Frequently asked questions

ConnectPay is Adelante's card payment gateway. It includes the ability to process card payments in a variety of different ways and records all transaction data within a single online portal. 

Customers can process card payments online, in their call centre, with a card machine, via a virtual terminal, by sending a payment link and within a smartphone app. There are also utilities that allow merchants to manage automated bulk payments, such as recurring card payments and electronic bill presentment and payment, and 24/7 automated telephone payments. 

Yes, as long as your merchant account can support this.

Yes, a personalised receipt can be emailed to your customer immediately after the transaction has been authorised.

There is a one off set up fee to create an account. Once your account is set up there will be a transaction charge for every payment processed. This charge depends on the volume of transactions processed. For a quote, please call us on 01628 820 500.

Once your merchant account is set up, the ConnectPay account can be opened within a few days.

Funds are typically paid into your business bank account within 3 working days after the transaction is processed. 

No, ConnectPay has unlimited users available. Please speak to us about user packages.

ConnectPay users are assigned user permissions, and authorised users can refund transactions. As a security measure, it is only possible to refund a transaction to the original card account and up to the value of the original transaction. All actions taken by ConnectPay users are logged.

Yes, within the ConnectPay portal you can access your transaction history and generate transaction reports.

Yes. It is possible to export transaction data and post this into third party systems. There is also a transaction request API that allows you to query the system at regular intervals (e.g. every 5 minutes) and import recent transactions into your back-office systems automatically.

Yes, to use ConnectPay you will need a merchant account with our internal gateway and acquirer ClearAccept.

Yes, you can select from our standard daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly options, or set up a custom frequency between daily and yearly.

Yes, you can choose the time of day payments are taken. Most clients opt for somewhere between 3:00am and 6:00am.

The recurring payment system will run 365 days a year, unless you configure it differently. This allows you to exclude weekends and/or bank holidays if you wish.

Yes, as with direct debits and standing orders you will need a CPA (Continuous Payment Authority) with your customer showing that they authorise these payments – we can provide you with a sample template that can be used to obtain the authority.

Yes, as long as each plan has a different reference.

There are several options – the system can be set to retry the next day automatically, send an email to the customer with a link requesting they click and pay with a different card, or you can just leave the missed payment which will automatically be added to the balance and therefore extend the end date of the plan.

The system will automatically email the customer with a link requesting they input their new card details to update their plan. 

Yes, the system can automatically email the customer with a receipt. It can also be set up to email the customer prior to each payment to remind them it’s due.

Yes, you will need a separate merchant account. Adelante can arrange this for you through our internal acquirer, ClearAccept.

You can process refunds within your ConnectPay portal. Only authorised users can process refunds.

We can provide you with a top of the range portable Ingenico Move/5000 card machine. 

The Move/5000 is a standalone card machine with Bluetooth, WiFi and GPRS connectivity options. You can choose your connectivity option when ordering your card machine.

Our card machinescan be used in integrated mode with our Go2Pay App. When used in this mode you will be able to view your card machine transactions in ConnectPay.

Standalone transactions can be viewed in the ClearAccept portal.

Our minimum rental period is 6 months. We also offer 12, 24 and 36 month hire periods to suit your needs.

A merchant account allows you to process credit and debit cards. You must have one to be able to take card payments. A merchant account connects your card payment methods to your business account. 

As part of ClearCourse we have our own internal gateway and acquirer, ClearAccept. Contact us and we will ask you some questions about your business, and then prepare a price quote for you. If you are happy, we will send you a digital application form to create an account. 

There will be a transaction charge for every payment processed. This charge depends on the volume of transactions processed. For a quote, please call us on 01628 820 500.

Once we have received your signed application form, it usually takes between 7 to 10 working days to gain approval on the account.

Yes, you will need a business bank account to set up a merchant account.

You can cancel your merchant account at any time, giving 30 days’ notice.

SmartPay is a browser-based, end-to-end income management and cash receipting system. It is used to process payments and record income from multiple sources.

SmartPay is used by a wide range of public-sector and education organisations that need to manage income efficiently and securely. This includes local authorities, councils, universities, colleges, housing associations, and other organisations that handle high volumes of payments across multiple service areas. Its flexibility and modular design make it suitable for teams of all sizes, from small finance departments to large, multi-service organisations.

SmartPay supports a wide range of payment methods. It can process credit and debit card payments and record cash, cheque, and postal order transactions for complete income visibility. SmartPay can also receive automated income feeds from third-party systems such as PayPoint, AllPay, BACs, and others, allowing you to consolidate payments from multiple channels into a single, unified platform.

Yes, ConnectIncome supports VAT and can be configured to apply specific rates to different payment types.

Yes, SmartPay has an optional bank reconciliation module, which compares your bank transactions with SmartPay system records for fast, accurate reconciliation.

Yes. SmartPay can generate fully branded receipts featuring your organisation’s colours and logo. You can configure different receipt templates based on:

Payment channel: such as online, in-person, or IVR

Payment type: for example, Council Tax, Refuse Collection, or any other service area

There is no limit to the number of receipt variations you can create, giving you complete flexibility to tailor receipts to each service or payment workflow.

Yes. SmartPay can be configured during installation to validate customers’ account or reference numbers according to your organisation’s rules. This ensures that incorrect or incomplete details are flagged before a payment is processed, helping reduce errors and improve overall data accuracy.

Yes. SmartPay’s card processing is delivered as a fully managed service from Adelante’s PCI DSS Level 1–accredited environment, the highest level of certification.

When SmartPay is used as advised, no card data passes through your organisation’s network. This significantly reduces your PCI scope, helping you minimise compliance effort, reduce cost, and streamline your accreditation process.

No card details are stored by SmartPay, and no card data has to flow through your network.

TonePay is Adelante's automated telephone payment system (ATP). It provides a secure platform for your customers to pay for goods or services over the phone using their credit or debit card without any operator intervention. This service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Yes, you will need to have a merchant account with an acquiring bank.

Simply contact us for more information.

Adelante will provide you with a dedicated '03' local-rate telephone number. Customers can call the number 24 hours per day 7 days per week, and will be directed to a series of recorded messages created specifically to meet your requirements. These messages guide the user through the process of making a payment including validating account numbers and reading out outstanding balances if required. 

Once this process is complete the IVR system sends an encrypted payment request to your bank and authorises the payment. Typically, the bank pays you for any cards processed about 4 days later. Our IVR system only handles the transaction authorisation and not the money. 

TonePay can support a wide range of payment scenarios and is especially valuable for organisations looking to reduce pressure on their contact centres. By allowing customers to make secure, self-service payments at any time, it helps cut down routine call volumes and frees staff to focus on more complex enquiries.

Because TonePay captures card details through an ATP system, it also keeps these interactions out of scope for PCI DSS, helping your organisation maintain compliance while improving efficiency.

Yes, this can be set-up during the IVR installation and implementation if required.

TonePay is hosted in a secure PCIDSS compliant data centre.

No card details are stored on the IVR server.

Yes. Adelante is a PCI DSS Level 1 Service Provider - the highest level of accreditation. Payments taken through TonePay are processed within our certified environment, meaning that these transactions are out of scope for your organisation’s own PCI DSS requirements, helping you reduce compliance effort and risk.