1. Introduction

In this guide we explain you how to:

  • Register and set up your Viveum test account.
  • Create test transactions.

2. Test and Production

Viveum offers two platforms that work completely separately:

  • The test environment
  • The production (live) environment

Our test environment allows you to:

  • make test payments
  • change your account configuration
  • fine-tune the integration of our payment system into your website

Using your account and making transactions in the test environment is almost exactly the same as in the production (live) environment. The difference is that in "Test" there are no actual links with financial institutions (= no payments are processed), and you're not billed.

Once you go live (in production), you will start processing real payments. Therefore, we strongly advice you to use your test account to create test payments so that you get comfortable with the platform. This way you will also avoid making mistakes, such as linking your website to your test account instead of your production account.

The test and production environment can easily be distinguished:

  • In the various URLs (for each mode, in the back office, etc.):
    • https://viveum.v-psp.com/ncol/test/...
    • https://viveum.v-psp.com/ncol/prod/...
  • In the back office; the environment you've logged on to is indicated on several locations.
  • Also, the word "test" is mentioned in the various emails you receive while using your test account.

Platform releases:

  • Several times per year, Viveum publishes new versions of its platform, which we call releases.
  • This new release is first available in our test environment. After a couple of weeks we move the release to the production environment. This way, we allow you to test possible changes on our platform.
  • It also means that when there has been a new release, the test and production versions of our platform differ until the release has been moved to the production environment.
  • Each release is announced several weeks in advance in both the test and in the production environment.

3. Register your test account

  1. Navigate to our homepage.
  2. Click "Request a free test account".
  3. Complete the form (1), choose the appropriate product, confirm our terms and conditions, and click the "Register" button.
  4. Wait for the confirmation email and the email containing your password (this might take a little while, as we check the details you enter beforehand).

(1) Make sure to enter the correct contact information, as we'll send the password to the email address you enter.

When you receive the password for your test account, you can access your account as follows:

  1. Navigate to the site classic.urlbackofficelogintest
  2. Click on the login link (on top).
  3. Enter the PSPID that you have chosen during the registation of your account.
  4. Enter the password that you have received by email (2).
  5. Click on “Submit”.

(2) When you log in for the first time you will be requested to change the password immediately.

4. Configure your test account

When you first log on to your account, you will see a list of steps to complete on the homepage. These steps concern the administration, payment method and technical details of your test account.

You can start the configuration by clicking the first link. Once all the steps have been completed, you can ask for your test account to be activated.

If your account has been activated and you would like to change some details, you can still call up the various configuration pages from your account menu. This is especially useful with regard to the “Technical Information” page, as you may want to change certain details while testing your integration.

4.1 Administrative details

Account holder contact information:

This step involves a form which contains the information you entered when registering for a test account. You can change some details if necessary.

  • Invoicing information:
    • In the test environment, you will not receive any invoices from us, so you do not need to enter any invoicing information in your test account. However, if you wish to enter some information, you can choose “Credit card” as the charging method and enter the VISA test card number 4111111111111111 with an expiry date in the future .
    • You can enter a blank space in the Title/department field if you do not have any information to enter in this field.
  • Subscription:
    You can select the subscription you want. In the test environment, the subscription is free. Some options are not available with all the subscriptions. If you are unsure which subscription is the best for you, you can always contact our Sales team. After your account has been activated, you can enter the configuration pages via "Configuration" > "Account" in your account menu. You will also find the following additional configuration pages:
    • Languages and URL (for e-Commerce only): You can select the various languages in which you would like to be able to display the payment page. You also have the possibility to enter a URL for the terms and conditions. This URL will be accessible to the customer via a link on our secure payment page.
    • Currencies: You can choose the currencies in which you would like to accept your customer’s payments. The currencies you add have to be accepted by your acquirer and you need to have a contract for these currencies with your acquirer (in the production environment). You can choose your main currency and add/delete additional currencies.

4.2 Payment methods

In general, to select a payment method you want to use in your account, simply click the “Add” button next to the payment method in the available payment method list and complete the affiliation request. The payment method will be activated and added to the “Selected Payment Method” list.

When your account has been activated you can still enter this configuration page through the “payment methods” link in your menu.

4.3 Technical information

On the “Technical Information” page, you have to enter the technical data required to increase transaction security, automate account tasks, etc. You can click the various "i" icons for more information per setting.

When your account has been activated, you can still enter this configuration page via the “Technical information” under the "Configuration" menu.

4.4 Request activation of your test account

When you click the link to request activation of your test account on your account's homepage, a link to our General Terms & Conditions of Business will be displayed.

When you have confirmed that you agree to our General Terms & Conditions of Business, we will automatically activate your test account.

5. Test transactions and their results

5.1 Test URLs

If you'd like to start performing test payments but haven't yet fully completed the integration into your website (when you choose an operation mode requiring integration, e.g. e-Commerce), you can do so from a test page on our server which represents the last page of your shopping basket.

The (hidden) fields that normally have to be initialised automatically by your application are displayed, initialised with default values. You can change these values (e.g. entering your own test PSPID) to simulate different cases/payments. The test page on our server for the mode you are working in is available in the “Test info” tab of your “Technical information” page.

If you've completed the integration on your website, you can perform the test payments from your website using the action URLs that can be found in the relevant documentation for the operation mode (e-Commerce, DirectLink etc.) you are using (e.g. https://viveum.v-psp.com/ncol/test/orderstandard.asp for e-Commerce).

5.2 Test cards

When you make test payments in the testing environment, you need to use a credit card number with a valid format.

You can use the VISA test card number 4111111111111111 with any expiry date in the future.

This card should only be used in the test environment. Please refer to the “Test info” tab on the Technical Information page for a list of test card numbers for other card brands.

5.3 Simulate results

As the transactions are not submitted to the acquirers/banks in the test environment, our system simulates transaction results depending on the payment amount or depending on a specific card number.

You can select which of the two methods you want to use in the “Test info” tab on the Technical information page, in the “Transaction result simulation” section.

Transaction result based on AMOUNT
Successful: 0 - 9000
AMOUNT x 100: 0 - 900000
Refused: > 9000
AMOUNT x 100: > 900000
Uncertain: 9999
AMOUNT x 100: 999900

Transaction result based on card number
Successful: Any other card number
Refused: 4111113333333333
Uncertain: 4111116666666666

5.4 Consult transaction results in the back office

After you've created a transaction, you can view the details in your Viveum account (the back office):

  1. Log on and click the "View transactions" link in the "Operations" menu.
  2. Enter your selection criteria. The first time, enable all the status boxes and leave the other fields with their default values.
  3. View the result list.

For more information go Use your Viveum account and Consult your transactions.

6. Create your production account (go live)

The test environment databases are completely separate from the production databases. This implies that an account created and configured in the test environment must be transferred and reconfigured in the production environment before you can process real payments.

When you're satisfied with the integration in the test environment, you can transfer your test account to our production environment.

  1. Click the “Create production account” link in the "Configuration" menu of your test account or click the “Transfer your test account into production” link on your account's home page.

    You will see a page where you can convert your account from test to production. You may either keep your current PSPID and use it in production, or choose a new PSPID.

  2. Log on to your production account (change the login field from "test" to "production" to log in) with the same password as for your test account. Please change your password immediately after logging into your production account the first time.

    The production account will have the same look and feel as the test account except that the background will be entirely white rather than having the "test" watermark in the background.

  3. Modify / complete your account details; some of the information will have been transferred automatically from your test account, other details (such as subscription, options, VAT number, charging method, payment methods, users, etc.) will have to be entered again.

  4. For credit cards, enter the UID numbers (contract numbers you received from your acquirer) in the Payment methods page.

    Our system will automatically send an email to your acquirer to check the details. We will then receive confirmation from the acquirer about your UID to let us know if everything is OK. Certain other payment methods can be activated automatically when you configure the payment method.

  5. Click on the “request activation” link on the "home" page of your account to send a request to activate your production account (You will also see here the list of all the steps that must be completed, and whether or not this has already been done).

    We will send you an email containing the contract with all your account details.

  6. Sign this contract and return it to us by fax, together with your direct debit form and your bank account details, if you choose to pay our invoices by direct debit (except for NL subsidiary accounts where the Direct Debit details are already mentioned on the contract).

    We activate your production account after we have received the signed contract AND when at least one payment method is active/operational in your account. For credit cards, we activate your payment methods after receipt of a confirmation email from your acquirers about your UID's.

  7. When switching from test to production, change "test" to "prod" in the URL to which you send your requests.

    If you do not do this, your real transactions will be processed in the test environment (If the PSPID you have chosen for your production account is different from the one you had in the test environment, you also have to change the PSPID in the fields you send us).

    After having transferred from test to production, your test account remains active and accessible for testing purposes.