Payments
Card payment processing brings together several companies, card types, and transaction types. This overview describes the institutions and networks that make payments work and the card and transaction types you can accept.
Payment Companies, Card Types, and Transaction Types
Financial Institutions and Payment Networks
Financial institutions and payment networks enable payment services to function. These entities work together to complete the full payment cycle.
Merchant Financial Institutions (Acquirers)
A merchant financial institution, also known as an acquirer, offers accounts to businesses that accept payments. Before you can accept payments, you must have a merchant account from an acquirer. Your merchant account must be configured to process card-not-present or mail-order/telephone-order (MOTO) transactions.
Each acquirer has connections to a limited number of payment processors. You must choose a payment processor that your acquirer supports.
You can expect to pay these fees:
- Discount rates: your acquirer charges a fee and collects a percentage of every transaction. The combination of the fee and the percentage is called the discount rate. These charges can be bundled (combined into a single charge) or unbundled (charged separately).
- Interchange fees: payment networks, such as Visa or Mastercard, each have a base fee, called the interchange fee, for each type of transaction. Your acquirer and processor can show you ways to reduce this fee.
- Chargebacks: when cardholders dispute charges, you can incur chargebacks. A chargeback occurs when a charge on a customer's account is reversed. Your acquirer removes the money from your account and could charge you a fee for processing the chargeback.
Take these precautions to prevent chargebacks:
- Use accurate merchant descriptors so that customers can recognize the transactions on their statements.
- Provide good customer support.
- Ensure rapid problem resolution.
- Maintain a high level of customer satisfaction.
- Minimize fraudulent transactions.
If excessive chargebacks or fraudulent changes occur, these actions might be taken:
- You might be required to change your business processes to reduce the number chargebacks, fraud, or both.
- Your acquiring institution might increase your discount rate.
- Your acquiring institution might revoke your merchant account.
Contact your sales representative for information about products that can help prevent fraud.
Customer Financial Institutions (Issuers)
A customer financial institution, also known as an issuer, provides payment cards to and underwrites lines of credit for their customers. The issuer provides monthly statements and collects payments. The issuer must follow the rules of the payment card companies to which they belong.
Payment Networks
Payment networks manage communications between acquirers and issuing banks. They also develop industry standards, support their brands, and establish fees for acquiring institutions.
Some payment networks, such as Visa and Mastercard, are trade associations that do not issue cards. Issuers are members of these associations, and they issue cards under license from the association.
Other networks, such as Discover and American Express, issue their own cards. Before you process cards from these companies, you must sign agreements with them.
Payment Processors
Payment processors connect with acquirers. Before you can accept payments, you must register with a payment processor. An acquirer might require you to use a payment processor with an existing relationship with the acquirer.
Your payment processor assigns one or more merchant ID to your business. These unique codes identify your business during payment transactions.
Payment Processors for Visa Acceptance Solutions
This accordion lists, for each processor, the card types it supports and the payment services it supports:
Visa Platform Connect
Card types: American Express, China UnionPay, Diners Club, Discover, Jaywan, JCB, Mastercard, Meeza (Pilot in Egypt only), PayPak, Visa. Different card types are supported for each acquirer. For a list of card types supported, see Acquirers.
The Visa Electron card type is processed the same way that the Visa debit card is processed. Use card type value 001 (Visa) for Visa Electron.
Payment services: Account Name Inquiries, American Express SafeKey, Authorization Reversals, Authorizations, Authorizations with CVN, Authorizations with Line Items, Authorizations with Payment Network Tokens, Captures, Debit and Prepaid Authorizations, Debit and Prepaid Partial Authorizations, Disabling Debit and Prepaid Partial Authorizations, Discover ProtectBuy, Final Authorization Indicators, Forced Captures, Incremental Authorizations, Japanese Payment Options, JCB J/Secure, Marketplace Authorizations with a Foreign Retailer, Marketplace Captures with a Foreign Retailer, Mastercard Bill Payments, Mastercard Expert Monitoring Solutions, Mastercard Identity Check, Multiple Partial Captures, Partial Authorization Reversals, Preauthorizations, Refunds, Sale Voids, Sales, Sales with Payment Network Tokens, SCA Exemption Authorizations, Split Shipments, Stand-Alone Credits, Timeout Authorization Reversals, Timeout Voids, Visa Secure, Voids, Zero Amount Authorizations
Chase Paymentech Solutions
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, JCB, Carte Blanche, Maestro (International)
Payment services: American Express SafeKey, Authorization Reversals, Authorizations, Authorizations with Line Items, Authorizations with Payment Network Tokens, Discover ProtectBuy, Final Authorization Indicators, Forced Captures, Mastercard Identity Check, Refunds, Sale Voids, Sales with Payment Network Tokens, SCA Exemption Authorizations, Surcharge Authorizations, Visa Secure, Zero Amount Authorizations
Elavon Americas
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club, Discover, China UnionPay
Payment services: American Express SafeKey, Authorization Reversals, Authorizations, Authorizations with CVN, Authorizations with Line Items, Authorizations with Payment Network Tokens, Captures, Debit and Prepaid Authorizations, Debit and Prepaid Partial Authorizations, Disabling Debit and Prepaid Partial Authorizations, Final Authorization Indicators, Forced Captures, JCB J/Secure, Mastercard Identity Check, Multiple Partial Captures, Preauthorizations, Refunds, Sale Voids, Sales, Sales with Payment Network Tokens, Stand-Alone Credits, Timeout Authorization Reversals, Timeout Voids, Visa Secure, Voids, Zero Amount Authorizations
FDC Nashville Global
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, JCB, China UnionPay
Payment services: American Express SafeKey, Authorization Reversals, Authorizations, Authorizations with CVN, Authorizations with Line Items, Authorizations with Payment Network Tokens, Captures, Debit and Prepaid Authorizations, Debit and Prepaid Partial Authorizations, Disabling Debit and Prepaid Partial Authorizations, Final Authorization Indicators, Forced Captures, Mastercard Identity Check, Multiple Partial Captures, Refunds, Sale Voids, Sales with Payment Network Tokens, SCA Exemption Authorizations, Timeout Authorization Reversals, Timeout Voids, Visa Bill Payments, Visa Consumer Bill Payments, Visa Secure, Voids, Zero Amount Authorizations
Streamline
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Cartes Bancaires, Dankort, Maestro (International), Maestro (UK Domestic)
For Maestro (International), Identity Check processing is required.
Payment services: Authorization Reversals, Authorizations, Authorizations with CVN, Authorizations with Line Items, Authorizations with Payment Network Tokens, Captures, Debt Repayment, Final Authorization Indicators, Forced Captures, Mastercard Identity Check, Multiple Partial Captures, Refunds, Sale Voids, Sales with Payment Network Tokens, SCA Exemption Authorizations, Visa Secure, Voids, Zero Amount Authorizations
Worldpay VAP
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB, Diners Club
Payment services: Debit and Prepaid Authorizations, Debit and Prepaid Partial Authorizations, Disabling Debit and Prepaid Partial Authorizations, Preauthorizations, Sales, Stand-Alone Credits
Acquirers
This accordion lists these acquirers and the card types that are supported for :
Absa Bank on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcabsa
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club
Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcagbkchina
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club.
cannot process domestic transactions in China. can process only cross-border transactions. A crossborder transaction is a transaction for which the payment card is issued in another country and accepted by a merchant in China.
Ahli United Bank in Bahrain, BLOM Bank, Network International
Raw processor name: networkintluae
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club
Arab African International Bank (AAIB) on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcaaib
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, JCB
Asia Commercial Bank (ACB) on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcacbvietnam
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, JCB
Auckland Savings Bank (ASB) on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcasb
Card types: Visa, Mastercard
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. (ANZ) on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcanzbank
Card types: Visa, Mastercard
Axis Bank Ltd. of India on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcaxis
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club
Banco Nacional de México (Banamex) on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcbanamex
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB, Diners Club
Banco Safra on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcbcosafrabr
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express
Bangkok Bank Ltd. on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcbbl
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, JCB
Bank Muscat of Oman on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcbankmuscat
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club
Bank of Ayudhya (BAY) on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcbay
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, JCB
Bank of China in Macau on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcbocmacau
Card types: Visa, Mastercard
Bank of Communications on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcbocom
Card types: Visa, Mastercard
Bank Sinarmas (Omise Ltd.) on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcbksinarmasid
Card types: Visa, Mastercard
Banque Pour Le Commerce Exterieur Lao (BCEL) on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcbcellao
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB
Barclays Bank Botswana on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcbarclaysbw
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express
Barclays Bank Mauritius Ltd. on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcbarclaysmu
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express
Barclays Bank of Ghana Ltd., Barclays Bank of Tanzania Ltd., and Barclays Bank of Uganda Ltd. on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcbarclaysghtzug
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express
Barclays Bank of Kenya on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcbarclayske
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express
Barclays Bank of Zambia on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcbarclayszm
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express
Barclays Bank Seychelles on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcbarclayssc
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express
BC Card Co., Ltd. on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcbccardkr
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB
Cathay United Bank (CUB) on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdccubtw
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, JCB
Citibank Hongkong and Macau on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdccitihkmo
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club, JCB
Citibank Malaysia on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdccitimy
Card types: Visa, Mastercard
Citibank Singapore Ltd. on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdccitisg
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, JCB
Commercial Bank of Qatar on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdccbq
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club
CrediMax (Bahrain) on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdccredimax
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club
CTBC Bank Ltd. on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcctbc
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, JCB
First Data Merchant Solutions in Brunei on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcfdmsbn
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, JCB
First Data Merchant Solutions in Hong Kong on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcfdmshk
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, JCB
First Data Merchant Solutions in Malaysia on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcfdmsmy
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, JCB
First Data Merchant Solutions in Singapore on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcfdmssg
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, JCB
FirstRand Bank on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcfnb
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club
Global Payments Asia Pacific on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdchsbcbank
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, JCB.
In India, the only supported card types are Visa and Mastercard. All three card types (Visa, Mastercard, JCB) are supported in all other countries that Global Payments Asia Pacific covers.
Habib Bank Ltd. (HBL) on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdchabibltd
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club
HDFC Bank Ltd. of India on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdchdfc
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club
I&M Bank on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcimbank
Card types: Visa, Mastercard
ICICI of India on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcicici
Card types: Visa, Mastercard
Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdckeb
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, JCB.
cannot process domestic transactions in Korea. can process only cross-border transactions. A crossborder transaction is a transaction for which the payment card is issued in another country and accepted by a merchant in Korea.
Mashreq on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcmashreqbk
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club
Maybank on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcmaybankmy
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB
National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcnbad
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club
National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcnbk
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club
National Commercial Bank on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcnacombk
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, mada
Network International (NI) Jordan on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcnijo
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club
Overseas Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC) on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcocbc
Card types: Visa, Mastercard
Promerica in Honduras and Nicaragua on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcpromerica
Card types: Visa, Mastercard
PT Bank Negara Indonesia on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcbni
Card types: Visa, Mastercard
Qatar National Bank (QNB Group) on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcqnbqa
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club
Sacombank on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcsacomb
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, JCB
Sumitomo Mitsui Card Co. on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcsmcc
Card types: Visa
Taishin Bank Ltd. on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdctaishintw
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB
United Overseas Bank (UOB) in Singapore and Vietnam on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcuob
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, JCB
United Overseas Bank (UOB) in Thailand on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcuobth
Card types: Visa, Mastercard
Vantiv on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcvantiv
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB, Diners Club
Vietcombank on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcvietcombk
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club
VietinBank on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcvietin
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club
Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Techcombank) on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdctechcomvn
Card types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club
Visa Guatemala on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcguatemala
Card types: Visa
VisaNet Uruguay on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcvisanetuy
Card types: Visa
Westpac on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcwestpac
Card types: Visa, Mastercard
Wing Hang Bank on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcwhb
Card types: Visa, Mastercard
Wing Lung Bank on Visa Platform Connect
Raw processor name: vdcwinglung
Card types: Visa, Mastercard
Card Types
These are the various types of cards:
| Card Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Co-badged cards | Co-badged cards are credit and debit cards that integrate two or more payment networks. |
| Co-branded cards | Co-branded cards are credit cards that are branded with a merchant's logo, brand, or other identifier as well as the payment network logo. These cards are not limited for use at the branded merchant and can be used at any merchant that accepts credit cards. |
| Credit cards | Cardholders use credit cards to borrow money from issuing banks to pay for goods and services offered by merchants that accept credit cards. |
| Debit cards | A debit card is linked to a cardholder's bank account. The funds are taken out of the customer's bank account, and the transaction is included on the customer's bank account statement. The customer does not receive a credit card bill as with a regular credit card. |
| Prepaid cards | Prepaid cards enable cardholders to pay for goods and services using money stored directly on the card. |
| Private label cards | Private label cards are issued by private companies. They enable cardholders to borrow money to pay for goods exclusively at the issuing company's stores. |
| Quasi-cash | Quasi-cash transactions involve instruments that are directly convertible to cash such as web wallets, travelers checks, cryptocurrency, and lottery tickets. |
| Domestic debit cards | Domestic debit cards are debit cards issued in the same country in which it is used or processed. |
| Domestic credit cards | Domestic credit cards are credit cards issued in the same country in which it is used or processed. |
| International debit cards | International debit cards are debit cards issued outside the country in which it is being used or processed. |
| International credit cards | International credit cards are credit cards issued outside the country in which it is being used or processed. |
For details about card types for your processor, see Payment Processors.
Transaction Types
This section provides information about transaction types that are supported by your processor.
Card-Not-Present Transactions
When a customer provides a card number, but the card and the customer are not physically present at the merchant's location, the purchase is known as a card-not-present transaction. Typical card-not-present transactions are internet and phone transactions. Card-not-present transactions pose an additional level of risk to your business because the customer's identification cannot be verified. You can reduce that risk by using features such as the Address Verification System (AVS) and Card Verification Numbers (CVNs). The AVS and CVNs provide additional protection from fraud by verifying the validity of the customer's information and notifying you when discrepancies occur.
Card-Present Transactions
When a customer uses a card that is physically present in a retail environment, the purchase is known as a card-present transaction. For information about card-present transactions, see the Card Present Connect | Retail Integration Guide and the Card Present Connect | Mass Transit Developer Guide.
Authorizations with Card Verification Numbers
Card verification numbers (CVNs) are a required feature for the authorization service.
The CVN is printed on a payment card, and only the cardholder can access it. The CVN is used in card-not-present transactions as a verification feature. Using the CVN helps reduce the risk of fraud.
CVNs are not included in payment card track data and cannot be obtained from a card swipe, tap, or dip.
CVNs must not be stored after authorization.
CVN Locations and Terminology
For most cards, the CVN is a three-digit number printed on the back of the card, to the right of the signature field. For American Express, the CVN is a four-digit number printed on the front of the card above the card number.
Each payment card company has its own name for the CVN value:
- American Express calls it the card verification value (CVV).
- China UnionPay calls it the card validation number (CVN2).
- Discover calls it the card verification value (CVV).
- JCB calls it the card authentication value (CAV2).
- Mastercard calls it the card validation code (CVC2).
- Visa calls it the card verification value (CVV2).
International Transactions
Consider compliance and merchant remittance funding when processing international transactions.
Compliance
Accepting payments from a country other than your own requires that you observe the processing rules and practices of the payment systems in that country. This list describes areas of compliance that are especially important:
- Merchant descriptor requirements—A merchant descriptor communicates merchant information to customers to remind them of the circumstances that triggered a payment. Merchant descriptors reduce the possibility of a chargeback. Accordingly, the merchant descriptor displayed on a customer's statement should be a close match to the name on your website. It is not good practice to consolidate multiple websites into a single merchant account and use a generic descriptor that more-or-less covers all offerings.
- Excessive chargebacks—To prevent an excessive number of chargebacks, you must maintain good customer support, rapid problem resolution, a high level of customer satisfaction, and transaction management processes that minimize fraudulent transactions. When payment card chargebacks become excessive, you must change business processes to reduce chargebacks. If chargebacks are not reduced to a satisfactory level, your account can be terminated.
Merchant Remittance Funding
You can request that the transaction proceeds be converted to another currency. Currency conversion uses a foreign exchange rate to calculate the conversion to the requested currency. The foreign exchange rate might be explicitly stated as a rate or implicitly stated as a transaction amount. The funded amount can vary from day to day. The foreign exchange rate might also include an increase for the foreign exchange risk, sales commissions, and handling costs.
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Last published: October 28, 2026