BigCommerce Installation and User Guide
Download the Fortis for BigCommerce User Guide.pdf
1. App Installation
Step 1 – Enable an Offline payment method
The Fortis app utilizes an offline payment method as a framework for the payments app. Below are the steps to enable it in your store:
- In your store menu, select Settings.
- Under Setup, select Payments.
- Open Offline Payment Methods, choose any offline payment method from the list, and select Set Up.
- Give the offline payment method a name and complete the setup. Important: this name must exactly match the name entered later in the Fortis app under Payment Method Display Name. Use a name that is different from your other checkout payment options and avoid special characters.
Step 2 – Install the App
- Install the Fortis app in your BigCommerce store.
- After installation, open the Apps menu and select the Fortis app to open its configuration page.
2. App Configuration
After the Fortis app is installed, enter your Fortis API credentials on the configuration page to finish setup. The page is organized into sections, and each section controls a different part of how payments work.
Your Fortis gateway API credentials are required so the app can connect to Fortis and process payments.
If the credentials are incorrect, or if they belong to the wrong environment or account, the connection will fail and the app will show an error.
2.1 Payment Method Display Name
Enter the name you want customers to see on the checkout page. This must exactly match the offline payment method name you created in Step 1.
2.2 Store Settings
Enter the credentials from your Fortis merchant portal in the Store Settings section. If you have both a sandbox account and a live account, each one will have its own set of credentials.
Use these Fortis support articles if you need help finding your credentials:
- User ID: Find a User ID
- API Key: Generate a User API Key
- Location ID: Find Your Location ID
- CC and ACH Product IDs: Product Transaction ID
2.3 Payment Settings
Payment Settings control which payment types are available and how transactions are processed.
Action – Choose how credit card payments should be processed:
- Sale – The card is authorized and captured in a single step.
- Authorize Only – The card is approved first, but you must capture the payment later to receive the funds. Capture can be completed in the Fortis gateway portal or in another system such as your ERP.
NOTE: ACH is not available when Authorize Only is selected
Enable Google Pay and Enable Apple Pay
Select these checkboxes to offer Google Pay or Apple Pay. These payment methods must also be enabled on your Fortis account before they will work in the app.
Enable ACH transactions and Enable CC Transactions
Select these checkboxes to allow customers to pay by credit card, ACH, or both. Make sure each payment type is active on your Fortis account before enabling it here. At least one payment method must be selected.
Vault
Turn on Vault if you want signed-in customers to save payment methods for future purchases. Customers can save more than one payment method. Before enabling this option, confirm that tokenization is enabled on your Fortis account.
2.4 Appearance Settings
Turn on this option if you want customers to accept your store’s terms and conditions before they submit payment. You can either link to a terms page on your website or enter the text directly in the app.
Example of how terms and conditions appear during checkout:
2.5 Level 3 Default Settings
Enable Level 3 if you accept Purchase, Corporate, or Government cards and Level 3 processing is already enabled on your Fortis account.
Most Level 3 data is pulled from the order automatically, including line items and tax details. Two required fields are not available in the order data, so you must enter them in the app configuration screen:
Ship From ZIP Code – The ZIP code where your orders ship from.
Default Unit Code – The standard unit of measure used for the items you sell.
2.6 Appearance Settings
Appearance Settings let you change how the payment form looks. You can adjust items such as font size, button colors, and background colors.
2.5 Testing the App
The app supports both test (sandbox) mode and live mode. In test mode, transactions run in the Fortis sandbox so you can verify payment behavior without creating real charges. We recommend testing in the sandbox on a staging site before going live.
To request a test account, sign up through the Fortis Developer Portal: Dev Portal
Please include BigCommerce in the Referred By field.
3. Refund
Refunds for payments made through the Fortis app must be completed in the Fortis gateway portal or in an external ERP system.
Transactions cannot be refunded directly within the store’s admin dashboard.
When you issue a full or partial refund, the BigCommerce order status is updated automatically. Full refunds change the order to Refunded, and partial refunds change it to Partially Refunded.
This update changes the order status only. You may still need to adjust inventory manually in BigCommerce.
4. Void
Payments made through the Fortis app can be voided in the Fortis gateway portal or in an external ERP system.
Transactions cannot be voided directly within the store’s admin dashboard.
A pre-authorized transaction can be voided any time before it is captured. Sale transactions, and authorizations that have already been captured, can only be voided before the settlement batch closes.
When a transaction is voided, the BigCommerce order status changes to Cancelled. This affects the order status only, so you may still need to return items to inventory manually in BigCommerce.
5. Capture
If the Fortis app is set to Authorize Only, credit card payments on your site will be approved first and captured later before funds are received.
Important: Authorized transactions should be captured or voided within the card brands’ recommended authorization window to avoid late-settlement issues.
You can capture an authorization manually in the Fortis gateway portal or by using an ERP system that creates the capture for you.
Transactions cannot be captured directly within the store’s admin dashboard.
A BigCommerce order shows Awaiting Payment after the authorization succeeds. After the payment is captured, the status changes to Awaiting Fulfillment.
6. ACH Settlement Process
ACH payments begin in a pending state and move through a settlement process. As the payment moves through that process, the gateway status changes.
The chart below shows the ACH statuses and their gateway status codes.
Orders paid by ACH start with a status of Pending. When the ACH transaction reaches Settled (134), the order status changes to Awaiting Fulfillment.