
    • payment_amount—payment amount in minor units
  2. There is one more mandatory parameter—customer_id. In the customer_id parameter, you must specify the ID of the customer within your project.
  3. The currency of the payment can only be GBP.
  4. If you need to have the payment form displayed with the Mobile Commerce in the United Kingdom method selected, set the force_payment_method parameter to mobile.
  5. If necessary, you can also add any other additional parameters Payment Page supports.
  6. After you specify all of the parameters, you must sign the request. For more information, see Signature generation and verification.

Thus, a correct payment request in the Mobile Commerce in the United Kingdom method must include project, customer, and payment IDs, the currency code and the amount of a payment, as well as the signature as shown in the following example:

    { project_id: 12,
      payment_id: 'X03936', 
      payment_currency: 'GBP', 
      payment_amount: 1000, 
      customer_id: '123',
      signature: "kUi2x9dKHAVNU0FYldJrxRLCvhtT4DqtVUkDJrOcZzUCwX6R\/ekpZhkIQg=="
    }

For information about all parameters available in the Mobile Commerce in the United Kingdom method, see Parameters for opening payment form.

Callback format

The Mobile Commerce in the United Kingdom method uses the standard format for callbacks to deliver purchase results. For more information, see Callbacks.

The following is the example of a callback with information about a successful 10.00 GBP purchase by using the phone number 449898999998 made by the customer 32333 in the project 1777.

Figure: Example of data in a successful purchase callback

{
        "project_id": 1777,
        "payment": {
            "id": "EP6dcf-4b18",
            "type": "purchase",
            "status": "success",
            "date": "2020-03-10T12:59:56+0000",
            "method": "mobile",
            "sum": {
                "amount": 1000,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "description": ""
        },
        "account": {
            "number": "449898999998",
            "type": "DEFAULT_GB"
        },
        "customer": {
            "id": "32333"
        },
        "operation": {
            "id": 24,
            "type": "sale",
            "status": "success",
            "date": "2020-03-10T12:59:56+0000",
            "created_date": "2020-03-10T12:47:42+0000",
            "request_id": "6f2068abe4f3f0f68cf2569428a769adeafa1c4d-00000001",
            "sum_initial": {
                "amount": 1000,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "sum_converted": {
                "amount": 1000,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "code": "0",
            "message": "Success",
            "provider": {
                "id": 1977,
                "payment_id": "d8d620e8-c0bd-3fcc-84c1-f2fca0586b83",
                "auth_code": ""
            }
        },
        "signature": "tphzK3K+CmbbUIShVI7J59sMz2+z4fhzjO6xbaHI8l7kFw0/2O4iP3t1w=="
    }

The following is the example of a callback for a declined purchase.

Figure: Example of data in a declined purchase callback

{
        "project_id": 1777,
        "payment": {
            "id": "EP6dcf-4b18",
            "type": "purchase",
            "status": "decline",
            "date": "2020-03-10T12:89:56+0000",
            "method": "mobile",
            "sum": {
                "amount": 1000,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "description": ""
        },
        "account": {
            "number": "449898999978",
            "type": "DEFAULT_GB"
        },
        "customer": {
            "id": "32334"
        },
        "operation": {
            "id": 24,
            "type": "sale",
            "status": "success",
            "date": "2020-03-10T12:59:56+0000",
            "created_date": "2020-03-10T12:48:42+0000",
            "request_id": "6f2068abe4f3f0f68cf2569428a769adeafa1c4d-00000002",
            "sum_initial": {
                "amount": 1000,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "sum_converted": {
                "amount": 1000,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "code": "20000",
            "message": "General decline",
            "provider": {
                "id": 1977,
                "payment_id": "d8d620e8-c0bd-3fcc-84c1-f2fca0586b83",
                "auth_code": ""
            }
        },
        "signature": "tphzK3K+CmbbUIShVI7J59sMz2+z4fhzjO5ubaHI8l7kFw0/2O4iP3t1w=="
    }

Related topics

The following topics can be useful when implementing payment processing by using Payment Page:

Purchases by using Gate

General information

In the Mobile Commerce in the United Kingdom method, when processing a purchase by using Gate, the merchant web service is required to do the following:

  1. Send a request with all the required parameters and signature to the ecommpay URL.
  2. If payment processing requires additional data (payment confirmation code and information about saving the phone number), receive the additional payment information callback and send the request with the required data to continue the payment. For more details, see Submission of additional payment information.
  3. Get the callback with the payment result from the payment platform.

The following diagram provides the details of the payment processing procedure.



Figure: Purchase by using Gate

  1. A customer initiates a purchase through Mobile Commerce in the United Kingdom on the merchant's web service side.
  2. The web service sends the request for processing the purchase by using Gate to the specified ecommpay URL.
  3. The payment platform receives the request for processing the purchase from Gate.
  4. The payment platform performs the initial request processing that includes validation of the required parameters and signature.
  5. The payment platform sends the response with request receipt confirmation and validity check result to the web service. For more information, see Response format.
  6. The payment platform performs the internal payment request processing and redirects the request to the provider service.
  7. The purchase request is processed on the provider service side.
  8. If the customer performs the payment by not using a saved number, the provider sends the additional payment information callback to the payment platform.
  9. If the customer performs the payment by not using a saved number, the payment platform sends the additional payment information callback to the web service.
  10. If the customer performs the payment by not using a saved number, the SMS with the payment confirmation code is sent to the customer from the provider side. The customer can indicate on the web service side that they want the phone number to be saved on the provider side for 30 days. If the customer performs the payment by using a saved phone number, the SMS with the confirmation code is not sent to the customer.
  11. If the customer performs the payment by not using a saved number, the confirmation code input form is displayed to the customer on the web service side. The choice to save the phone number is given to the customer as well. If the customer performs the payment by using a saved phone number, the code input form is not displayed to the customer.
  12. If the customer performs the payment by not using a saved number, the customer enters the confirmation code on the web service side and confirms the purchase. If the customer performs the payment by using a saved phone number, they are not required to enter the code. In some cases, another SMS can be sent to the customer from the provider side to which the customer must respond with an SMS to confirm the payment.
  13. If the customer enters the confirmation code on the web service side, the web service sends the POST request containing the code and the information about saving the phone number to the payment platform.
  14. The payment platform performs further request processing that includes validation of the required parameters and signature.
  15. The purchase request is sent from the payment platform to the provider service.
  16. The payment is processed on the provider side.
  17. The provider service sends the payment result notification to the payment platform.
  18. The payment platform sends a callback to the web service.
  19. The customer receives the payment result from the web service.

The sections that follow discuss the request format and the Gate parameters to use in the Mobile Commerce in the United Kingdom payment method and provide the information on the format of callbacks with purchase results. For general information on how to use the API, see API Description.

Request format

When sending purchase requests in the Mobile Commerce in the United Kingdom method, consider the following:

  1. You perform purchases by sending the request to the /v2/payment/mobile/sale endpoint by using the POST HTTP method.
  2. The following objects and parameters must be specified in any request:
    • Object general—general request identification information:
      • project_id—the project ID obtained from ecommpay
      • payment_id—payment ID unique within the project
      • signature—signature generated after all of the required parameters are specified. For more information about signature generation, see Signature generation and verification.
    • Object payment—purchase information:
      • amount—purchase amount in minor units
      • currency—purchase currency code in the ISO-4217 alpha-3 format
    • Object customer—customer information:
      • id—customer identifier on the web service side
      • ip_address—customer IP address
    • Object account—customer account information:
      • number—customer phone number associated with the account to be debited, for example 449898999998
  3. The currency of payment can only be GBP.
  4. If necessary, you can also add any other additional parameters Gate supports.
  5. After you specify all of the parameters, you must sign the request. For more information, see Signature generation and verification.

Thus, a correct payment request in the Mobile Commerce in the United Kingdom method must include project and payment IDs, the currency code and the amount of a payment, customer and account information, as well as the signature as shown in the following example:

Figure: Example of a purchase request

{
  "general": {
    "project_id": 382,
    "payment_id": "e16d0d998485698c652f96f6b2ff8826",
    "signature": "3zjYFqRhDsaTLF7FVv4yu+Zie3x/...wG8JuRey87Q4Oyb3FzF+2uWs1Ka"
  },
  "customer": {
    "id": "123",
    "ip_address": "216.4.128.12"
  },
  "payment": {
    "amount": 1000,
    "currency": "GBP"
  },
  "account": {
    "number": "449898999998"
  }
}

Format of requests for additional payment information submission

In order to submit additional payment information, the web service needs to receive the appropriate callback from the payment platform, send a POST request with the required information to the /v2/payment/clarification endpoint and receive a 200 OK response from the platform.

The callback contains the clarification_fields object which contains the confirmation_data array with the following parameters:

  • code—payment confirmation code which the customer specifies on the web service side. The lifespan of the confirmation code is 180 seconds by default (starting when the code is created on the payment platform side). Refer to your ecommpay key account manager to alter the lifespan of the code.
  • need_save—information about saving the phone number on the provider side.

The following example of the callback fragment contains the information which is required to continue the payment.

{
 "clarification_fields": {
    "confirmation_data": [
      "code",
      "need_save"
     ]
   },
}

The web service needs to submit the requested additional payment information in a request to the /v2/payment/clarification endpoint by using the POST HTTP method. The request must contain the following objects and parameters:

  • general—object that contains general request identification information:
    • project_id—the project ID which is relevant to the payment
    • payment_id—payment ID which is relevant to the data being sent
    • signature—signature generated after all of the required parameters are specified. For more information about signature generation, see Signature generation and verification.
  • additional_data—object that contains additional payment information that payment platform requests:
    • confirmation_data—object that contains the payment confirmation code and information about saving the mobile phone number:
      • code—payment confirmation code, which the customer enters on the web service side,
      • need_save—information about saving the phone number on the provider side (if the customer saves the phone number, the value true must be specified, if not—the value false).

Thus, a correct request must include project and payment IDs, signature and additional payment information:

{
  "general": {
    "project_id": 11,
    "payment_id": "EPr-bf14",
    "signature": "v7KNMpfogAthg1ZZ5D/aZAeb0VMdeR+CqghwSm...=="
  },
  "additional_data": {
    "confirmation_data":{
        "code": "12345",
        "need_save": true
    },
  }
}

As the request with the confirmation code is sent, payment processing may continue as follows:

  • If the confirmation code is sent on time and is correct, the payment processing continues on the side of the payment platform and payment provider service, and after that a final callback is sent to the web service.
  • If the confirmation code is sent on time but is incorrect, a callback with the clarification_fields is resent from the payment platform to the web service. In this case you can stop the payment processing on the web service side or provide the customer with an opportunity to specify the correct confirmation code once more and you should send request with this confirmation code to the payment platform (also during the set lifespan of the code).

    The maximum amount of attempts to send the correct code to the payment platform is three by default and can be changed by referring to your ecommpay key account manager. If all the attempts have been used up and the correct code has not been sent, the specified phone number of the customer is blocked until the end of the current day (GMT).

  • If the confirmation code is sent after the code lifespan has been exhausted, if you receive the clarification_fields array once more, it is recommended to send a request for sending a new confirmation code to the customer and send a request with this new confirmation code to the payment platform. As part of processing a single payment such a request can be sent no more than once every two minutes and no more than five times in total.

The request for sending a new confirmation code to the customer is sent to the /v2/customer/action/resend endpoint, which belongs to the /v2/customer/action/{action_name} request group. The request must contain the following objects and parameters:

  • general—object that contains general request identification information:
    • project_id—the ID of the project to which the payment is related
    • payment_id—the payment ID unique within the project
    • signature—signature generated after all of the required parameters are specified (for more information, see Signature generation and verification)
  • customer—object that contains customer information:
    • ip_address—customer IP address

Thus, a correct request must include project and payment IDs, signature and customer IP address:

Figure: Example of a request to receive another confirmation code

{
  "general": {
    "project_id": 382,
    "payment_id": "e16d0d998485698c652f96f6b2ff8826",
    "signature": "3zjYFqRhDsaTLF7FVv4yu+Ziereqwr4343x/wG...FVg=="
  },
  "customer": {
    "ip_address": "85.140.0.68"
  }
}

After sending correct request for sending a new confirmation code to the customer, you should provide the customer with an opportunity to specify the new confirmation code and send a request with this new code to the payment platform.

Callback format

The Mobile Commerce in the United Kingdom method uses the standard format for callbacks to deliver purchase results. For more information, see Callbacks.

The following is the example of a callback with an information about a successful 10.00 GBP purchase by using the phone number 449898999998 made by the customer 32333 in the project 1777.

Figure: Example of data in a successful purchase callback

{
        "project_id": 1777,
        "payment": {
            "id": "EP6dcf-4b18",
            "type": "purchase",
            "status": "success",
            "date": "2020-03-10T12:59:56+0000",
            "method": "mobile",
            "sum": {
                "amount": 1000,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "description": ""
        },
        "account": {
            "number": "449898999998",
            "type": "DEFAULT_GB"
        },
        "customer": {
            "id": "32333"
        },
        "operation": {
            "id": 24,
            "type": "sale",
            "status": "success",
            "date": "2020-03-10T12:59:56+0000",
            "created_date": "2020-03-10T12:47:42+0000",
            "request_id": "6f2068abe4f3f0f68cf2569428a769adeafa1c4d-00000001",
            "sum_initial": {
                "amount": 1000,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "sum_converted": {
                "amount": 1000,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "code": "0",
            "message": "Success",
            "provider": {
                "id": 1977,
                "payment_id": "d8d620e8-c0bd-3fcc-84c1-f2fca0586b83",
                "auth_code": ""
            }
        },
        "signature": "tphzK3K+CmbbUIShVI7J59sMz2+z4fhzjO6xbaHI8l7kFw0/2O4iP3t1w=="
    }

The following is the example of a callback for a declined purchase.

Figure: Example of data in a declined purchase callback

{
        "project_id": 1777,
        "payment": {
            "id": "EP6dcf-4b18",
            "type": "purchase",
            "status": "decline",
            "date": "2020-03-10T12:89:56+0000",
            "method": "mobile",
            "sum": {
                "amount": 1000,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "description": ""
        },
        "account": {
            "number": "449898999978",
            "type": "DEFAULT_GB"
        },
        "customer": {
            "id": "32334"
        },
        "operation": {
            "id": 24,
            "type": "sale",
            "status": "success",
            "date": "2020-03-10T12:59:56+0000",
            "created_date": "2020-03-10T12:48:42+0000",
            "request_id": "6f2068abe4f3f0f68cf2569428a769adeafa1c4d-00000002",
            "sum_initial": {
                "amount": 1000,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "sum_converted": {
                "amount": 1000,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "code": "20000",
            "message": "General decline",
            "provider": {
                "id": 1977,
                "payment_id": "d8d620e8-c0bd-3fcc-84c1-f2fca0586b83",
                "auth_code": ""
            }
        },
        "signature": "tphzK3K+CmbbUIShVI7J59sMz2+z4fhzjO5ubaHI8l7kFw0/2O4iP3t1w=="
    }

Related topics

The following topics can be useful when implementing payment processing by using Gate:

Analysis of payments results

As with other payment methods ecommpay offers, when using the Mobile Commerce in the United Kingdom method, you have several options to analyse the information about payments and operations performed by using the method—alone or in conjunction with other methods.

You can load and analyse all the necessary information in Dashboard, for instance you can use the analytic panels on the Analytics tab to this end.

Also, you can export the information for further analysis by using third party analytical tools. The following options are available:

  • Dashboard allows you to download reports in CSV and XLS formats—by using the tools on the Payments tab. You can perform export as a one-time download to your local computer or have payment data regularly exported and delivered to email addresses you specify.
  • Data API allows you to have payment information exported in JSON format and delivered to a URL you specify. The payment information is exported by using the /operations/get queries.

If you have any further questions regarding payment data analysis, contact ecommpay technical support.