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NMI Virtual Terminal
The NMI Virtual Terminal is a web-based payment entry screen built into merchantcentral.nmi.com that lets merchants process card-not-present transactions without a physical card reader. Used for phone orders, mail orders (MOTO), follow-up invoices, and in-office card entry. Included in every NMI merchant account at no additional license cost.
Access the NMI Virtual Terminal through Merchant Central — accept payments by phone, mail, or in-person without a physical card reader.
Access Merchant Central See All Login PortalsWhat is the NMI Virtual Terminal?
The NMI Virtual Terminal is a hosted payment entry interface accessible through Merchant Central (merchantcentral.nmi.com). It accepts manual card entry, ACH transactions, refunds, voids, and recurring billing setup — all without requiring a physical card reader or POS device.
Merchants use it for: telephone orders (where the cardholder reads the card number), mail order forms with a written card number, follow-up invoicing, customer service refunds, employee one-off charges, and any scenario where a card is present but a reader isn't connected.
Every NMI merchant account includes Virtual Terminal access by default — no extra license fee.
How to Access the NMI Virtual Terminal
1. Sign in to merchantcentral.nmi.com with your NMI credentials. 2. Navigate to the Transactions tab in the left sidebar. 3. Click "New Transaction" to open the Virtual Terminal. 4. Choose transaction type: Sale, Authorization, Refund, Void, or Capture. 5. Enter card number, expiration, CVV, and amount. 6. Optionally enter billing address for AVS verification. 7. Submit — receive an approval or decline response in 2-3 seconds.
If you don't see the Virtual Terminal option, contact your reseller — they may need to enable it on your account or grant your user role access.
Manual Card Entry, MOTO, and Card-Not-Present
The Virtual Terminal handles all card-not-present (CNP) transaction types. MOTO (Mail Order/Telephone Order) is the most common use case — you take a phone order, ask the customer to read their card number, and key it into the Virtual Terminal screen.
For mail-order businesses, the merchant transcribes the card details from a paper order form. For service-based merchants (consultants, contractors), the Virtual Terminal handles follow-up invoicing when the original card was charged in-person.
CNP transactions have higher interchange rates than card-present transactions, and require AVS (Address Verification) and CVV verification to qualify for the lowest CNP rates.
Refunds, Voids, and Authorization Holds
The Virtual Terminal supports the full transaction lifecycle:
Refunds: Issue a full or partial refund against a previously-captured transaction. Refunds settle within 3-5 business days back to the original card.
Voids: Cancel an authorization or sale before it settles (same day). No funds move — the authorization is released.
Authorization holds: Pre-authorize a card for an estimated amount, then capture the actual amount later. Common in hospitality and rental industries.
Captures: Convert a prior authorization into a settled sale, optionally for a different amount (up to the auth limit).
Recurring Billing from the Virtual Terminal
The Virtual Terminal can create one-time charges, but it also feeds into the NMI Customer Vault and Recurring Billing engine.
To set up a recurring charge, complete a one-time transaction with "Add to Customer Vault" checked. The card is tokenized and stored — future charges to that customer don't require re-entry. Then create a subscription plan (monthly, quarterly, custom) and assign the vaulted customer.
Subscription failures trigger dunning emails and configurable retry logic. Webhooks notify your system of successful charges, failures, and cancellations.
NMI Virtual Terminal vs USAePay Virtual Terminal
Both NMI and USAePay offer Virtual Terminals — they look similar but serve different account types:
NMI Virtual Terminal — accessed via merchantcentral.nmi.com. Used by merchants on the NMI gateway. ISO partners and resellers see the same interface under their own brand.
USAePay Virtual Terminal — accessed via secure.usaepay.com. Used by merchants on the USAePay platform (acquired by NMI in 2022, but still operates as a separate platform with separate credentials).
Both interfaces accept the same card brands (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, JCB) and support refunds, voids, recurring billing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the NMI Virtual Terminal free?+
Yes — every NMI merchant account includes Virtual Terminal access at no additional license fee. Transaction processing fees still apply per the merchant agreement.
Can multiple employees use the Virtual Terminal at the same time?+
Yes. Merchant Central supports concurrent user sessions. Each employee should have their own user account so transactions are attributable to a specific person.
Does the NMI Virtual Terminal accept ACH?+
Yes — the Virtual Terminal supports both card and ACH (eCheck) transactions when your merchant account is set up for ACH processing.
How fast does a Virtual Terminal transaction settle?+
Authorizations are instant. Captures (sales) typically settle within 1-2 business days, with funds available in the merchant bank account within 2-3 business days after that.
Is the NMI Virtual Terminal PCI compliant?+
Yes. The Virtual Terminal runs on NMI's PCI DSS Level 1 infrastructure. Merchants do not store card data locally — it goes directly to the NMI gateway.
NMI Virtual Terminal — Key Features
The NMI Virtual Terminal is a web-based payment entry screen inside Merchant Central. It lets merchants key in card-not-present transactions without a physical reader, covering phone and mail orders (MOTO), follow-up invoices, and in-office charges. It is included in every NMI merchant account at no extra license cost.
- Card-not-present entry: Manually key card number, expiration, CVV, and amount for MOTO and phone orders, with results returned in a few seconds.
- Transaction types: Run Sale, Authorization, Capture, Void, and Refund from one screen across the full transaction lifecycle.
- Authorization holds: Pre-authorize an estimated amount, then capture the actual amount later, common in hospitality and rentals.
- AVS and CVV: Enter billing address and CVV to qualify for lower card-not-present interchange rates.
- ACH and vaulting: Accept ACH/eCheck payments and save cards to the Customer Vault for recurring billing without re-entry.
- Access and PCI: Reached through merchantcentral.nmi.com with per-user accounts, running on NMI's PCI DSS Level 1 infrastructure so cards are not stored locally.
Independent reference resource. Not operated by, endorsed by, or affiliated with Network Merchants, Inc. (NMI) or USAePay. All product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners.