AcquirerThe financial institution or company that processes credit or debit card transactions on behalf of a merchant, also known as Acquiring Bank.
APIAn application programming interface (API) is software interface that provides a service (e.g. access to data) to other pieces of software.
Auth CodeA unique code provided by the card issuer to authorize a Visa or Mastercard transaction.
Approval CodeA unique code provided by AMEX to authorize a transaction.
ARN (Acquirer Reference Number)Unique code generated by the acquiring bank or payment processor to track a transaction. It is used to identify and trace a specific credit or debit card transaction in case of disputes or inquiries.
AuthorizationAuthorization determines if a specific transaction request receives an approval or a decline from the issuing bank, or from the card network standing in on the issuing bank’s behalf. Once a cardholder initiates a purchase, the card network informs the issuer of the transaction, and receives back their approval or decline response. Card networks then informs the requester of the response, who passes the information along to the Merchant.
BIDBank Identification Number, a unique number that identifies the bank that issued a credit or debit card.
BINBank Identification Number, a unique number that identifies the bank that issued a credit or debit card (normally the first 6 or 8-digits of the card number).
BrandThe merchant/ offer provider which will provide the offer/ cashback.
CardholderThe person who owns and uses a credit or debit card.
Card NetworkA payment processor that facilitates card payment transactions between banks.
CAID (Card Acceptor ID)Card Acceptor Identifier, a unique number assigned to a merchant by the acquirer.
CashbackCashback refers to a rewards program where customers receive a percentage/amount of their total purchase amount back in the form of cash or credit/reward points as an incentive.
ChargebackThe process of a cardholder disputing a transaction and the funds being returned to them.
ClearingThe process of transferring funds from the cardholder's account to the merchant's account.
CLO (Card-Linked Offers)Card-Linked offers are discounts or promotions that are linked directly to a consumer's credit or debit card. When a consumer makes a purchase using the linked card at a participating retailer or merchant, the discount or promotion is automatically applied without the need for coupons or codes. This allows for a seamless and convenient way for consumers to save money while shopping.
ConsentAny freely given specific, informed and explicit indication of a person's wishes by which the data subject, either by a statement or by a clear affirmative action, signifies agreement to personal data relating to them being processed.
DashboardThe main web application of the Fidel API platform where you can test, set up and manage programs, cards, transactions, offers, etc.
DisputeSee Chargeback.
IssuerThe financial institution or company that issues credit or debit cards to cardholders.
MerchantA business or individual that sells goods or services and accepts credit or debit card payments.
Merchant Identifier (MID)A unique number assigned to a merchant by the payment processor.
Location Identifier (LID)A unique number assigned to a specific location or branch of a merchant, Mastercard specific.
Merchant OnboardingThe process at Fidel to ‘onboard’ locations of brands with the card networks, to receive transactions for linked-cards.
Offer ActivationThe process for cardholders to ‘activate’ a particular offer, in order to track transactions on that brand/ merchant.
PANPrimary Account Number, the unique number that identifies a credit or debit card.
PARPayment Account Reference.
Payment Processor/ Payment Service Provider (PSP)A company that processes credit or debit card transactions on behalf of a merchant.
Payment Facilitator (PayFac)A company that facilitates credit or debit card transactions for multiple merchants (i.e. Stripe, PayPal etc.).
PCI DSS CompliancePayment Card Industry Data Security Standard Compliance, a set of security standards for protecting cardholder data.
POSPoint of Sale, the location where a transaction takes place.
RefundThe process of returning funds to a cardholder for a completed transaction, for returning goods/ services.
ReversalThe process of canceling a transaction and returning the funds to the cardholder.
SDK (Software Development Kit)Tools that allow users to build card verification into their web/mobile app.
SE No. (Service Establishment Number)Service Establishment Number, equivalent of Merchant ID, particularly used by AMEX.
Shared MIDsShared Merchant IDs refer to the practice of multiple merchants being grouped under a single merchant ID for processing payments. This means that multiple individual businesses or merchants can use the same merchant ID to accept payments through a PayFac platform.
SettlementThe process of transferring funds from the cardholder's account to the merchant's account.
TokenizationThe process of replacing sensitive cardholder data with a unique token for security purposes.
TransactionA financial transaction involving the exchange of goods or services for payment.
Transaction IDA unique identifier assigned to a specific transaction.
VOIDA ‘VOID’ refers to the cancellation of a transaction before it is fully processed or settled. When a transaction is voided, the authorization is essentially revoked, and the funds are not transferred from the customers account to the merchant's account. Voids are typically used to correct errors or cancel transactions that were made in error. It is important to note that voiding a transaction is different from refunding a transaction, as a refund occurs after the transaction has been fully processed and settled.
VMID/ VSIDVMID = VISA Merchant ID, identifies the merchant at brand level. VSID = Visa Store ID, identifies each of the merchant's store locations uniquely.
WebhookA web development method that allows an automatic message to be sent from one piece of software to another. In the Fidel API platform, you can register webhooks to be notified about certain events (e.g. a new transaction came in, a card got successfully verified, etc.).