This document contains information about the pilot release of Payment Services for acquirer
implementation.
Recent Revisions to This Document
25.09.01
This revision contains only editorial changes and no technical updates.
25.06.01
Pilot release.
VISA Platform Connect: Specifications and Conditions for
Resellers/Partners
The following are specifications and conditions that apply to a Reseller/Partner enabling
its merchants through
Visa Acceptance platform
. Failure to meet any of the specifications and conditions below is
subject to the liability provisions and indemnification obligations under
Reseller/Partner’s contract with Visa/Cybersource.
Before boarding merchants for payment processing on a VPC acquirer’s connection,
Reseller/Partner and the VPC acquirer must have a contract or other legal agreement
that permits Reseller/Partner to enable its merchants to process payments with the
acquirer through the dedicated VPC connection and/or traditional connection with
such VPC acquirer.
Reseller/Partner is responsible for boarding and enabling its merchants in
accordance with the terms of the contract or other legal agreement with the relevant
VPC acquirer.
Reseller/Partner acknowledges and agrees that all considerations and fees associated
with chargebacks, interchange downgrades, settlement issues, funding delays, and
other processing related activities are strictly between Reseller and the relevant
VPC acquirer.
Reseller/Partner acknowledges and agrees that the relevant VPC acquirer is
responsible for payment processing issues, including but not limited to, transaction
declines by network/issuer, decline rates, and interchange qualification, as may be
agreed to or outlined in the contract or other legal agreement between
Reseller/Partner and such VPC acquirer.
DISCLAIMER: NEITHER VISA NOR CYBERSOURCE WILL BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY ERRORS OR
OMISSIONS BY THE
Visa Platform Connect
ACQUIRER IN PROCESSING TRANSACTIONS. NEITHER VISA
NOR CYBERSOURCE WILL BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR RESELLER/PARTNER BOARDING MERCHANTS OR
ENABLING MERCHANT PROCESSING IN VIOLATION OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS IMPOSED BY THE
RELEVANT
Visa Platform Connect
ACQUIRER.
Introduction to Payments Acquirer
Implementation
Visa Acceptance Solutions, which includes Visa Acceptance Platform and Cybersource,
offers full-service payment management for merchants. It combines global payment
connectivity with processing, fraud management, and payment security services.
Figure:
How
Visa Platform Connect
Works
Visa Platform Connect
establishes a direct connection between
Visa Platform Connect
and VisaNet
to process authorization transactions into VisaNet to send batch capture files through
Visa to the acquirer so they can maintain their existing settlement processing.
Currently,
Visa Platform Connect
supports Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club, Discover, American
Express, and JCB card products. Brand restrictions apply by acquirer country.
The partnership with and direct connection to Visa helps acquirers provide their
customers with highly reliable and secure payment connectivity as well as a wide range
of value-added payment services.
Supported Channels
Visa Platform Connect
supports these channels:
Contactless (Visa payWave and non-Visa contactless)
E-commerce
EMV
Face to face
Installment
Mobile POS (MPOS)
MOTO
Recurring
Tap to phone
Supported Services
Visa Platform Connect
supports these services:
Account verification
American Express Level II Data
Authorizations/purchases
Balance Inquiry
Balance returns
Capture
Capture VOID (prior to capture batching)
Cash back
Japan payment option (JPO - Visa only)
Merchandise return/credit
Partial authorizations
Push payments (Visa and Mastercard)
Quasi cash
Recurring payments
Reversals
Visa and American Express Installment Payments
Visa and Mastercard Incremental Authorizations (Lodging)
Visa and Mastercard Level II Data
Visa and Mastercard Level III Data
Supported Market Segments
Visa Platform Connect
supports these market segments:
Airline
Car rental
E-commerce
Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT for US market)
Lodging
Mass transit
Mobile POS
MOTO
Restaurant
Retail
Tap to Phone
Supported Card Brands
Visa Platform Connect
supports these card brands:
American Express
Diners Club
Discover
JCB
mada (Saudi Arabia)
Mastercard
Meeza (Egypt)
PayPak (Pakistan)
Union Pay (US only)
Visa
Supported PIN Debit Network and Gateways
Visa Platform Connect
supports these PIN debit network and gateways:
Accel
AFFN
CUAlliance
EBT (US) PIN Debit Gateway Service
Interlink
Maestro
NYCE
Pulse
Shazam
Star
Visa
Supported Value Add Services
Visa Platform Connect
supports multiple Visa Acceptance Solutions services, including
Decision Manager, hosted order pages, tokenization, recurring billing, Acquirer Risk
Controls, tax service, Dynamic Currency Conversion, and invoicing. Contact your
account manager for additional information.
Authorization and Capture Service Data Flow
This figure shows the
Visa Platform Connect
data processing flow for merchants, Visa
Acceptance Solutions, VisaNet, and acquirers.
Figure:
Data Flow Diagram
For authorizations, the merchant sends a request to
Visa Platform Connect
, which
routes both Visa and non-Visa transactions to VisaNet. The authorization
response is returned to the merchant.
Data Capture follows a different
process. The merchant sends a capture request to
Visa Platform Connect
, which sends
it to VisaNet. Visa sends the acquirer a capture file. The acquirer processes
the file and follows their standard clearing process to send the file to the
appropriate card network.
Merchant reporting and payment activity are
provided by
Visa Platform Connect
with standardized data presentation. Reports and data
are available for online viewing or download with full transaction search and query
in the
Business Center
.
Merchant Services
This section additional solutions available to
Visa Platform Connect
merchants.
Global Payment Acceptance
Account Updater
The account updater automatically updates card information to reduce
authorization declines and maintain accurate, up-to-date card data.
Payer Authentication
Payer authentication integrates authentication services like Verified by
Visa to reduce interchange costs and shift liability.
Payment Processing Worldwide
Worldwide payment processing enables merchants to accept a wide range of
global and regional payment types through a single connection to maximize
sales reach and conversion.
Payment Security
Payment security enhances brand protection and streamlines PCI compliance by
eliminating contact with sensitive payment data throughout the transaction
process.
Payment Tokenization
Payment tokenization replaces sensitive payment data with tokens to enhance
security and reduce risk.
Secure ERP and System Centralization Services
Secure ERP and system centralization services moves payment-centric ERP
modules out of scope and consolidates payment infrastructure for improved
security management.
Support for Multiple Sales Channels and Business Models
Visa Platform Connect
supports IP-based transactions from various sales
channels and complex recurring billing schedules and terms.
Taxes Calculated Worldwide
Visa Platform Connect
provides real-time, accurate tax calculations for global
sales, including US sales tax, GST, and VAT, with precise jurisdiction
identification by address.
Unified Checkout (Secure Acceptance) Services for Web, Mobile & Call
Center
Unified checkout allows merchants to securely capture payment data directly
on the payment network, bypassing their systems.
Fraud Management
Analytics and Administration
Fraud analytics offers merchants extensive reporting and visibility into the
entire payment lifecycle for better reconciliation and chargeback
management.
Billing Management Services
Billing management services automates and secures subscription and
installment payment processes, minimizing data storage risks.
Outsourcing Solutions
Visa Platform Connect
enables merchants to fully outsource fraud screening or
augment manual review capacity during peak times, with performance
guarantees.
Platform Integrations & Developer Services
Visa Platform Connect
is pre-integrated with popular enterprise platforms and
accessible via an API for seamless payment processing.
Process Management Solutions
Visa Platform Connect
provides a robust fraud detection and case management
system with real-time monitoring and comprehensive analytics.
Professional Services
Professoinal services provide expert consulting to design, streamline, and
integrate enhanced payment architectures for merchants.
Processing Data Flow
This section describes the processing data flows for
Visa Platform Connect
.
Figure:
Processing Flow Overview
Authorization Processing
The merchant submits an authorization request through an API request directly or
through the payment technology provider.
Visa Platform Connect
maps the merchant authorization request into an outbound Visa
ISO-formatted 0100/0200 authorization request and submits to VisaNet.
Visa Platform Connect
determines the transaction destination and routes either to
the Visa issuer (or STIP) or through the Visa Gateway Service to a non-Visa
gateway for authorization.
The issuer (or network) responds to Visa with an 0110/0210 authorization
response.
Visa matches the authorization response to the original request and returns the
0110/ 0210 authorization response to
Visa Platform Connect
.
The gateway receives the 0110/0210 authorization response, maps the Visa ISO
message to the respective API response back to the merchant.
Capture Processing
The merchant submits individual XML capture requests to
Visa Platform Connect
as follow-on transactions or at the same time as the authorization
request.
Visa Platform Connect
accumulates transactions until a pre-determined batch
cutoff is met. This cut-off time is configured at
Visa Platform Connect
during
acquirer boarding.
The merchant might have some flexibility to select its batch cutoff
time as long asit fits within the acquirer's pre-configured batch
cutoff time options.
Acquirers might have multiple merchants that process transactions
through the
Visa Platform Connect
front-end. Capture data from all
merchants is included.
Visa Platform Connect
creates the capture files and sends them to VisaNet for
delivery to acquirers.
VisaNet transforms the file into a BASE II TC 33A Capture File and delivers
to the acquirer according to the acquirer's file delivery profile.
The acquirer processes the TC 33.A Capture Files and submits clearing drafts
to respective payment networks for clearing and settlement processing.
The acquirer funds their merchants.
Primary Service Features
This section describes the primary features of the
Visa Platform Connect
service.
TC 33.A Capture File
Visa sends the TC 33.A Capture File to you in an enhanced TC 33.A record format,
consolidated with other files through the EA server or through the Direct
Exchange OFD.
The TC 33.A Capture File contains purchase and refund transactions that have approved
authorizations.
Refer to BASE II Clearing: Interchange Formats, TC 01 to TC 49 under the TC33.A: Capture
Transactions chapter for the record layout of the TC 33.A Capture File records.
Use the data in this file to create clearing records for the approved
authorization transactions for settlement purpose.
The TC 33.A Capture File supports authorization activity for these brands:
Visa
Mastercard
Diners Club
JCB
American Express (Limited regions per American Express)
Discover (Limited regions)
China Union Pay (US Only)
mada (Saudi Arabia Only)
Clear Visa transactions only through VisaNet. Use the capture file data
to clear non-Visa transactions through other processors or networks.
Capture File Contents
The TC 33.A Capture File contains purchase and refund transactions that were
previously approved during authorization. These transactions are as follows:
Authorizations that have been captured
Installment/Recurring Payment
Credit/Returns
Optional TCRs and Fields for TC 33.A Capture Files
Specify which Transaction Code Records (TCRs) to add to your
subscription in the
Visa Platform Connect
- Acquirer Implementation Questionnaire.
Select any or all conditional TCR groups or TCR records used
for specific types of transactions. Mandatory TCRs are selected automatically, and
optional TCRs are selected based on your needs. A TCR is only included in the
file if there is relevant transaction data.
Acquirer Required and Conditional TCR Groups and Records
For every transaction in the TC 33.A Capture File, you always receive CP01 and CP12
Transaction Data.
TC 33.A Capture File CP01 Transaction Data
TCR
TCR DESCRIPTION
Y/N
COMMENTS
CP01 TCR 0
Transaction Data
Y
Mandatory
CP01 TCR 1
Additional Data
Y
Mandatory
CP01 TCR 2
Billing and Shipping
Y
Mandatory
CP01 TCR 3
Billing and Shipping (Cont’d)
Y
Mandatory
CP01 TCR 4
Merchant Data
Y
Mandatory
CP01 TCR 5
Installment Payment
Y
Mandatory
CP01 TCR 6
Gateway Data
Y
Mandatory
CP01 TCR 7
Gateway Data (Cont’d)
Y
Mandatory
CP01 TCR 8
Supplemental Data
Y
Mandatory
CP01 TCR 9
Argentina Domestic Processing
N
Mandatory for Argentina processors
CP01 TCR 9
Intra-Country Data - Brazil National Data
N
Mandatory for Brazil processors
CP01 TCR 9
Intra-Country Data - Chile National Data
N
Mandatory for Chile processors
CP01 TCR 9
Intra-Country Data - Colombia National Data
N
Mandatory for Colombia processors
CP01 TCR 9
Intra-Country Data - Japan National Data
N
Mandatory for Japan processors
CP01 TCR 9
Intra-Country Data - Mexico National Data
N
Mandatory for Mexico processors
CP01 TCR 9
Intra-Country Data - South Africa National Data
N
Mandatory for South Africa processors
CP01 TCR 9
Intra-Country Data – India National Data
N
Mandatory for India processors
CP01 TCR 9
Uruguay
N
Mandatory for Uruguay processors
CP01 TCR A
Currency Conversion
Y
Mandatory
CP01 TCR B
Gateway Data (Cont’d)
Y
Mandatory
TC 33.A Capture File CP02 EMV Data
TCR
TCR DESCRIPTION
Y/N
COMMENTS
CP02 TCR 0
EMV Data
N
Conditional
CP02 TCR 1
EMV Data (Cont’d)
N
Conditional
CP02 TCR2
EMV Data (Cont’d)
N
Conditional
TC 33.A Capture File CP03 Lodging Data
TCR
TCR DESCRIPTION
Y/N
COMMENTS
CP03 TCR 0
Lodging Summary
N
Conditional
CP03 TCR 1
Lodging Summary (Cont’d)
N
Conditional
CP03 TCR 2
Lodging Summary (Cont’d)
N
Conditional
CP03 TCR 3
Lodging Summary Additional Amounts
N
Conditional
CP03 TCR 4
Lodging Summary Additional Amounts (Cont’d)
N
Conditional
TC 33.A Capture File CP04 Level 2 and 3 Data
TCR
TCR DESCRIPTION
Y/N
COMMENTS
CP04 TCR 0
Level II Data
N
Conditional
CP04 TCR 1
Level II Data - American Express
N
Conditional
CP04 TCR 2
Level III Data - Purchasing Transaction Summary
N
Conditional
CP04 TCR 3
Level III Data - Purchasing Transaction Summary
N
Conditional
TC 33.A Capture File CP05 Air Passenger Itinerary Data
TCR
TCR DESCRIPTION
Y/N
COMMENTS
CP05 TCR 0
Passenger Itinerary Data
N
Conditional
CP05 TCR 1
Passenger Itinerary Data (Cont’d)
N
Conditional
CP05 TCR 2
Passenger Itinerary Data (Cont’d)
N
Conditional
CP05 TCR 3
Passenger Itinerary Data (Cont’d)
N
Conditional
CP05 TCR 4
Passenger Itinerary Data (Cont’d)
N
Conditional
CP05 TCR 5
Passenger Itinerary Data (Cont’d)
N
Conditional
CP05 TCR 6
Passenger Itinerary Data - Industry Specific Data - Passenger
Transport
N
Conditional
CP05 TCR 7
Passenger Itinerary Data (Cont’d)
N
Conditional
TC 33.A Capture File CP06 Enhanced Data Detail
TCR
TCR DESCRIPTION
Y/N
COMMENTS
CP06 TCR 0
Enhanced Data - Purchasing Transaction Line- Item Detail
N
Conditional
CP06 TCR 1
Enhanced Data - Purchasing Transaction Line- Item Detail
(Cont’d)
N
Conditional
TC 33.A Capture File CP07 Country Data
TCR
TCR DESCRIPTION
Y/N
COMMENTS
CP07 TCR 0
Country Data
N
Mandatory for Brazil Processors
CP07 TCR 1
Brazil Country Data - PARC
N
Mandatory for Brazil Processors
CP07 TCR 2
Brazil Country Data - BNDES
N
Mandatory for Brazil Processors
CP07 TCR 3
Brazil Country Data - American Express Installment
Payments
N
Mandatory for Brazil Processors
CP07 TCR 4
Commercial Mastercard Installment Payments
N
Conditional
CP07 TCR 5
Consumer Mastercard Installment Payments
N
Conditional
CP07 TCR 6
Brazil Country Data - Mastercard BNDES1
N
Mandatory for Brazil Processors
CP07 TCR 7
Debt Repayment Information
N
Conditional
CP07 TCR 8
Japan's Mastercard Additional Data
N
Mandatory for Japan Processors
CP07 TCR 9
EU Specific Processing
N
Mandatory for Europe Processors
CP07 TCR A
Poland- MC Specific - Commercial Cards
N
CP07 TCR B
Intra- Country Data - Colombia
TC 33.A Capture File CP08 Discretionary Data
TCR
TCR DESCRIPTION
Y/N
COMMENTS
CP08 TCR 0
Discretionary Data - Default TCR
N
Conditional
CP08 TCR 1
Free Form Text
N
Conditional
TC 33.A Capture File CP09 Push Payment
TCR
TCR DESCRIPTION
Y/N
COMMENTS
CP09 TCR 0
Push Payment - Default
N
Conditional
CP09 TCR 1
Push Payment - Original Credit Transaction
N
Conditional
CP09 TCR 2
Push Payment - Original Credit Transaction - Additional
Details
N
Conditional
CP09 TCR 3
Sender Name (Split)
N
Conditional
CP09 TCR 4
Recipient Name (Split)
N
Conditional
CP09 TCR 5
Canada/Colombia OCT and AFT in General
N
Conditional
CP09 TCR 6
Account Funding Transaction Details
N
Conditional
TC 33.A Capture File CP10 Car Rental
TCR
TCR DESCRIPTION
Y/N
COMMENTS
CP10 TCR 0
Car Rental Default
N
Conditional
CP10 TCR 1
Car Rental (Cont’d)
N
Conditional
CP10 TCR 2
Car Rental (Cont’d)
N
Conditional
CP10 TCR 3
Car Rental (Cont’d)
N
Conditional
CP10 TCR 4
Car Rental (Cont’d)
N
Conditional
TC 33.A Capture File CP12 Transaction Data
TCR
TCR DESCRIPTION
Y/N
COMMENTS
CP12 TCR 0
Transaction Data
Y
Mandatory
CP12 TCR 1
Merchant Data
Y
Mandatory
CP12 TCR 2
Gateway Data
Y
Optional
CP12 TCR 3
Gateway Data (Contd.)
Y
Optional
CP12 TCR 4
Gateway Data (Contd.)
Y
Optional
CP12 TCR5
Transaction Data (Contd.)
Y
Optional
Edit Package
The Edit Package application is software provided by Visa that is installed by acquirers
and issuers in their internal systems.
For the
Visa Platform Connect
service, you must use the Edit Package to receive the TC33
Capture File.
The Incoming (receive) TC 33.A Capture File is transmitted with the following Edit
Package records: TC 90 (File Header); the TC 91 (Batch File) and the TC 92 (File
Trailer).
For more information on the Edit Package file header, batch trailer or file trailer
records, refer to the BASE II Clearing Interchange Formats TC 01 to TC 49 manual.
Contact your Visa Account Manager for additional questions on record formats.
The Edit Package is also used to validate that the BASE II TC05 (Sales Draft) and TC
06 (Credit) transactions that are created from the TC33 Capture File are correct
before submitting to Visa for clearing and settlement.
If you are processing through the
Visa Acceptance Platform
Authorization and Capture
platform, you must use one of the following Edit Package applications.
Mainframe Edit Package, Release 4.0
PC Edit Package for Windows, Version 4.00.0008 (or later)
File Delivery Options
This section describes delivery options for TC33-CAP files.
Customized File Delivery
With customized file delivery, TC33-CAP files are always expedited and sent by Visa
to you as soon as they are provided by the
Visa Acceptance Platform
. The file
creation time, including transaction cutoff time and file delivery to Visa, are all
customizable and configured based on information populated in the Acquirer
Implementation Questionnaire.
The customized delivery files are delivered separately from all other files. The
customized delivery file can be identified by the value
VCAPF
in
the
Customized Delivery File Type
field, ITF TC 90, TCR 0, position
109-113.
Contact your Visa Regional Implementation Manager for setting up customized file
delivery. This delivery option is recommended for easier differentiation of capture
records during processing.
Non-Customized File Delivery
With non-customized file delivery, TC33-CAP files can be received as either
non-consolidated and expedited, or consolidated and not expedited, as shown below.
Again, the file creation time, including transaction cut-off time and file delivery,
are all customizable and configured at the
Visa Acceptance Platform
based on
information populated in the Acquirer Implementation Questionnaire.
Non-consolidated and expedited: capture records are contained in an
undifferentiated file that is delivered to you as soon as it is provided by the
Visa Acceptance Platform
.
Consolidated and un-expedited: capture records are mixed with other transactions
in an undifferentiated file and delivered to you after settlement for the day is
complete.
Undifferentiated files are identified by a value of UNDIF in the BASE II Customized
Delivery File Type field, positions 100-113 of the TCR 0—Incoming ITF record in the
TC 90—Header Record.
The following table shows the delivery options for the TC33-CAP file.
TC33-CAP File Delivery Options
Custom File Delivery
Consolidate Files
Expedited
ITF TC90 Header Record
Comments
Y
-
Y
VCAPF
Delivery of the TC33- CAP file is expedited. The Consolidate
Files setting is ignored when Custom File Delivery is
selected.
N
Y
N
UNDIF
Records from the TC33-CAP file are consolidated with other TC
33 records within an acquirer's consolidated undifferentiated
(UNDIF) file, which is delivered after settlement has
completed∂ß
N
N
Y
UNDIF
Only the records from the TC33-CAP file are contained within
an acquirer's UNDIF file that is delivered as though it were
expedited.
Implementation Tasks
This section describes the tasks that you must complete in order to implement the
1. Ensure that a BASE II connection is established.
2. Establish a Direct Exchange OFD or Extended Access (EA) server
connection to support the TC 33.A Acquirer Capture Files, Flexible
Authorization Reporting, SMS & Raw Data Reports, and BASE II
transactions.
3. Establish support for the Mainframe Edit Package, Release 4.0,
or the PC Edit Package.
4. Set up Visa Resolve Online. For more information, see Visa Resolve
Online.
1. Verify that Visa will plan and perform quiet production to
monitor and verify that production activity after the first merchant
has been on-boarded.
Task 1: Create an Internal Project Plan
Work with your Visa Regional Implementation Manager to create an internal project plan
and obtain Visa Acceptance Solutions and Visa ready dates.
The project plan should include tasks for internal departments, including any coding
changes to Host systems and their internal procedures.
To complete an internal project plan and task force, contact the appropriate internal
business areas.
Request any required Visa documentation from your Visa Regional Implementation Manager
and distribute it to the task force.
Because each acquirer's internal system and business needs are unique, you must determine
all of the changes that are required in order to implement the
Visa Platform Connect
Service and include them in your internal project plan.
Share the completed project plan it with your Visa Regional Implementation Manager.
Task 2: Fulfill Internal System Requirements
You must have all of the following installed in your host systems prior to
implementation:
A BASE II connection using an EA Server or Direct Exchange OFD to support:
Receipt of TC 33.A Capture Files and TC 33 POS Authorization Files (optional)
Sending Draft Data TC 05 and TC 06 transactions
If using Direct Exchange, be set up for the OFD file types
Have installed one or more of the following Edit Package applications:
Mainframe Edit Package, Release 4.0
PC Edit Package for Windows, Version 4.00.0008 (or later)
For the
Visa Platform Connect
program, you must have an E-commerce license issued by
Visa to implement this service. Please contact your Visa Representative if you do
not have the E-commerce license.
Task 3: Establish Merchant Relationships
You may have existing relationships with merchants who are using a Visa Acceptance
Solutions authorization and capture platform.
Identifying the appropriate merchants and establishing a relationship with them is
outside the scope of this guide. You must ensure that participating merchants submit the
necessary data for configuring transaction processing through the
Visa Acceptance Platform
. Examples of the data required include MCC, terminal ID, and merchant IDs assigned by
you or your networks.
You must ensure that merchants comply with all Visa operating regulations, PCI DSS, and
PA-DSS. For more information, contact your Visa Regional Implementation Manager.
Task 4: Request and Complete Forms
A Visa Acceptance Solutions Implementation Consultant assists you as needed in completing
the required forms. After forms are complete, share them with your Implementation
Consultant for processing.
Acquirer Enrollment Form (required)
Complete this form to enroll in the
Visa Platform Connect
service. Request this
form from your Sales Representative/Engineer, complete it, and submit it to
your Visa Regional Manager.
The Visa Service Enrollment Form
must be completed and submitted before any subsequent implementation
activities are started. This form will impact your project timeline.
authorization and
capture project. The details can be filled out on the Acquirer Onboarding
Automation (AOA) tool with the help of a Visa representative, which
generates a PDF questionnaire. The signed questionnaire must be submitted on
the AOA portal.
Required information includes:
Client contact and officer information
Signature of Acquirer Officer form is accurate
Acquirer Authorization BIN for the AIQ
Destination ID (CIB, NCID, BIN, etc.) for the required TC 33.A Capture
Files and the optional TC 33 POS Authorization Files
Delivery settings for TC 33.A Capture Files
Supported Card Brands on the Visa Gateway
Supported processing security features
Supported transaction currencies
Additional information such as time zones, maximum number of files that
can be received in a day (more than one is necessary), maximum file
sizes, maximum records in a batch file, and daily processing
schedule
Additional Processing service features (Original Credit Transactions,
Dynamic Currency Conversion and Forced Capture)
Supported TCRs for the TC 33.A Capture File
BIN License Agreement (optional)
Used to request a new BIN to process through
Visa Platform Connect
.
It may take two weeks from submission until a new BIN is assigned. Contact
your Visa Regional Implementation Manager for additional information.
New Authorization Report Request (optional)
This form is used to set up a subscription for and customize the TC 33 POS
Authorization File. These files are optional for
Visa Platform Connect
and can
be used for reconciliation, merchant billing, client support, and more.
This form should be submitted to Visa through your Visa Account Manager or
attached to an email sent to V.I.P. Reporting at [email protected].
Test Request and Merchant Data Form (required)
This form collects merchant data values for Acquirer VCMS Testing. This data
ensures that merchant information used in the capture file during testing is
correctly configured. The form should be uploaded on the Acquirer Onboarding
Automation (AOA) portal with the help of a Visa representative.
The form is divided into two main sections:
Section A: For Acquirers to select service features for which they
want capture test data
Section B: For Acquirers to provide override parameters for their
test data
Task 5: Complete Internal Systems Updates
Complete all Host system coding changes and procedural updates for the
Visa Platform Connect
service according to their internal project plan.
Although the internal system changes and procedures contained in internal project plans
may vary greatly depending on the your organization's needs, you must make the following
changes to your Host systems for the
Visa Platform Connect
service:
Code for the OFD file types if using Direct Exchange
Process the TC 33.A Capture File to properly map and store the purchase and refund
transaction data and then use existing clearing and settlement process to create
BASE II Draft Data TC 05 and TC 06 transactions that are submitted to Visa for
clearing and settlement. Use data to submit proper clearing files for non- Visa
transactions directly to the relevant schemas, or network.
Optional: use authorization details in TC 33 POS Authorization File to support
activities such as merchant billing, reconciliation, and customer support.
Task 6: Finish Testing
Your Visa Regional Implementation Manager will assist you in developing a detailed test
plan that is tailored to your needs. In order to finish testing, you will:
Confirm the Merchant test account configuration matches the Merchant Data form
data
Set up BIN participation flag
Set up Edit Package
Set up TC 33.A Capture File
Set up TC 33 POS Authorization file
Test TC33 File
Test BASE II transaction
Test settlement and reconciliation
Merchant Test Account Setup
A Visa Regional Implementation Manager will help determine the parameters required to
configure a test merchant account on your internal system.
Default values will be available as part of the Test Request and Merchant Data form.
Alternatively, you can populate the preferred parameters in the Test Request and
Merchant Data form to be set up on your Host system. There is limited flexibility of
currencies available for testing and the use of multiple unique Merchant
Identification numbers (Card Acceptor ID) and Terminal IDs per card brand.
American Express requires that brand-specific network assigned Card Acceptor value be
used in processing. This Merchant Identifier, called the Service Establishment
number, will be different than the Merchant Identifier used for the other brands. In
many cases, the Discover Network also requires a unique ID assigned by Discover. It
is important to utilize production-like settings in the test merchant account for a
more comprehensive testing of your own internal processes.
The merchant does their own testing for their integration. Merchant testing is a
separate, independent activity. The purpose of merchant testing is to enable the
merchant to test the basic success and error conditions for each service they plan
to use.
Flag and File Setup
Verify with your implementation manager that the following items have been set up
according to the options and parameters indicated on the
Visa Platform Connect
-
Acquirer Implementation Questionnaire:
BIN Participation Flag Setup
TC 33.A Capture File Setup
TC 33 POS Authorization File Setup
TC33 File Testing
Visa will generate test TC 33.A Capture Files and TC 33 POS Authorization Files based
on the services and options you request.
Ensure that your Edit Package and internal systems can complete these actions:
Receive and process the TC 33.A Capture File.
Receive and process the TC 33 POS Authorization File (if elected).
BASE II Transaction Testing
Conduct testing before processing BASE II transactions in production. Regional
testing support representatives must ensure that the your BIN or CIB is set up in
VCMS.
Use the data provided in the TC 33.A Capture File to develop and submit Draft
Data TC 05 and TC 06 transactions to VCMS BASE II for clearing and
settlement.
Submit Edit Package outgoing edit run reports (TC 05 and TC 06) to Visa.
Request that Visa Global testing representative verifies Edit Package outgoing
edit run reports (TC 05 and TC 06) for a successful run. Confirm record, field
validation, and content.
The creation and testing of clearing
transaction and exception items for all brands is your responsibility as the
acquirer.
Settlement and Reconciliation Testing
You may perform reconciliation to validate your test processes. During testing, you
should complete the following settlement reconciliation tasks:
Accumulate transaction counts and amounts during transaction processing.
Calculate the net amount for the settlement day.
Verify counts, amounts, and the net settlement position on the appropriate VSS
reports.
Task 7: Establish a Go-Live Date
Contact your implementation manager to confirm that the production implementation date is
valid. There is a 15-day lead time between the request date and activation date.
Visa will execute the agreed-upon implementation date unless the client changes the date.
If the production implementation date must be changed, establish a new date with your
implementation manager. Visa requires at least 15 business days prior to the
implementation date to change the original date.
When an implementation date is established, the implementation manager arranges to have
processing schedules set up according to information submitted in the
Visa Platform Connect
– Acquirer Implementation Questionnaire.
The implementation manager will request Visa Acceptance Solutions Operations to activate
a batch group job for the gateway. BusOps requires at least two weeks prior to
implementation date to set up processing schedules defined by the batch group.
Information to set schedules is based on information specified in Section I of the
Acquirer Implementation Questionnaire. Verify with your implementation manager that Visa
will help you to monitor and verify that the production environment setup is
correct.
Task 8: Manage Merchant Boarding
Enroll merchants in
Visa Platform Connect
by either working with Visa Acceptance
Solutions to provide the necessary details or by boarding through tools provided
in the
Business Center
.
Ensure that all participating merchants are
following the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS), the Payment
Application Data Security Standards (PA-DSS), and Visa Operating Regulations.
Task 9: Monitor Production Activity
Verify with your implementation manager that starting with your go-live date,
Visa will perform quiet production to monitor and verify that the production
environment setup is correct. Merchants must be boarded in production for
monitoring to be effective.
Merchant Set-Up Tasks
You can follow the steps outlined in this section or use the
Business Center
to register
merchants. Contact your Visa Acceptance Solutions Regional Sales Lead to obtain
additional information.
Complete these steps to set up a merchant account:
A merchant agreement is a contract between you and the merchant. The agreement
specifies each party's respective rights, duties, and obligations for
participation.
Merchants must evaluate or modify their system to process transactions through a Visa
Acceptance Solutions authorization and capture platform.
Existing merchant agreements need to be updated to reflect participation in Visa
Acceptance Solutions processing. It is important that you review changes to the
merchant relationship relative to Visa Acceptance Solutions transaction processing
and document them in the merchant agreement, regardless of the connectivity option
selected by the merchant.
A new merchant agreement, or an addendum to an existing agreement, can include the
following items:
Terminal requirements, costs, and installation considerations
Pricing changes, if relevant
Support for authorization and clearing messages at the point of sale
Receipt of new information on reports, if relevant
Network participation and compliance with related rules and regulations
Task 1: Register the Merchant
Merchants must register an evaluation account with Visa Acceptance Solutions, using one
of these internet links:
You can register merchants directly using tools available in the
Business Center
.
After a merchant completes registration, they receive an email with instructions to set
up their user account for the
Business Center
.
An evaluation account cannot be directly taken to production. There are still contractual
business steps that must be completed before Visa Acceptance Solutions processes
production transactions for a merchant. For more information, see Task 6: Submit Quote and Contract(s).
Task 2: Choose an Integration Method
Many merchants connect to Visa Acceptance Solutions for transaction processing download
one of the Visa Acceptance Solutions pre-built API clients.
These API clients fall into these categories:
Visa Acceptance Solutions development platform with REST-based connection.
Simple Order API (pre-built API using either an XML or Name-Value Pair data
scheme)
SOAP Toolkit API alternative hosted and secured options.
There are alternate means to send Visa Acceptance Solutions transaction requests,
although many merchants will use some form of the API clients as their default
processing model (linked to the payment pages of their web site).
API clients can be found on the Visa Acceptance Solutions Developer Center website at the
following web link: developer-guides.html
Task 3: Download Documentation
Documentation for the Visa Acceptance Solutions client application and tools can be found
on the Visa Acceptance Solutions Support Center website at the following web link: developer-guides.html
Task 4: Create Encryption Key
When an evaluation account is set up, the merchant is ready to start integration with a
Visa Acceptance Solutions test environment.
The first step is to generate an encryption key that is used with whatever API or
connection method the merchant uses to send transaction requests to Visa Acceptance
Solutions.
Task 5: Merchant Codes and Test
When the merchant downloads the software and documentation for its connection method(s),
instruct the merchant to code its software for the Visa Acceptance Solutions test
environment.
The specifics of this testing vaies depending on the connection method the merchant uses.
The merchant should send test transactions to Visa Acceptance Solutions that mimic
successful, declined, or erroneous transactions.
Task 6: Submit Quote and Contract(s)
The merchant must submit a signed quote and any contracts before they can go live in Visa
Acceptance Solutions. The merchant is not permitted to process in a Visa Acceptance
Solutions production environment until they complete this step.
Once Visa Acceptance Solutions receives the signed quote/contract from the merchant, the
merchant's account is classified as a Test account rather than an evaluation account.
This step can be optional if the merchant is enabled on your behalf.
Task 7: Configure Merchant Banking
Before a merchant can go live in Visa Acceptance Solutions, they must provide acquiring
banking information.
Banking information differs depending upon the banks or institutions with which the
merchant does business. Merchant banking information can include the following
parameters:
MID/TID values for each transaction currency supported (often different from funding
currency)
Merchant address data
Task 8: Product Configuration
In addition to the banking entities and processor set up that is required within Visa
Acceptance Solutions merchant banking configuration, set up can also be required for
products or connection methods the merchant chooses to use.
Some of these set ups can be completed by the merchant and some set up items must be
configured by Visa Acceptance Solutions Customer Support on behalf of the merchant
account (specific reporting configurations, PayPal, or other payment type setup).
Task 9: Going Live
The merchant is ready to request account enablement in the production environment.
Account enablement can happen before, or when, the merchant opens their site or
application to the public, or at the beginning of a suite of tests from the merchant
side.
Testing Support
This section describes the testing support requirements and activities required to
process transactions through a Visa Acceptance Solutions authorization and capture for
Visa Platform Connect
.
The goal of the acquirer testing effort is to ensure that you can:
Receive the new TC 33.A Capture File from Visa.
Submit Draft Data TC 05 and TC 06 to Visa for clearing and settlement.
To confirm that you can successfully process the TC 33.A Capture File and clearing and
settlement files, read the TC 33.A Capture File data and generate corresponding TC 05
clearing records in the VCMS BASE II environment.
Visa acquirers that choose to support Visa
Acceptance Solutions authorization and capture processing must support the Edit Package
or PC Edit Package for Windows Release 4.0, using a version implemented with, or after,
the October 2011 business release, to receive the incoming TC33.A Capture.
Direct Connect Testing comprises of two components:
Acquirer testing component in the Visa Certification Management System (VCMS)
Merchant testing component using simulators in Visa Acceptance Solutions
Use the following documents as reference materials for the testing process:
VCMS Testing Guide-BASE II, Client Version
VCMS Testing Guide-V.I.P., Client Version
Testing Best Practices (Visa clients)
Acquirer Testing
Before you begin testing, a test Capture File must be generated by
Visa Platform Connect
and
then submitted to VCMS.
Acquirers Testing in VCMS
The goal of testing is to ensure that you can receive the new TC33.A Capture File
from Visa, process the capture data within the file, and generate the corresponding
clearing data for the settlement file.
Complete these tasks to test in VCMS:
Test activities on behalf of a test merchant.
Test acquirer configuration of each environment and prepare the test plan. A
predetermined set of transactions is used and filtered based on information in
the Acquirer Implementation Questionnaire and the Merchant Test Data Form.
Define merchant parameters to configure a test merchant account. The data is
requested in the Merchant Test Data Form.
Acquirer Testing Overview
You must support TC 33.A Capture File processing and subscribe to the TC 33 POS
Authorization File.
Complete these pre-test tasks to ensure you can receive and process TC 33.A Capture
File records in its incoming BASE II test file:
Complete and return all required questionnaires and forms
Establish a connection to either the EA Server or Direct Exchange OFD
Implement the Edit Package or PC Edit Package for Windows Release 4.0, using a
version implemented with, or after, the October 2011 business release, in order
to receive the incoming TC 33.A Capture File.
Required Testing Process
You must conduct
required testing of the TC 33.A Capture File.
You are required to test for
authorization and capture with
Visa Platform Connect
. You must demonstrate that your Host
system is ready to send and receive data required for clearing and settlement for each
Visa Platform Connect
transaction.
TC 33.A Record Testing
Ensure that your Edit Package and internal systems can successfully receive and
process the complete TC 33.A Capture File.
Edit Package
The Edit Package application is software provided by Visa.
You must use the Edit Package to receive TC 33.A Acquirer Capture and Flexible
Authorization Reporting files and to send TC33-ACK files.
The Edit Package is also used to validate the BASE II TC 05 and TC 06 transactions
created from the TC 33.A Acquirer Capture file before submitting them to Visa for
clearing and settlement.
To participate in
Visa Platform Connect
, use the following Edit Package application:
Mainframe Edit Package, release 4.0
Include
FILETYPE=ACKFL
in the run control options file (ddname //TMPOPT) for
special routing.
PC Edit Package for Windows Version 4.00.0008 (or later)
Specify the ACKFL file type for special routing:
From the main menu-select settings-run control options-outgoing-enter ACKFL on File
Type under File header information-Save
BASE II Transactions
Conduct BASE II testing before processing the Capture File and resulting BASE II
transactions in production. Regional testing support representatives must ensure
that the your BIN or CIB is set up in VCMS. Visa Global Client testing team will
validate the TC 05 and TC 06 transactions created by you against the TC33A file.
To complete this testing, you must:
Use the data provided in the TC 33.A Capture File and, optionally in the TC 33
POS Authorization File, to store, develop, and submit BASE II Draft Data
transactions to VCMS BASE II for clearing and settlement.
Submit Edit Package reports to Visa.
Request that a regional testing representative verify Edit Package reports for a
successful run, confirm record and field validation, and content.
Settlement and Reconciliation Testing
Perform reconciliation to validate test processes. You can review settlement reports
to confirm that transaction activity reconciles to the VSS settlement reports and
that reported activity matches expected financial data.
Complete the following settlement reconciliation tasks during testing:
Accumulate transaction counts and amounts during transaction processing.
Calculate the net amount for the settlement day.
Verify counts, amounts, and the net settlement position on the appropriate VSS
reports.
Acquirer Testing Connectivity
You must complete connectivity testing with Visa at least 24 hours before the initial
scheduled testing window.
Test Merchant Account (Optional)
Your
Visa Platform Connect
implementation team will work with you to determine the
merchant parameters required to configure a test merchant account on your system.
Default values will be provided as part of the test data.
Merchant testing is an independent activity that is not included in standard acquirer
set up and certification. Merchant details provided in the form are used as sample
data in the capture file.
Test files are created manually by the product team who hit the internal simulator on
the lower test environment. The transactions executed in the CAS environment cannot
be batched in TC33A for the certification purposes.
Merchant Testing
The purpose of merchant testing is to enable the merchant to test the basic success
and error conditions for each
Visa Platform Connect
service they plan to use. Merchants
integrate separately using different connectivity options.
Figure:
Merchant Testing Flow
Merchant Testing Preparation
Merchant testing is done using a Visa Acceptance Solutions simulators in a Visa
Acceptance Solutions Customer Acceptance System (CAS) environment and can occur only
after acquirer integration is complete and the service is in production or in
CAS.
A separate merchant account can be created post-production in the CAS environment for
merchant testing of card payment services using API calls, Secure Acceptance
Web/Mobile, Virtual Terminal, etc.
TCR Types
Please select the TCRs you want to receive in the Aquirer Implementation
Questionnaire. For more information about the TC 33.A Capture File, see TC 33.A Capture File.
All TCR fields are required for any selected TCRs. The TCR field list is available
upon request.
Conditional TCR records appear only when you select the TCR group to be included in
the TC-33 Capture file and when a relevant transaction is present.
Reference Information
This section provides useful resources for implementing
Visa Platform Connect
.
Enhanced Capture File Specifications
This section contains the layout of the TC 33.A Capture File. For the most up-to-date
specifications, please see BASE II Clearing: Interchange Formats, TC 01 to TC 49 in the
TC 33.A: Capture Transactions section.
Use the TC 33.A Capture File to:
Obtain the purchase and refund transaction data the merchants intend to have
funded.
Create Draft Data TC 05 and Credit Voucher TC 06 transactions for Visa authorized
transactions that are then submitted to Visa for clearing and settlement.
Submit clearing records for non-Visa authorization transactions that are sent to
gateway processors.
Reconcile transaction activity within their own host system.
Capture File Transaction Layout
Each Capture file comprises 3 or more transaction component record (TCR) groups.
These TCR groups are a file header HEDR, a file trailer TRLR and a capture data TCR
group CPxx.
The capture data TCR groups identified by an application code CPxx contain one or
more logical transactions, each of which is defined by a transaction code TC 33.A.
Each TCR group contains one or more transaction component records (TCR). Each TCR is
168 bytes long.
The TCR group code identifies a group of related TCRs (TCR 0 through TCR E). All
TCRgroups (CPxx) for a given transaction are linked by the same message identifier
(position 21-35) located only in TCR 0. TCR groups are identified by Application
Code located in position 17-20 only in TCR 0.
All TCRs in a transaction have the same two-character transaction code (positions 1
and 2).The Transaction Component Sequence Number (position 4) identifies the TCR
number. Each TCR group must start with TCR 0. TCR groups and TCR numbers are not
necessarily consecutive; that is, the TCR group or TCR sequence may skip a number.
For example, a capture which has an EMV sales capture transaction may contain Header
HEDR, Trailer TRLR, CP01 TCR 0, TCR 1, TCR 4 and CP02 TCR 1, TCR 2. The TCRs must be
in ascending order within the transaction, however. Acquirers will only receive the
TCR records for which transaction data is available.
The Incoming TC 33.A Capture File is transmitted with following Edit Package records:
TC 90 (File Header); TC 91 (Batch Trailer) and TC 92 (File Trailer).
The standard file header (TC90), batch trailer (TC91) and file trailer (TC92) are
used to identify the beginning of each capture file, batch boundary at the end of
each batch, and as an end-of-file indicator respectively.
The transaction count is not included in any TC91 records if a file is broken into
multiple batches. A batch is less than 999 records.
The TC 33.A Capture File that Visa sends to EA Server acquirers cannot be larger than
4 GB.
Figure:
Enhanced TC 33.A Capture File Layout Example
Reject and Response Codes
This section contains these reject and response codes:
Reject codes that the Edit Package uses to communicate invalid contents in a BIN
field in the TC 33.A Capture File.
Response codes that a
Visa Platform Connect
acquirer must use to communicate to Visa
that the acquirer either encountered or did not encounter errors when processing the
TC 33.A Capture File.
Edit Package Reject Codes
Edit Package Reject Codes
Reject Code
Description
File
V1181
Source BIN must be 481222 for TC 33 capture transactions.
TC 33 Capture File
Capture File Best Practices
After Visa successfully transmits the TC 33.A Capture file (TC33-CAP) file to you, you
should perform file-level validations before processing the file. You must ensure that
the file is not a duplicate and that the file is complete and correct.
Potential ramifications for processing a
duplicate file include duplicate funding, held funds, additional costs, customer
service issues, and reputational risk.
Follow these steps to ensure that the TC33-CAP file is not a duplicate:
Validate that the file name, file ID, and sequence numbers have not already been
processed. The Direct Exchange (DEX) Open File Delivery (OFD) platform should allow
only one version of the file at any time.
If the file is identified as a duplicate, do not process the file.
Follow these steps to ensure that the TC33-CAP file is complete and correct:
Examine the file header to confirm complete and accurate file transmission.
Calculate the file record count and total hash amount of the records in the
file.
Compare the file record count and the total hash amount to the values found in
the following TC33-CAP file header fields:
Total Transaction Count, positions 137–145
Total Transaction Amount, positions 146–165
If the totals do not match, do not process the file.
After ensuring that the file is not a duplicate and that the file is complete and
correct, process the TC33-CAP file. When processing the TC33- CAP file, you must be able
to determine whether a clearing record must be created. The Action Code field in the TCR
0, positions 135–146, provides information for this determination:
A value of
01
indicates an authorized purchase transaction
(BASE II TC 05 clearing record).
A value of
02
indicates an authorized merchandize credit
transaction (BASE II, TC 06 clearing record).
The incoming TC33-CAP file includes the following BASE II records:
