- Payments
What are MOTO payments and how to process them
MOTO payments allow you to accept card payments remotely without the customer being present.
They are useful for phone orders, bookings, and situations where in-person payment isn’t possible.
MOTO transactions carry higher risk, so additional security checks are important.
Following best practices helps reduce fraud and protect your business.
With Zeller, MOTO payments are charged at 1.5%, compared to 1.3% for in-person payments.
Discover how Zeller MOTO payments work for your business.
MOTO transactions are a convenient and secure way to accept payments remotely. Also known as manually entered card payments, they give businesses another way to take payments without needing a customer to be present.
Unlike standard card payments, where both the customer and their card are physically present, MOTO payments can be taken from anywhere. Businesses that accept MOTO payments are not reliant on a physical location or an online store.
With Zeller, you can process MOTO payments in two ways, through Zeller Virtual Terminal on any computer, or directly on your Zeller Card Machine.
What is a MOTO payment?
MOTO stands for Mail Order Telephone Order. It refers to processing a payment remotely, either over the phone or via written instruction. These are known as card-not-present (CNP) transactions.
Instead of a customer tapping or inserting their card, the business enters the card details and processes the payment manually. In most cases, neither the card nor the cardholder is physically present, which makes it harder to verify the transaction.
This increases the risk of fraud, so additional security checks are important when processing MOTO payments.
Which businesses benefit most from MOTO payments?
MOTO payments are particularly useful for:
Professional services such as consultants, accountants, and lawyers
Home services such as electricians, plumbers, and cleaners
Restaurants and cafés taking phone orders for takeaway or catering
B2B businesses that take orders over the phone
If you take orders remotely, whether frequently or sporadically, MOTO gives you the flexibility to keep your cashflow moving.
How to process a MOTO payment with Zeller Virtual Terminal:
Log in to Zeller Dashboard and select Virtual Terminal.
Choose the site you want to take the payment for, or create a new one.
Enter the transaction amount and any notes you’d like to keep.
Select Manually enter card as the payment method.
Enter the customer’s card details, including card number, expiry date, and CVC.
Review the details and select Charge.
The payment is processed instantly, and you’ll see confirmation once it’s approved. Funds settle to your nominated account as usual.
How to process a MOTO payment with Zeller Terminal:
Before starting, make sure MOTO functionality is enabled on your Zeller Terminal.
Log in to your Zeller Terminal.
Select Take payment from the navigation menu.
Tap Mode in the top right corner and select MOTO.
Enter the amount using the keypad.
Tap Manual charge.
Enter the customer’s card details, including card number, expiry date, and CVC.
Tap Next, then select Charge to complete the transaction.
Once approved, offer a receipt, or select New sale to continue.
You also have the option to default to MOTO payment. This is particularly useful for businesses operating without a physical location, or those processing a higher volume of MOTO payments. You can update your Sites settings in Zeller Dashboard by toggling Default to MOTO on.
To help manage the increased risk of fraud with MOTO payments, you can require that a site PIN be entered before a MOTO payment can be processed by toggling Require site PIN on.
Are MOTO payments safe?
MOTO payments generally carry a higher risk than in-person or standard online payments, as the cardholder is not physically present. However, with appropriate controls and secure processes, these payments can be processed safely.
Zeller maintains compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), a globally recognised framework designed to protect cardholder data and support secure payment processing.
In practice, PCI DSS includes requirements to:
Protect cardholder data through appropriate security controls and encryption.
Maintain secure systems and networks to support safe payment processing.
Restrict access to cardholder data to authorised individuals only.
Monitor and test systems to help detect, mitigate, and reduce the risk of suspicious activity.
Maintain information security policies and operational controls.
Zeller also offers tools designed to help reduce the risk of suspicious activity:
CVC verification, requiring the card’s security code for MOTO payments.
Address Verification Service (AVS), which checks the billing address provided by the customer.
3D Secure authentication for eligible transactions, providing an additional verification step.
Tokenisation, which replaces card data with secure tokens to reduce exposure of sensitive information.
These measures are designed to help reduce the risk of suspicious activity and support safer payment processing for your business and your customers.
Best practices for secure MOTO payments
To help protect your business when processing MOTO payments:
Confirm customer details. Verify the customer’s information and order verbally before processing the payment.
Do not store card details. Never write down or store card information manually.
Use secure systems. Only process payments through PCI-compliant tools such as Zeller Virtual Terminal.
Ensure payments are flagged as MOTO. Transactions must be correctly identified as MOTO. If not, UK issuing banks may decline the payment due to missing Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) required for standard online transactions.
Be cautious of unusual orders. Look out for large, urgent, or international transactions that seem out of the ordinary.
Watch for warning signs. Repeated declined payments, requests for third-party payments, or unusual order quantities can indicate potential fraud.
Check address details. Where relevant, make sure billing and delivery addresses match.
Keep detailed records. In the UK, customers can typically dispute a payment for up to 120 days, and in some cases up to 540 days for future-dated services. Retain transaction records for at least 18 months.
Apply consistent checks to all transactions. Even low-value payments can be disputed, so apply the same level of care regardless of transaction size.
Apply extra safeguards when needed. For higher-value or unusual transactions, consider additional checks such as a signed agreement, clear refund policy, or verifying the customer’s identity.
Provide a receipt. Always send an email receipt as proof of purchase.
Visit our Support Centre for more information on the risks of accepting MOTO payments, and tips to help keep your business safe when processing manually entered card payments.
How much do MOTO transactions cost?
To account for the additional risk and security measures involved, manually entered card payments typically carry a higher fee than in-person transactions.
With Zeller, MOTO payments are charged at 1.5% per transaction, compared to 1.3% for in-person card payments.
Try Zeller Virtual Terminal today
Instead of taking card details over the phone, send your customer a secure payment link. They simply click the link, enter their details, and pay. It reduces your exposure to fraud, builds customer trust, and presents your business more professionally.
