Glossary
This page provides a list of glossary terms used in this guide.
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The merchant acquirer or bank that offers the merchant a trading account, to enable the merchant to take payments in store or online from cardholders.
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Stage where a merchant requests approval for a card payment by sending a request to the card issuer to check that the card is valid, and that the requested authorisation amount is available on the card. At this stage the funds are not deducted from the card.
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Card network, such as Discover, MasterCard, or Visa, responsible for managing transactions over the network and for arbitration of any disputes.
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A Fleet EDS (Extended Data Service) card is a specialised payment card designed for businesses that manage vehicle fleets or have employees who travel frequently. It allows drivers to purchase fuel and other necessary items for their work vehicles, with smart controls over what can be bought and where.
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The card issuer, typically a financial organisation authorised to issue cards. The issuer has a direct relationship with the relevant card scheme.
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The shop or store providing a product or service that the cardholder is purchasing. A merchant must have a merchant account, provided by their acquirer, in order to trade. Physical stores use a terminal or card reader to request authorisation for transactions. Online sites provide an online shopping basket and use a payment service provider to process their payments.
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A unique identifier of the merchant, to identity the type of account provided to them by their acquirer.
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A customer who manages a card program. The program manager can create branded cards, load funds and provide other card or banking services to their end customers.
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Secure File Transfer Protocol. File Transfer Protocol FTP) is a popular unencrypted method of transferring files between two remote systems. SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol, or Secure File Transfer Protocol) is a separate protocol packaged with SSH that works in a similar way but over a secure connection.