Getting a Wild Apricot Payments/AffiniPay account (US clients)

Wild Apricot Payments is Wild Apricot's own payment processing system, powered by AffiniPay, a payment gateway that specializes in payment solutions for associations.

For instructions on applying for a Wild Apricot Payments account from Canada, click here.

Applying for a Wild Apricot Payments account

To begin accepting payments using Wild Apricot Payments, you need to apply for a Wild Apricot Payments account with AffiniPay.

To apply for a Wild Apricot Payments account, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Payment settings screen by clicking Finances under the Settings menu then clicking Payment settings.
2. From the Payment settings screen, click the Fill in application button.
   If you're not seeing this button, but you do see a Switch now button at the top of the Payment settings screen, click the Switch now button then click the Fill in application form button.  
3. On the screen that appears, complete the application form. You'll need to provide your contact information and organization details. US applicants will also need to provide their organization's federal tax ID and bank account details, and the Social Insurance Number and driver's license of their organization's authorized signer or beneficial owner. (Arizona residents should enter any upcoming year for their license expiry year.) US applicants will also have to indicate what percentage of the organization they own, unless it is a nonprofit organization. For information on the application process for Canadian clients, click here.
4. After you completed the application form, click the Submit application form at the bottom of the screen.

Your application should be reviewed and approved within 1-2 business days. As part of the approval process, you may be asked for additional documentation, such as a copy of your photo ID.

If AffiniPay is unable to verify the details you provided, your application might be rejected. Factors that can contribute to your application being rejected include:

• Inconsistencies in the information provided (e.g. business name and address do not match)
• Business name can't be verified
• Tax ID number not registered

Once your Wild Apricot Payments account is approved, you'll receive a confirmation email from AffiniPay. US applicants will also receive a confirmation email from Wild Apricot. After you receive the email from AffiniPay, you can confirm your Wild Apricot Payments account and connect it to your Wild Apricot site.

Confirming your Wild Apricot Payments account

Before you can connect to your new Wild Apricot Payments account, you need to confirm it. To confirm your new account, follow these steps:

1. Within the AffiiPay confirmation instructions email, click the Confirm My Account button.
2. On the screen that appears, choose a password then click Finish.

Connecting to your Wild Apricot Payments account

To connect your Wild Apricot Payments account to your Wild Apricot site, follow these steps:

1. Return to the Payment settings screen by clicking the link within your Wild Apricot confirmation email (US applicants only), or by clicking Finances under the Settings menu then clicking Payment settings.
2. From the Payment settings screen, click the Connect to account button.  
3. On the AffiniPay screen that appears, log into your Wild Apricot Payments account using the email address you entered when you applied for the account, and the password you chose in Step 2 (above).
4. You'll be returned to the Payment settings screen, where you can adjust various payment settings.
   For details, see Payment settings (below).
5. Click the Save changes button to save your changes.

Connecting using an existing AffiniPay account

To connect an existing AffiniPay account to your Wild Apricot site, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Payment settings screen by clicking Finances under the Settings menu then clicking Payment settings.
2. Scroll down and click on the Connect with existing account button (under Do you already have an account?).
   If you're not seeing this button, but you do see a Switch now button at the top of the Payment settings screen, click the Switch now button then click the Connect with existing account button.  
3. On the AffiniPay screen that appears, log into your AffiniPay account using your email address and password.
4. You'll be returned to the Payment settings screen, where you can adjust various payment settings. For details, see Payment settings (below).
5. Click the Save changes button to save your changes.

Switching from another payment system

If you've already set up another payment system to work with your Wild Apricot site, you can easily switch to Wild Apricot Payments.

If you have recurring payments set up, you'll need to stop those payments through your existing payment processor, then issue new invoices to your members so that they can create recurring payment profiles with Wild Apricot Payments.

To switch to Wild Apricot Payments, follow these steps to switch to Wild Apricot Payments:

1. Go to the Payment settings screen by clicking Finances under the Settings menu then clicking Payment settings.
2. Click the Switch now button at the top of the Payment settings screen.  
3. Click the Fill in application button.
4. On the screen that appears, complete the application form. You'll need to provide your contact information and organization details. US applicants will also need to provide their organization's federal tax ID and bank account details, and the Social Insurance Number and driver's license of their organization's authorized signer or beneficial owner. (Arizona residents should enter any upcoming year for their license expiry year.) US applicants will also have to indicate what percentage of the organization they own, unless it is a nonprofit organization. Canadian applicants will be contacted by email to obtain banking details and information about your organization's principal. For more information on the application process for Canadian clients, click here.
5. After you completed the application form, click the Submit application form at the bottom of the screen. Your application should be reviewed and approved within 1-2 business days. Once your Wild Apricot Payments account is approved, you'll receive a confirmation email from AffiniPay. US applicants will also receive a confirmation email from Wild Apricot.
6. Once you receive the confirmation email from AffiniPay, click the Confirm My Account button within the message.
7. On the screen that appears, choose a password then click Finish.
8. Return to the Payment settings screen by clicking the Settings menu then clicking Payment settings.
   
9. On the Payment settings screen, click the Edit button.
   
10. Click the Payment system dropdown and choose Wild Apricot Payments / AffiniPay.
    
11. Click the Connect to account button that appears.
    
12. On the AffiniPay screen that appears, log into your AffiniPay account using your email address and password.
13. You'll be returned to the Payment settings screen, where you can adjust various payment settings. For details, see Payment settings (below).
14. Click the Save changes button to save your changes.

Payment settings

The following payment settings are available for Wild Apricot Payments.

Account name

Allows you to switch between multiple Wild Apricot Payments accounts. For example, you might want to use a test account to verify your setup before switching to your live account.

However, instead of using a test account, we recommend that you test your Wild Apricot Payments setup using your live account but with test transactions of one cent. That way, you are testing your actual account, not a test account that might behave directly.

If you still want to set up a test account, you can request one by calling AffiniPay at 1-866-375-2635 or emailing them at wasupport@affinipay.com.

Allowed card types

The credit cards you want to accept. These should match what you have set up in your AffiniPay account.

Default country

The default country you want to display to customers within the payment screen.

Currency

The currency you want to use in your transactions (and in your reports). The currency you choose should match the currency selected in your AffiniPay account.

Do not change the currency after recording any payments. If you change the currency, existing payment records will not be recalculated and will no longer display correct amounts.

Payment instructions

Here, you can enter payment instructions to be displayed to visitors to your site explaining how to use the online or offline payment methods. You can add different kinds of instructions to be displayed on different screens.

General payment instructions

Appears on Invoices and payments page in the member profile.

For event invoices

Appears on Review and confirm page of the event registration form. You can override these instructions for specific events on the Registration types screen.

For all other invoices

Appears on the Review and confirm page of the membership application or renewal, and on manual invoices.