Scheme Updates

Mastercard

AN 6337 Announcing Mastercard Identity Check Data Quality Program

Region: Global

Audience: All merchants

Published: 10 May 2022

Effective: 1 November 2022

Overview:

Mastercard is recommending that Mastercard Identity Check Program 3DS operators provide quality transaction data to help ensure the best possible risk-based authentication assessment and decisions. As this information is received from our merchants we ask that you only forward data that is accurate.

What is changing:

Mastercard will start monitoring specific data elements for accuracy.

The data elements fields and categories are:

• Cardholder name
• Cardholder billing address
• Cardholder shipping address
• Cardholder phone number
• Cardholder electronic mail (email) address
• IP browser address
• Device information

Action indicator:

Merchants must ensure that when any of the above mentioned data are shared that the information is accurate for each transaction. If the merchant is unable to share accurate information for each transaction then the data field can be filled with n/a or left blank. No dummy data should be created to fill the above mentioned data fields.

If data quality issues are detected on any of the above mentioned data fields, Mastercard will send a formal notification to CM Payments and further noncompliance actions may be taken.

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AN 4934 Revised Standards for Merchants Utilizing a Subscription/Recurring Payments Model or Negative Option Billing Model

Region: Global

Audience: Merchants offering Subscription, Recurring & Negative option billing

Published: 12 April 2022

Effective: 22 September 2022

Overview:

Mastercard will implement new requirements for subscription/recurring billing merchants and negative option billing merchants, or both.

What is changing:

Negative option billing merchants

Negative option billing merchants are merchants that offer a free or low-cost trial period of a good or service. And then automatically enroll the cardholder into a subscription plan at the end of the trial period.

Digital good merchants offering a trial period longer than seven days, the merchant must send an email or any other electric reminder notification to the cardholder no less than three days, and no more than seven days, before the end of the trial period that the subscription plan will commence if the cardholder does not cancel. This notification must include the basic terms of the subscription and instructions about how to cancel.

Note: This notification requirement will not apply to negative option billing merchants that offer a free or low-cost trial period of a physical good.

Subscription billing merchants

The following requirements will apply for all merchants that utilize a subscription model, where a cardholder is billed a fixed amount on a regular basis for a service, membership, physical products or digital goods.

Merchants must clearly disclose the basic terms of the subscription at the point of payment and capture the cardholder’s affirmative acceptance of such terms. The disclosure must include the price that will be billed and the frequency of the billing. Merchants that utilize a negative option billing model must also disclose the terms of the trial, including any initial charges, the length of the trial period, and the price and frequency of the subsequent subscription.

• For e-commerce merchants, the point of payment includes the screen where cardholders enter their card credentials and any screens that show a summary of the order (such as a shopping cart) before it is submitted for authorization by the cardholder.
• Providing a link to another page that contains this information (such as a terms and conditions page), or otherwise requiring the cardholder to expand a message box or scroll down the page to see the terms, will not satisfy this requirement.

Merchants must send a confirmation by email message or by any other electronic method at the time of enrollment in a subscription/recurring billing plan that provides the terms of the subscription, including the terms of a trial period when applicable, and clear instructions about how to cancel the subscription.

Merchants must send a receipt by email message or by any other electronic method after every billing that includes clear instructions for how to cancel the subscription. Cardholders may choose to opt-out of receiving these notices.

As a reminder, Mastercard Standards prohibit merchants from submitting subsequent authorization requests on the same card when the original authorization decline response code include:

• 04 (Capture Card)
• 14 (Invalid Card Number)
• 15 (Invalid Issuer)
• 41 (Lost Card)
• 43 (Stolen Card)
• 54 (Expired Card)

Merchants must provide an online or electronic cancellation method.

For any subscription/recurring payment plan that bills a cardholder less frequently than every six months, the merchant must send a notification at least seven days, but no more than 30 days, before the billing date that includes the terms of the subscription and instructions about how a cardholder may cancel the subscription.

Note: These requirements do not apply to payments for utilities (such as gas, electric, sanitation, heating oil, water), telecommunications services, insurance policies, or existing debt (for example, vehicle loan or mortgage repayments).

Action indicator:

All merchant offering Subscription, Recurring & Negative option billing to their customers must ensure all new requirements are implemented as set my Mastercard when applicable.

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Visa

AI 11553 Modification to Visa Brand Mark

Region: Global

Audience: All merchants utilizing the Visa Brand Mark

Published: 11 November 2021

Effective: 1 November 2023

Overview:

Visa is moving from multiple marks to one mark.

What is changing:

Visa has updated their mark to a solid vibrant blue. The updated Visa brand mark will be used to signal Visa payment acceptance and payment capability and in marketing materials going forward.

Action indicator:

All merchants utilizing the Visa brand must ensure to update to the latest mark in a solid vibrant blue. The downloadable logo assets and guidelines can be found at merchantsignage.visa.com.

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