MaxCharge Version 2.0 Processes Credit Cards Via Authorize.Net; ActiveX component processes credit cards over the Internet

Business Wire, Oct 30, 1998

OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 30, 1998--Maximized Software, Inc., today released MaxCharge Standard Edition version 2.0, an upgrade to its popular MaxCharge product that enables a web site to securely process credit card orders directly over the Internet.

"Version 2.0 of MaxCharge adds support for the Authorize.Net processing network," said Ken Spreitzer, President of Maximized Software. "Authorize.Net has over 10,000 customers so far, so we know they're providing a quality service to their customers. With the addition of Authorize.Net support to MaxCharge, now more web sites than ever before will be able to make use of their services," said Spreitzer. Authorize.Net support joins MaxCharge version 1.0's support for credit card processing through another network, ECHOnline.

"With MaxCharge, web sites can easily accept and process credit card payments for their goods and services," said Ken Spreitzer, President of Maximized Software. "Many sites report that their sales go up almost immediately because shoppers like to get their purchase immediately, and MaxCharge enables that sort of instant gratification."

MaxCharge is a Windows ActiveX (COM) component, so it can be used with Microsoft Active Server Pages, Visual Basic, Delphi, Excel, ColdFusion, and many other environments. The product includes sample processing scripts, sample code, documentation, and a test merchant account to help the user become immediately productive.

Transactions are submitted securely using SSL technology to protect the shopper's credit card information. MaxCharge submits the transaction via the web server's existing Internet connection, rather than requiring the use of a modem to establish a dial-up connection for each transaction. This yields a substantial improvement in processing time over the traditional dial-up approach; MaxCharge transactions usually take under 10 seconds while dial-up transactions can take up to a minute.

"The MaxCharge software gave me the tools to quickly build impressive commerce-enabled web sites. The best part: no modems, no phone lines. Unlike (other software), MaxCharge is truly designed for the Internet," said Ed Williams, Chief Technical Officer for SacWeb, a Sacramento, California Internet Service Provider (ISP).

WORKS WITH E-COMMERCE PACKAGES

MaxCharge can integrate with most e-commerce products on the market. The MaxCharge web site contains a list of recommended e-commerce systems, which will expand as more systems become available. Also listed on the site are 3rd party MaxCharge integrators and developers of e-commerce enabled sites and systems.

In addition, webmasters can develop their own applications for custom processing of credit cards. MaxCharge comes with a fully documented API (application programming interface). "As a developer, I really appreciated the time savings that MaxCharge allows," said Dave Reed of Intralinks Corporation, a MIS outsourcing company. "It would have taken a lot of effort to fine-tune all the details that MaxCharge handles automatically."

"The current marketplace shows e-commerce growing at an astronomical rate, and studies point to this growth continuing for the next several years," said Spreitzer. "Companies need to be able to combine the best e-commerce package with the best credit card processing software, or to build their own solution to meet their custom needs. MaxCharge provides this flexibility."

AVAILABILITY

MaxCharge Standard Edition version 2.0 is available for immediate download from the Maximized Software web site at http://www.maximized.com. MaxCharge costs $295.00 per computer, and requires a computer running Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT.

Upgrades from version 1.0 are free for registered users.

ABOUT MAXIMIZED SOFTWARE

Maximized Software, headquartered in Oakland, California, was founded in 1992 by Ken Spreitzer. Prior to establishing Maximized Software, Spreitzer achieved industry fame as the creator of Uninstaller for Windows -- a best-selling utility program. Maximized Software also produces several web server and client utilities.

Note to Editors: MaxCharge is a trademark of Maximized Software, Inc. All other marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.