The Fortis Add-on is a payment processing integration that enables self-storage operators using Storeganise to accept credit card and ACH (bank account) payments directly through their customer portal and management dashboard. This integration connects your Storeganise account with Fortis, a leading payment gateway, allowing customers to save payment methods for automatic billing and enabling operators to process manual payments when needed. The Add-on is available to all Storeganise customers who have an active Fortis merchant account with approved underwriting.

Credit card and ACH payments process differently due to their underlying payment networks. Credit card payments are processed immediately—when a customer pays with a credit card, the invoice status updates to "paid" right away, and the transaction appears in your Fortis Dashboard within minutes. ACH (bank account) payments, however, enter a "pending" state for 2-3 business days while the payment clears through the banking system. During this time, the invoice status remains "pending," and once the ACH payment successfully clears, the invoice automatically updates to "paid." This delay is normal and reflects standard banking clearing times.

The Fortis Add-on offers two installation approaches to suit different business structures. Business-level installation uses one Fortis merchant account across all sites, with all sites sharing the same OAuth connection and transactions consolidated in a single Fortis account—ideal for centralized payment management. Site-level installation allows each site to connect to its own independent Fortis merchant account with completely separate OAuth connections and isolated reporting—perfect for operators managing sites in different regions or requiring complete separation between locations. Regardless of installation type, payment methods are always isolated per site, ensuring customers can only see and use payment methods associated with their specific site.

Each successful payment through the Fortis Add-on creates a unique Fortis Transaction ID that's automatically stored in a custom field on the invoice. This transaction ID links the Storeganise invoice to the Fortis payment record and serves as a critical safeguard against duplicate charges. When the system attempts to charge an invoice, it first checks if a transaction ID already exists—if one is present, the system prevents the duplicate charge from processing. The transaction ID persists across sessions and is site-specific in multi-site setups. If a payment fails, you can retry the charge, and the system will create a new transaction ID for each attempt, allowing legitimate retries while still protecting against accidental duplicates.

Yes, customers can save multiple credit cards and bank accounts in the system. When multiple payment methods are saved, customers can select which method to use when paying invoices manually through the customer portal. For automatic billing, the system uses the most recently added or updated payment method as the default. Customers can change their default payment method at any time by going to the Billing section in the customer portal, clicking "Update payment methods," and adding or selecting their preferred method. The newly selected method will automatically become the default for future automatic charges.

When a payment fails, the invoice remains in "unpaid" or "failed" status, and the customer receives a notification if configured. Failed payments don't block future payment attempts—you have multiple options for retrying. From the Management Portal, navigate to the customer's invoice and click "Charge Invoice" to retry using the customer's saved payment method. Customers can also retry from their customer portal by going to Invoices, finding the unpaid invoice, and clicking "Pay Invoice." Each retry attempt creates a new transaction ID, allowing the system to track multiple attempts while still preventing duplicate successful charges. Common failure reasons include insufficient funds, expired cards, incorrect bank details, or security blocks from the customer's financial institution.

The Fortis Add-on automatically detects the currency of each invoice based on your Storeganise invoice settings. Currently, the Add-on supports USD (US Dollars) and CAD (Canadian Dollars). When you create an invoice in Storeganise, the currency information is automatically sent to Fortis with each payment transaction, ensuring the payment is processed in the correct currency. If you attempt to process a payment in a currency that Fortis doesn't support, the payment will fail with a clear error message. This automatic detection eliminates the need for manual currency configuration and reduces the risk of processing payments in the wrong currency.

Payment security is handled by Fortis using industry-standard tokenization protocols. When customers add a payment method, the sensitive card numbers and bank account details never touch Storeganise servers—instead, Fortis securely tokenizes the information and returns only a token and the last 4 digits to Storeganise. All payment data is encrypted both in transit and at rest. Fortis is PCI DSS compliant for card payments, meeting the highest security standards. Staff members viewing payment information in Storeganise can only see the payment method type (credit card or ACH), the last 4 digits, and transaction IDs linking to Fortis records. Full payment details are only accessible in your Fortis Dashboard, which has its own separate access controls and security measures.

OAuth connection failures typically occur due to credential issues or authorization problems. First, verify you're using the correct Fortis Dashboard login credentials and that your Fortis account has active status. Ensure your browser allows redirects from Storeganise, as the OAuth flow requires redirecting to Fortis and back. Try disconnecting and reconnecting the Add-on by going to Settings → Add-ons → Fortis. If the problem persists, clear your browser cache and cookies, then attempt the connection again. You should also verify with Fortis support that your account has API access enabled—some merchant accounts may require this to be specifically activated. If you continue experiencing issues after these steps, contact Storeganise support with any specific error messages displayed during the connection attempt.

No, refunds cannot be processed directly through the Fortis Add-on in Storeganise. All refunds must be initiated and processed through your Fortis Dashboard, where you have full control over refund amounts and processing. After you issue a refund in Fortis, you'll need to manually update the invoice status in Storeganise to reflect the refund, or create a credit note to adjust the customer's account balance. This separation ensures proper financial controls and maintains accurate records in both systems. The refund transaction will appear in your Fortis Dashboard with all relevant details, and you can reference the Fortis Transaction ID from the Storeganise invoice to locate the corresponding payment record in Fortis.

Payment method isolation is a core security and organizational feature of the Fortis Add-on, working identically regardless of whether you use business-level or site-level installation. When a customer adds a payment method on Site A, that payment method is exclusively available for Site A transactions—it cannot be seen or used for Site B, even if the same customer has an account there. Transaction IDs are also site-specific and never cross-contaminate between sites. If a customer rents units at multiple sites within your business, they must add payment methods separately for each site, and each site's invoices are processed completely independently. This isolation ensures proper accounting, prevents accidental cross-site charges, and maintains clear financial boundaries between different locations in your reporting.

Immediate charging and delayed charging offer different timing options for when customer payments are processed. With immediate charging, the invoice is charged as soon as it's generated—this works best for move-ins, new rentals, or one-time charges where you want instant payment. The customer must already have a saved payment method for immediate charging to work. Delayed charging creates the invoice but doesn't charge it immediately; instead, the charge occurs on a specific future date that you designate. This is particularly useful for monthly recurring charges where invoices are generated at the beginning of the billing period but should be charged on a specific date, or when you want to give customers advance notice of upcoming charges. Both methods work with credit cards and ACH payments, though ACH payments will still require 2-3 business days to clear regardless of when charging is initiated.