Skip to content

Search

"card scheme"

112 articles found

Person entering card details on an online payment page

E-commerce

What is Online Payment?

Making payments over the internet using a card is called online payment. Learn what online payment systems are used for and what happens behind an online transaction, from the payment gateway to the issuing bank.

Credit card being presented at a POS terminal for a pre-authorization transaction

Merchant & POS

Is a Card Required for a Pre-Authorization Transaction?

Whether a card is required for a pre-authorization transaction depends on the type of POS used. On a physical POS, the card must be swiped or inserted to start the transaction. On a virtual POS, entering the card details manually is enough.

Example of RRN printed on a POS receipt used to trace ISO 8583 transactions

ISO 8583

ISO 8583 Field Descriptions (F37)

F37 - RETRIEVAL REFERENCE NUMBER: a 12-digit alphanumeric value generated by the Acquirer that initiates the transaction. It must be printed on the POS receipt or ATM slip. RRN is the reference number that allows a transaction to be located.

Illustration of a point-of-sale terminal checking a card against a warning list

Merchant & POS

What is the Combined Warning List (BUL)?

The Combined Warning List (BUL) lists card numbers the issuer wants blocked (lost, stolen, counterfeit, etc.), which acquiring merchants check within certain limits, at their own risk, when online authorization cannot be obtained.

Conceptual illustration of AI agents engaging in online commerce and payments

Agentic Commerce

Agentic Commerce Series – Part 1

The next customer on the internet may not be human. If AI agents become part of purchasing decisions, the rules of e-commerce, marketing, and payment systems could change.

Diagram of the ISO 8583 field F45 Track 1 data structure

ISO 8583

ISO 8583 Field Descriptions (F45)

F45 (TRACK-1 DAT) carries the Track 1 data of the card in ISO 7813 format, including field separators and start and end sentinels but excluding the LRC character. It is 76 characters long.

Architecture of 3DS 1.0 compared with 3DS 2.0, showing the issuer, interoperability and acquirer domains

Security

What Is 3D Secure 2.0?

Before 3D Secure 2.0, let's explain what 3D Secure is. 3D Secure is a two-layer payment authentication system that protects both the cardholder and the merchant in online payments. First released by Visa in 1999, it was later adopted by other card schemes…

ISO 8583 field 19 acquiring institution country code

ISO 8583

ISO 8583 Field Descriptions (F19)

F19 — Acquiring Institution Country Code: the country to which the location of the acquiring bank's device (ATM, POS, etc.) belongs.

Diagram illustrating the ISO 8583 F39 response code field

ISO 8583

ISO 8583 Field Descriptions (F39)

F39 - RESPONSE CODE: This is the code showing whether the transaction was approved or declined. It is 2-digit alphanumeric. Typically 00 is sent when approved, and a decline reason code is sent when declined.

Photo of a POS terminal related to Terminal Action Code settings

Merchant & POS

Terminal Action Code (TAC)

These are codes placed into the terminal software by the acquirer that govern the rules for whether transactions go online or are declined, covering offline approval, offline decline, and online submission due to issuer risk...

Conceptual illustration of competing players vying for power in agentic commerce

General

Agentic Commerce Series – Part 6

Who will win in Agentic Commerce? Owning the customer used to be a huge advantage. Once an agent starts deciding on the customer's behalf, where does the real power move to?