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Financial Institutions and Payment Networks
Financial institutions and payment networks enable payment services. 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 payment cards. 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, card-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 your acquirer to charge 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 thediscount rate. These charges can bebundled(combined into a single charge) orunbundled(charged separately).
- Interchange fees: payment networks, such as Visa or Mastercard, each have a base fee, called theinterchange 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 incurchargebacks. 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 fraudulant 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 acquiring financial institutions and issuing financial institutions. They also develop industry standards, support their brands, and establish fees for acquiring institutions.
Some payment networks, such as Visa, Mastercard, and UnionPay International, 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 IDs (MIDs) to your
business. These unique codes identify your business during payment transactions.This table lists the processors and corresponding card types that are supported for
payment services.
Only the card types explicitly listed here are
supported.
Payment Processor | Supported Card Types | Notes |
---|---|---|
Visa Platform Connect | Different card types are supported for each Visa Platform Connect acquirer. See Visa Platform Connect 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. |
Visa Platform Connect Acquirers
Visa Platform Connect
AcquirersThe following acquirers and card types are supported for
Visa Platform Connect
:Raw Processor Name | Processor Name | Supported Card Types |
---|---|---|
vdcabsa | Absa Bank on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club |
vdcagbkchina | Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) on
Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club Visa Platform Connect cannot process
domestic transactions in China. Visa Platform Connect 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. |
networkintluae | Ahli United Bank in Bahrain, BLOM Bank,
Network International | Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club |
vdcaaib | Arab African International Bank (AAIB) on
Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, JCB |
vdcacbvietnam | Asia Commercial Bank (ACB) on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, JCB |
vdcasb | Auckland Savings Bank (ASB) on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard |
vdcanzbank | Australia and New Zealand Banking Group
Ltd. (ANZ) on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard |
vdcaxis | Axis Bank Ltd. of India on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club |
vdcbanamex | Banco Nacional de México (Banamex) on
Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB, Diners Club |
vdcbcosafrabr | Banco Safra on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express |
vdcbbl | Bangkok Bank Ltd. on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, JCB |
vdcbankmuscat | Bank Muscat of Oman on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club |
vdcbay | Bank of Ayudhya (BAY) on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, JCB |
vdcbocmacau | Bank of China in Macau on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard |
vdcbocom | Bank of Communications on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard |
vdcbksinarmasid | Bank Sinarmas (Omise Ltd.) on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard |
vdcbcellao | Banque Pour Le Commerce Exterieur Lao
(BCEL) on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB |
vdcbarclaysbw | Barclays Bank Botswana on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express |
vdcbarclaysmu | Barclays Bank Mauritius Ltd. on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express |
vdcbarclaysghtzug | Barclays Bank of Ghana Ltd., Barclays Bank
of Tanzania Ltd., and Barclays Bank of Uganda Ltd. on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express |
vdcbarclayske | Barclays Bank of Kenya on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express |
vdcbarclayszm | Barclays Bank of Zambia on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express |
vdcbarclayssc | Barclays Bank Seychelles on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express |
vdcbccardkr | BC Card Co., Ltd. on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB |
vdccubtw | Cathay United Bank (CUB) on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, JCB |
vdccitihkmo | Citibank Hongkong and Macau on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club, JCB |
vdccitimy | Citibank Malaysia on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard |
vdccitisg | Citibank Singapore Ltd. on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, JCB |
vdccbq | Commercial Bank of Qatar on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club |
vdccredimax | CrediMax (Bahrain) on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club |
vdcctbc | CTBC Bank Ltd. on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, JCB |
vdcfdmsbn | First Data Merchant Solutions in Brunei on
Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, JCB |
vdcfdmshk | First Data Merchant Solutions in Hong Kong
on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, JCB |
vdcfdmsmy | First Data Merchant Solutions in Malaysia
on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, JCB |
vdcfdmssg | First Data Merchant Solutions in Singapore
on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, JCB |
vdcfnb | FirstRand Bank on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club |
vdchsbcbank | Global Payments Asia Pacific on Visa Platform Connect | 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. |
vdchabibltd | Habib Bank Ltd. (HBL) on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club |
vdchdfc | HDFC Bank Ltd. of India on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club |
vdcimbank | I&M Bank on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard |
vdcicici | ICICI of India on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard |
vdckeb | Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, JCB Visa Platform Connect cannot process domestic transactions in
Korea. Visa Platform Connect 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. |
vdcmashreqbk | Mashreq on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club |
vdcmaybankmy | Maybank on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB |
vdcnbad | National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) on
Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club |
vdcnbk | National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club |
vdcnacombk | National Commercial Bank on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, mada |
vdcnijo | Network International (NI) Jordan on
Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club |
vdcocbc | Overseas Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC) on
Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard |
vdcpromerica | Promerica in Honduras and Nicaragua on
Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard |
vdcbni | PT Bank Negara Indonesia on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard |
vdcqnbqa | Qatar National Bank (QNB Group) on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club |
vdcsacomb | Sacombank on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, JCB |
vdcsmcc | Sumitomo Mitsui Card Co. on Visa Platform Connect | Visa |
vdctaishintw | Taishin Bank Ltd. on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB |
vdcuob | United Overseas Bank (UOB) in Singapore and
Vietnam on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, JCB |
vdcuobth | United Overseas Bank (UOB) in Thailand on
Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard |
vdcvantiv | Vantiv on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB, Diners
Club |
vdcvietcombk | Vietcombank on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club |
vdcvietin | VietinBank on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club |
vdctechcomvn | Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint
Stock Bank (Techcombank) on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club |
vdcguatemala | Visa Guatemala on Visa Platform Connect | Visa |
vdcvisanetuy | VisaNet Uruguay on Visa Platform Connect | Visa |
vdcwestpac | Westpac on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard |
vdcwhb | Wing Hang Bank on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard |
vdcwinglung | Wing Lung Bank on Visa Platform Connect | Visa, Mastercard |