On August 7th, AME became the processing platform used for all in-store adoptions at PetSmart. PetSmart Charities created AME in partnership with Pet Loyalty, the creators of Adopets and Shelter Buddy software. It delivers a smooth and secure user experience that includes new features like digital adoption release form signatures, electronic payments, and ability to accept donations to your organization during the adopter checkout.
PetSmart Charities adoption partners will have the option to accept adoption fee payments and donations through AME, which will be directly deposited into the partner’s bank account through a direct link via ACH or with the assistance of Stripe payment processing. While cash payments are still supported, we encourage our partners to set up electronic payments for the following reasons:
- Adopters pay for transaction fees so adoption partners save on this fee (often > 3%)
- Ability to accept donations during adopter checkout (>10% of electronic payments include a donation with an average of $20)
- Direct deposit to bank account (quicker funds, more secure with less intermediaries)
- Reconciliation reporting and tracking
To enable electronic payments for your organization, please use the link that corresponds to how your organization would like to manage your account:
FAQs
Is enabling electronic adoption fee payments in AME required for my organization?
No, while cash payments are still supported, we encourage our partners to set up electronic payments for the many benefits it provides. However, if your organization plans to allow PetSmart Associates to administer the AME adoption process on behalf of your group, enabling electronic adoption fee payments is required.
What if our organization is already accepting electronic adoption fee payments via another system?
While you will still need to use AME to process all PetSmart in-store adoptions, enabling electronic adoption fee payments in AME is optional for each partner.
Do I have to pay Stripe Fees?
No, this process was created to simplify adoption fee payments taken for PetSmart in-store adoptions. Adopters will cover the credit card and Stripe fees during the adoption checkout. These fees will roughly equate to a $5.30 base fee, plus 3% of the transaction amount. This enables 100% of the adoption fee funds to go to your organization. Please note: with refunds you do have the option to cover transaction fees so that adopters can be made whole in these rare situations.
I just completed all the steps in the ACH form or through Stripe, is my group ready to accept digital payments through AME?
No, completing the steps was just the first step in the process. As you would expect when linking business banking accounts, extra care must be taken to ensure proper setup. The following next steps should be expected before digital payments are fully enabled:
- PetLoyalty will send a small test deposit
- PetLoyalty will email the financial leader who setup the account and schedule a call
- On the call, PetLoyalty will validate that the deposit was received as well as provide any training as needed
- Once completed, your group should then be enabled to accept digital payments via AME
- Please reach out to the PetLoyalty team at ame@petloyalty.co with any requests or inquiries about payments.
Will I have access to reconciliation reports?
Yes, with Stripe, the payout reconciliation report helps you match the payouts you receive in your bank account with the batches of payments and other transactions that they relate to.
Read more about Stripe reports and reconciliation here.
How often do the electronic adoption fee payments get transferred to my organization’s account?
You are in control of how your organization’s funds are received. Stripe offers several different payout schedule options, such as automatic payments daily, weekly or monthly. Please note that any refunds will require weekly or monthly payout schedules.
Read more about Stripe options for payouts here.
How do I refund electronic adoption fee payments made through AME, if needed?
To refund electronic adoption fee payments, you must access the AME platform, navigate to the Adoptions menu, and select the adoption associated with the refund. From there, click on “Process Refund.” The AME platform will ask for the refund amount and for a refund reason, which will be available in your adoption reports for verification. Please note, if your group's payout schedule is set to daily, refunds may not work and may need to be set to weekly or monthly to allow for a sufficient account balance to be available for a refund to occur.
