COVID-19 Update: During these tough times, we’re standing by to help your business adapt. If you need any support, get in touch and our friendly teams will be here to help.

Contact us

Credential on file indicator for Mastercard-branded transactions

Mastercard 01/02/2018

What’s changing?

Mastercard is introducing new values in both authorization and clearing messages for use in identifying Mastercard-branded transactions initiated by a merchant using account credentials on file in their consumer records.

Current situation

Merchants currently do not need to send “credential-on-file” indicators in Mastercard authorization and clearing messages.

What does the change mean?

The Credential on File indicator:

  • Allows a merchant to identify a pre-existing relationship with a cardholder to the issuer, using an identifier that is common across the payments industry.
  • Is expected to increase approval rates for e-commerce transactions initiated with cardholder payment credentials already stored by, or on file with, the merchant or the service provider.
  • Is expected to help make identification of types of Credential on File transactions clearer for issuers.

How will this affect you?

Merchants will need to send the new “Credential-on-file” indicator in both authorization and clearing messages for transactions initiated by a merchant using account credentials already stored previously. Examples of credential-on-file transactions are:

  • Instalment payments
  • Recurring payments
  • Card-not-present transactions for which the cardholder authorizes the merchant to use the credential-on-file for payment
  • Card-not-present transactions originating from a merchant’s brick-and-mortar location for which the cardholder authorizes the merchant to use the Credential on File

Payvision will send updated technical integration documents with the new “credential-on-file” values to merchants with instructions on how to use them.

Effective date

12 June 2018