News Internet Investing Internet Technology Windows Internet Tech. Where eCharge Phone relied on a dial-up connection, eCharge Net Account is a line of credit that can only be spent with participating merchants online. The average U.S. household received 40 credit card offers last year. How It Works Customers who either don't have access to a credit card, don't want to use a credit card online, or don't qualify for a credit card can go to the eCharge site and open an account.
Customers can open either credit line accounts or pre-paid accounts.
Customers whose applications are accepted have digital certificates installed on their computers for non-repudiation during purchases. For stored value accounts, customers have to send in the money via check or money order before they can begin using the accounts. There is a charge for having eCharge do the implementation. Customers who choose to pay via eCharge Net Account are routed to the eCharge server at time of checkout to complete their transaction. When eCharge is convinced the shopper is authorized to use the account, it verifies that the credit or prepayment is sufficient to cover the purchase, authorizes the purchase, and sends confirmation data back to the merchant's server.