RentAAA Merchant Payment Policy

Customer, Merchant, Merchant Services, Merchant Wallet, Payment Provider, Platform and RentAAA have the meanings given in the RentAAA Pro Merchant Terms.

Chargeback includes a card dispute, Direct Debit dishonour, payment reversal, returned payment, scheme dispute or similar recovery initiated through a Payment Provider or financial institution.

This Policy governs payment processing and settlement. RentAAA Merchant Wallet Policy governs the Merchant Wallet interface and controls. If there is an inconsistency concerning payment processing or settlement, this Policy prevails. A Payment Provider’s mandatory scheme or processing rule applies where it must govern that transaction.

The Merchant supplies the Merchant Services, determines the lawful amount payable and is ordinarily the Merchant of Record. The Customer’s payment is made in satisfaction of an amount owed to the Merchant.

RentAAA provides software and payment-administration services only. RentAAA does not own, supply, rent, lease, manage or control any vehicle, property, equipment, inventory, accommodation, goods or rental service supplied by the Merchant. The Merchant remains responsible for the underlying service, including pricing, availability, condition, safety, fulfilment, cancellation, refund, bond, deposit, damage, insurance, dispute and customer claim obligations, subject to applicable law.

RentAAA connects the Merchant and Customer to appointed Payment Providers and may send authorised operational instructions to the Payment Provider through the Merchant Wallet, including instructions to restrict availability of funds, release funds, direct transfers, process refunds and initiate payouts.

The Payment Provider processes payment instructions and maintains the underlying settlement account in which successfully collected funds are held before payout. The specific account structure is determined by the Payment Provider and disclosed under its applicable terms.

Merchant authorises RentAAA to give operational instructions to the Payment Provider within this Policy, including to hold funds by restricting their availability, release them, initiate transfers and payouts, process refunds, and deduct fees, reversals, Chargebacks, reserves and properly recoverable negative balances. Any reference to RentAAA holding funds means RentAAA instructing the Payment Provider to restrict availability of funds within the Payment Provider’s settlement system, not RentAAA taking possession of those funds in its own bank account.

RentAAA does not beneficially own settlement funds merely because it administers those instructions. RentAAA does not guarantee collection, Customer solvency or uninterrupted availability of a Payment Provider.

The Payment Provider may provide RentAAA with transaction information, settlement amounts, Merchant Wallet balances, payout details, payment status, fees, refunds, reversals, Chargebacks, dishonours and related records through API connections, dashboard access, reports or other approved channels. RentAAA may use that information to display payment status, reconcile transactions, support Merchants and Customers, process authorised instructions, manage disputes and comply with legal, provider and security requirements.

Payment services are available only after the Merchant completes information and verification reasonably required by RentAAA or a Payment Provider. This may include business, ownership, controller, bank-account, identity, website, product and transaction information.

The Merchant must keep onboarding information current and promptly notify material changes to ownership, controllers, trading name, business model, goods or services, websites, payout account or risk profile.

RentAAA or a Payment Provider may decline, limit, suspend or require further verification for payment services where reasonably necessary for legal, provider, fraud, security or risk requirements.

Supported methods may include Direct Debit, PayTo, PayID, debit cards, credit cards and other methods enabled for the Merchant.

Each method is subject to availability, Payment Provider terms, banking and scheme rules, transaction limits, processing cut-offs and settlement timeframes.

RentAAA may add, replace or remove a Payment Provider or method. RentAAA will give reasonable notice where the change materially affects the Merchant, unless urgent provider, legal or security action is required.

The Merchant must submit only a genuine amount due for identified Merchant Services and must not split, duplicate, inflate or misdescribe a transaction.

A Customer must provide the authority applicable to the payment method. Depending on the method, this may occur through:

• confirmation of a one-time payment in RentAAA Customer;
• a Direct Debit Request and Direct Debit Service Agreement;
• a PayTo agreement approved through the Customer’s banking channel;
• a card authorisation through the Payment Provider; or
• another method-specific process presented before payment.

The Merchant must not bypass the approved authority process or represent that a Customer has given an irrevocable or unlimited authority. An authority is limited to its disclosed scope and may be cancelled or disputed in accordance with law and applicable payment rules.

Where a Merchant initiates a payment under a valid recurring authority, it must ensure the amount, frequency, description and timing are consistent with the authority and the Merchant’s agreement with the Customer.

RentAAA may retain electronic acceptance, mandate, transaction and audit records and may provide available evidence to the Merchant or Payment Provider for a genuine dispute.

Where available, the Merchant may select retry options in RentAAA Pro for failed payments. Any retry or alternative payment attempt must be supported by a valid Customer authority, Payment Provider rules and applicable law.

A transaction may pass through statuses including In Queue, Sent to Bank, In Progress, Waiting Settlement, On Hold, Completed, Dishonoured, Reversed or Refunded.

A payment is not complete merely because it has been submitted or appears as pending. Subject to provider rules, a Customer’s payment obligation for the displayed amount is ordinarily treated as satisfied when the Platform marks the payment Completed, unless it is later lawfully dishonoured, reversed, refunded or charged back.

RentAAA and Payment Providers may screen, delay or decline transactions for authentication, fraud, risk, scheme, sanctions, legal or technical reasons.

The Merchant must monitor its dashboard and promptly report a status or amount it reasonably believes is incorrect.

After successful collection, the Payment Provider maintains the funds in its settlement account and the corresponding amount is recorded in the Merchant Wallet.

Amounts may be classified as pending, processing, available, held, reserved, paid out, reversed or negative. A displayed amount remains subject to this Policy, provider rules and adjustments.

The Merchant authorises RentAAA to administer the Merchant Wallet and exercise reasonable operational control over the settlement funds recorded in it. Although the Payment Provider maintains the underlying account, RentAAA may:

• hold funds by restricting their availability;
• release an amount from hold;
• initiate a scheduled or manually requested payout;
• transfer an amount between settlement classifications or approved accounts;
• process a refund or reversal; and
• deduct an authorised fee, Chargeback, reserve or other properly recoverable amount.

These actions are performed by sending instructions to the Payment Provider or by using Payment Provider-approved wallet controls.

RentAAA will exercise these controls only for payment administration, provider requirements, reconciliation, refunds, Chargebacks, fraud and risk management, security, legal compliance or enforcement of the Merchant agreement.

Payouts occur according to the schedule agreed with the Merchant or displayed in the Platform. Where enabled, the Merchant may request a manual payout of available funds.

A payout request is subject to available balance, cut-off times, provider and banking processing, identity or account verification, holds, reserves, refunds, Chargebacks, negative balances and compliance requirements.

A payout is made only to an approved Merchant account. Changing the payout account may require verification and may temporarily delay payout.

Estimates shown in the Platform are not guarantees. RentAAA will use reasonable efforts to investigate an unexplained delay and provide available provider information.

The Merchant must pay transaction, processing, payout, Chargeback, dishonour, refund and other fees disclosed in an Order Form, fee schedule or transaction screen. Unless stated otherwise, fees are exclusive of GST.

The Merchant authorises RentAAA to invoice fees or deduct them from the Merchant Wallet, settlement payout or another separately authorised Merchant payment method.

RentAAA will provide reasonable information supporting a material deduction on request, subject to provider confidentiality, security and scheme restrictions.

Customer-facing fees must be disclosed to the Customer before authorisation or in an accessible fee schedule. The Merchant must not impose a card surcharge or other payment fee except as permitted by law and applicable scheme rules.

RentAAA may place or continue a reasonable hold or reserve where necessary because of:

• a pending refund, Chargeback, reversal or dispute;
• unusual, fraudulent or prohibited activity;
• excessive dispute, cancellation or non-fulfilment risk;
• prepayments for future Merchant Services;
• suspected breach of payment rules or the Merchant agreement;
• insolvency, cessation or inability to fulfil Merchant Services;
• a request from a Payment Provider, bank, scheme, regulator or law-enforcement body; or
• another documented risk reasonably connected with the Merchant’s transactions.

RentAAA will notify the Merchant of a material hold or reserve and its general reason where lawful and reasonably practicable. Notice may be delayed or limited where disclosure would compromise an investigation, security or a provider instruction.

A hold or reserve will be reviewed periodically and released when the relevant risk no longer reasonably requires it, subject to outstanding adjustments and provider rules.

The Merchant determines whether a refund for Merchant Services is due, subject to its agreement with the Customer, Australian Consumer Law and other applicable law.

Refunds should ordinarily be processed through the Platform to the original payment method. Cash or an unrelated destination must not be used to avoid traceability or provider rules.

If the Merchant Wallet lacks sufficient available funds, RentAAA may recover an approved refund from a reserve, future settlement, separately authorised Merchant account or invoice.

A Customer Wallet does not receive or hold a cash balance. A refund may be displayed in the Customer Wallet as a status or record but is returned through the relevant payment system.

A transaction may be reversed or charged back even after it was authorised, completed or paid out. The Merchant is responsible for the underlying transaction, evidence of supply and amounts recovered by a Payment Provider, except to the extent caused by RentAAA’s breach, processing error, negligence, fraud or wilful misconduct.

RentAAA may debit the Merchant Wallet, reserve or future settlements for a Chargeback and applicable provider fee. If insufficient, RentAAA may use another separately authorised recovery method or invoice the Merchant.

RentAAA will notify the Merchant of a dispute and the applicable response deadline as soon as reasonably practicable. The Merchant must provide requested evidence within that deadline. Deadlines may be set by a bank, provider or scheme and may be short.

RentAAA may submit evidence but does not control or guarantee the outcome. A Merchant must not obstruct a Customer from exercising a lawful dispute right.

If a payment fails, is dishonoured, reversed or disputed because of the Customer’s insufficient funds, incorrect details, cancelled authority or unsupported dispute, the related reasonable bank, provider or dispute costs may be recoverable from the Customer where permitted by law. If the issue is caused by the Merchant’s wrong amount, missing authority, refund issue, failure to supply services or other Merchant fault, the Merchant remains responsible.

The Merchant must promptly restore a negative Merchant Wallet balance arising from valid fees, refunds, reversals, Chargebacks or other amounts due under the Merchant agreement.

RentAAA may set off a properly payable amount against an available Merchant Wallet amount or future payout and may debit another Merchant payment method only where separately authorised.

RentAAA will not recover a genuinely disputed amount as though it were undisputed while the dispute is being reasonably investigated, except where a Payment Provider has already debited the amount or a hold is reasonably necessary to protect against loss.

The Merchant must use reasonable security controls, restrict payment access to authorised personnel and protect devices and credentials.

The Merchant must never request complete card details, card verification values or internet-banking credentials by email or ordinary messaging. It must use only approved Payment Provider interfaces and comply with applicable card-security requirements.

The Merchant must promptly notify RentAAA of suspected payment fraud, account compromise, unauthorised instructions or security incidents.

The Merchant must keep rental agreements, invoices, fulfilment evidence, Customer communications, payment authorities and refund records for the period required by law and applicable provider rules. Payment-authority and transaction records may need to be kept for up to seven years.

The Merchant must provide information reasonably requested for fraud, Chargeback, provider, audit, identity, legal or compliance purposes within the deadline stated in a notice. RentAAA will make requests proportionate to the issue and applicable deadline.

RentAAA may retain transaction, settlement, wallet, authority, dispute and audit records for reconciliation, support, fraud prevention, legal compliance and dispute resolution.

The Merchant must not use payment services for unlawful, deceptive, fraudulent, unauthorised or prohibited transactions; process for another unapproved business; factor or sell payment receivables without approval; misuse prepayments; or attempt to evade a provider restriction.

The Merchant must not use RentAAA payment services for a materially different business, website or category without completing any required review.

Where the Merchant requests RentAAA to assist with payment, recovery, deduction or processing of a toll, fine, infringement, nomination or related fee, RentAAA acts only on the Merchant’s authorised instructions.

The Merchant is responsible for confirming that the amount, due date, vehicle, booking, customer, driver and recovery details are correct and lawful.

Complete requests must be submitted at least 5 business days before the due date. Late, incorrect, incomplete or unauthorised requests are the Merchant’s responsibility. RentAAA is responsible only for delays or errors directly caused by RentAAA’s own negligence, fraud, wilful misconduct or unreasonable processing delay.

RentAAA may suspend or restrict payment services where reasonably necessary for security, fraud, excessive Chargebacks, provider or regulator requirements, unlawful activity, material breach, insolvency or an unresolved negative balance.

Except where urgent action or a third-party instruction prevents it, RentAAA will provide notice, the general reason and a reasonable opportunity to respond.

Termination does not prevent later refunds, Chargebacks, reversals, provider adjustments or lawful recovery relating to earlier transactions. Available settlement funds will be paid out after applicable holds, reserves and adjustments are resolved.

The Merchant must promptly notify RentAAA of closure, insolvency, sale or change of control. A new owner may be required to complete onboarding and accept a new agreement before account access or payouts are transferred.

The Merchant entity remains responsible for obligations accrued before a transfer. A director or representative is not personally liable unless liability arises under law, their own conduct or a separately signed guarantee.

RentAAA will attempt to contact the Merchant about dormant or unclaimed settlement amounts. Amounts may be dealt with under applicable unclaimed-money law after required steps are completed.

The Merchant should report a suspected transaction, payout or reconciliation error promptly through the support channel. A prompt report improves the ability to trace and correct an issue, but no contractual reporting period removes a right that cannot lawfully be excluded.

RentAAA will acknowledge a complaint promptly, investigate fairly and aim to provide a substantive response within 30 days. If more time is reasonably required, RentAAA will explain why and provide an updated timeframe.

Payment information is handled under the RentAAA Pro Merchant Privacy Policy, RentAAA Customer Privacy Policy and applicable Payment Provider privacy practices.

RentAAA does not store complete card numbers, card verification values or internet-banking credentials. It may store tokens, masked details, mandates, transaction, settlement and Merchant Wallet information as described in those policies.

Liability under this Policy is subject to the RentAAA Pro Merchant Terms. Nothing in this Policy excludes or restricts a right, guarantee or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded.

RentAAA remains responsible for its own breach, processing error, negligence, fraud or wilful misconduct to the extent provided by law and the Merchant agreement.

RentAAA may update this Policy under the change process in the RentAAA Pro Merchant Terms. A change does not retrospectively alter a completed transaction without a lawful basis.

This Policy is governed by New South Wales law. The dispute process and jurisdiction provisions in the RentAAA Pro Merchant Terms apply.