Surfboard – application and activation

Surfboard is the payment provider we recommend for Cmerce, and the main choice for card payments. With one Surfboard agreement you accept card both at the till and in the webshop, Vipps and Klarna in the webshop, and card payments for subscriptions. Before you can take payments, Surfboard has to approve your business. This is called KYB ("know your business"), and you start the application directly from Cmerce.

Before you start

• You need the «Betalingsmetoder» (Payment methods) permission.
• Have your organisation number, the shop's address and a phone number ready.
• The application must be signed by someone who can sign for the company. If that is not you, you can pass the link on (see step 2).
• If you sell online, your terms of purchase should describe the right of withdrawal and refunds. Surfboard requires this.

How to do it

1. Start the application

1. Go to «Innstillinger» (Settings) → «Salg og betaling» (Sales and payment) → «Betalingsmetoder» (Payment methods).
2. On the Surfboard card, click «Start onboarding».
3. Enter the «Organisasjonsnummer» (Organisation number) and click the magnifying glass («Hent fra BRREG», Fetch from the Brønnøysund Register). The company name and address are filled in from the Brønnøysund Register Centre, and Cmerce suggests an industry.
4. Check «Bransje (MCC)» (Industry), «Butikknavn» (Shop name), «E-post» (Email), «Telefonnummer» (Phone number) and the address fields.
5. To make the application quicker to complete, open «Forhåndsutfyll KYB (valgfritt)» (Pre-fill KYB, optional) and enter estimates for turnover and amounts.
6. Click «Start onboarding». You see the message «Surfboard-onboarding startet» (Surfboard onboarding started).

2. Complete and sign the KYB application

1. The Surfboard card now shows a timeline: «Søknad opprettet» (Application created) → «KYB-søknad fylles ut» (KYB being completed) → «Signering» (Signing) → «Vurdering hos Surfboard» (Review by Surfboard) → «Aktiv» (Active).
2. Click «Åpne KYB-søknad» (Open KYB application). The application opens at Surfboard in a new tab. There you enter owners, signatories and bank account, and sign.
3. If someone else is to complete or sign it, share the link with «Kopier lenke» (Copy link), «Vis QR» (Show QR) or «Send på SMS» (Send by SMS).
4. Once the application is submitted, Surfboard's usual processing time is 3–4 working days. The account is activated automatically when approved. You can click «Sjekk status» (Check status) to fetch the latest status.

If Surfboard asks for more information, the card shows «Mangler informasjon – handling kreves» (Information missing – action required). Open the KYB application again and complete the missing items. Users with the «Betalingsmetoder» permission also get a notification in Cmerce when the status changes.

3. Once the account is active

When the application is approved, the card shows «Surfboard-konto aktiv» (Surfboard account active) and your Merchant ID. Then:

1. Switch on the Surfboard card («Aktivert»).
2. Under «Betalingsmetoder» on the card, switch «Kort» (Card), «Vipps» and «Klarna» on or off. Card and Vipps are switched on automatically when the account is created. Klarna you have to activate yourself.
3. Choose channels: «Nettbutikk» (Webshop) and/or «Kasse (POS)» (Till).
4. To take card payments at the till, register the payment terminal under «Kortterminaler» (Card terminals). See Payment terminal from Surfboard.

4. The webshop: verify your addresses

When you tick «Nettbutikk», Cmerce creates a Surfboard store for each address (domain) your webshop has, and opens the page «Nettbetaling med Surfboard» (Online payments with Surfboard). It has five steps:

1. «Bekreft adresser» (Confirm addresses) – check the addresses are correct.
2. «Opprett nettbutikker» (Create online stores) – one Surfboard store per address. The button can be pressed several times without creating duplicates.
3. «DNS-verifisering» (DNS verification) – for addresses Cmerce manages, the record is added automatically. If you have your own domain, you must add the TXT record shown at the company you bought the domain from, then click «Jeg har lagt inn oppføringen — sjekk nå» (I have added the record — check now).
4. «Terminaler» (Terminals) – Surfboard approves the online store manually once the addresses are verified. The status shows «Venter på godkjenning hos Surfboard» (Awaiting approval from Surfboard) until that is done.
5. «Ferdig» (Done) – click «Fullfør» (Finish). If some addresses are not ready yet, the button reads «Fullfør med advarsler» (Finish with warnings). Customers on those addresses then pay through the main store until they are verified.

Until the setup is finished, the admin shows a banner linking to the page.

Good to know

• Surfboard cannot be switched on until KYB is complete. You then get the message «Fullfør Surfboard-onboarding først» (Complete Surfboard onboarding first).
• More settings for an active account are under «Integrasjoner» (Integrations) → «Surfboard»: payouts, card recognition and the text customers see on their bank statement («Kontoutskrift-tekst»). You cannot change that text yourself – contact support.
• If you try to switch on a payment method that Surfboard does not confirm, you are told it "probably requires extra setup at Surfboard".
• In the webshop the amount is only reserved when the customer pays. It is charged when the order is delivered. At the till the card is charged straight away.

Frequently asked questions

The application was rejected. What now?

The card shows «Søknaden ble avvist» (The application was rejected). Contact Surfboard to find out why, and start a new onboarding once the cause has been fixed.

I only sell at the till. Do I need the DNS verification?

No. The «Nettbetaling med Surfboard» page only applies when Surfboard is switched on for «Nettbutikk».