Nowadays, they are no longer a rarity, and each of us no longer performs one or two operations per quarter, but three or four daily. Tens of millions of issued cards, hundreds of thousands of transactions per hour, tens of thousands of terminal devices for accepting cards - this is today's reality. There is a steady trend of shifting the emphasis from towards operations of payment for goods/services in trade and service enterprises (hereinafter referred to as TSP).
Let us briefly recall how the procedure for paying by card in a merchant looks like in general.
The client (cardholder) makes a purchase of a product or service in a merchant that accepts cards for payment, as evidenced by stickers at the entrance to the store or at the checkout. Approaching the cashier, the client presents the card and informs the seller that he intends to pay with it. The seller takes the card, conducts its initial check for the absence of obvious signs of a fake (he does not have to be an expert, it is enough just to make sure that it is clearly not fake). Next, the seller reads the data from the magnetic stripe or microprocessor (chip) of the card, using the appropriate connector of the electronic terminal (hereinafter - ET). Then he enters the amount of the operation, ET generates an authorization request and sends it to the acquiring bank. Further, the authorization request through the IPS channel reaches the host of the issuing bank, which allows or prohibits the execution of this operation (transaction). If the transaction is allowed, the issuer issues an authorization code and a response code (RC) of "00". Otherwise, the issuer's response is different from "00" and the authorization code is not issued (the transaction is not approved; the issuer does not confirm the payment). Upon successful completion, the Merchant Merchant prints two copies of the check and the customer confirms their agreement to pay for the transaction, either by signing the check (signature-based transaction, SBT) or by entering a PIN (PIN-based transaction, PBT). With SBT, the merchant must complete the transaction by verifying the signature on the receipt against the sample signature of the customer in the designated area on the back of the card.
Let's start with the fact that each merchant, sticking posters with the logos of the Ministry of Railways on its doors, thereby assumes an obligation (namely an obligation, and not just a wish) to accept cards of the corresponding system for payment. And if the MasterCard logo hangs at the checkout, then this merchant is obliged to accept the corresponding card for payment (but not Visa card, and vice versa). Moreover, merchants accepting cards should display information in places accessible to customers ("shopper's corner") explaining the point's policy regarding the return and exchange of goods paid for by card. The absence of such information resource is a violation of IPS rules.
Quite often there are situations when at the entrance to the merchant there is a sticker saying that you can pay with a card here, but at the time of payment it suddenly turns out that the cashier or seller does not want to accept the card for payment without explaining the reasons for the refusal. Such actions are a serious violation of the rules of the IPU and may entail the imposition of quite tangible financial sanctions on the acquiring bank, which in turn can broadcast them later to the point of sale, if this is provided for by the terms of the agreement between them.
The MPS rules clearly state that when making a payment by card, the seller does not have the right to request from the client (card holder) data confirming the identity of the latter, or other personal data, except when it is necessary to complete the transaction operation (for example, for indication of the address of the client's place of residence for the purpose of subsequent delivery of the goods) or when this is expressly stated in the requirements of local law. The seller does not have any authority to require the client to present a passport or other identification documents. The following situation can be cited as a vivid example: imagine that a client from China or a citizen of another exotic country who speaks neither Russian nor English is paying with a card in a Russian merchant. In this case, the seller and the buyer will not be able to communicate at all (of course, if the seller is not a polyglot). From the point of view of the rules of the Ministry of Railways, such a practice of requiring documents when paying with a card is punishable (a fine may be imposed on the acquiring bank with all the ensuing consequences for the merchant). However, some types of transactions (which primarily include cash withdrawal transactions in offices and branches of banks) must be performed only if the client presents an identity document.
Today, more and more banks issue cards equipped not only with a magnetic strip, but also with a microprocessor (chip). Such cards are called hybrid cards, and transactions can be performed on them - both on a magnetic stripe and on a chip. This is an undeniable advantage, since it is believed that the chip cannot be made at home, which, in turn, deprives fraudsters of the opportunity to fake a card by issuing a duplicate of it with a copy of the magnetic stripe track (so-called skimming). But often there is a situation when the seller of the merchant, having read the card data from the magnetic strip (not from the chip), offers the client to confirm his agreement with the payment by entering the PIN. This is completely unacceptable, as it carries the risk of completely compromising the card data (i.e. the magnetic stripe track / track and PIN), which theoretically can lead to the loss of all Money from the card account. The sellers explain their actions by saying that “the electronic terminal is programmed this way”, but most often the error lies in their actions: when working with ET, they mistakenly indicate that the card type is not MasterCard, but Cirrus / Maestro. It is noteworthy that in the territory of the Russian Federation all transactions with Cirrus / Maestro cards must be carried out exactly as PBT!
An interesting fact: the Visa MPS rules state that in any case, when making a payment for goods or services in a merchant, the client has the right to demand an SBT transaction. And this has a completely reasonable explanation: not all customers remember their PIN and some banks generally issue cards without a PIN for them. Of course, all of the above applies to magnetic stripe cards. With cards with a chip, the vast majority of transactions in the merchant are confirmed by the client by entering a PIN.
Recently, MPS MasterCard issued a circular (operational bulletin) in which it notified all settlement participants that from June 8, 2012, it is allowed in the Russian Federation to request a PIN to confirm customers' transactions with magnetic stripe cards carried out in merchants.
Thus, at present, in the territory of the Russian Federation, when registering transactions in a merchant using cards with a magnetic stripe of the Ministry of Railways Visa, entering a PIN is not allowed, but for cards with a magnetic stripe MasterCard - it is allowed. For cards with a microprocessor (so-called chip), entering a PIN is practically mandatory for both MPS.
Many issuers use so-called non-personalised, unnamed cards, on the front side of which there is only a number, an expiration date, but no last name and first name of the client (also, these data, respectively, are also absent on the first track of the magnetic stripe). The rules of the IPU clearly indicate that such cards are absolutely legitimate means of payment and should be accepted on an equal basis with all other products of the IPU. Acquirers in the instructions for sellers also specifically stipulate this point, and nevertheless, quite often, unfortunately, it happens that sellers flatly refuse to accept such cards for payment. As arguments, the sellers argue that they have nothing to compare the surname and name of the client (referring to the prohibited practice of requesting supporting documents, which was mentioned above). Such actions of merchant employees also contradict world practice and are subject to study by acquiring banks.
As you know, when concluding an acquiring agreement with a merchant, the bank indicates the amount of the so-called acquiring concession (commission), which will be charged (underpaid) from the merchant for all card transactions. This commission varies by country and type of activity of the merchant, taking into account the turnover of the latter. For a guide, you can keep in mind a value of the order of 1.5 - 2.5%. Thus, if the transaction amount is 1000 rubles, the acquiring bank will credit the amount minus this commission, that is, 975 - 985 rubles, to the current account. The difference is the most important component of the acquirer's activities and will be charged to operating income. This is a completely normal practice, generally accepted all over the world, and the opinion that it is unprofitable for merchants is nothing more than a delusion: when paying in cash, there are other overhead costs that are quite comparable to these "losses" for acquiring. This includes the costs of merchants for cash counting, their safe storage, collection, etc. Nevertheless, many merchants practice setting surcharges when paying for goods and services with cards, and the amount of such “markups” is approximately equal to the size of the acquiring commission. This practice is completely unacceptable, which is clearly stated in the rules of the IPU. In the same rules, the MPS provides a kind of loophole for the merchant, namely: it is indicated that the merchant has the right to provide a discount for paying in cash. That is, in the general case, the price of a product or service when paying by card should not exceed the usual one, but you can make a discount to the client if he pays in cash.
According to the rules of the IPU, a special strip must be placed on the back of the card, intended for the sample signature of the legal cardholder. When processing a payment for goods or services in a merchant, the cashier must offer the buyer to confirm their willingness to pay for the transaction, either by entering a PIN or by signing a receipt of an electronic terminal. If consent is confirmed by signature, the cashier should compare the signature on the receipt with the sample signature on the back of the card. However, quite often, when receiving a card, the client does not put his signature (which is a violation of the requirements of the Ministry of Railways and carries an increased risk of illegal use of the card by fraudsters if it is lost). Sellers of merchants, seeing that the client offers them an unsigned card, often refuse to accept such a means of payment for payment, which is also unacceptable. According to the rules of the Ministry of Railways, in such cases, the cashier should offer the buyer to present an identity document of the latter containing a photograph and a sample signature, and then offer to sign the card, compare the signature on the card with the sample in the document and then complete the transaction in the usual way. If the buyer refuses to present a passport and (or) sign a card, the transaction should not be completed.
Often there are situations when the store arbitrarily sets the minimum amount, starting from which the seller agrees to accept the card for payment. For example, the purchase amount when paying by card should not be less than 100 rubles. (or 1000, 10,000, etc.). This practice is categorically unacceptable, since according to the rules of the Ministry of Railways, the terms of payment by card must fully comply with the terms of payment in cash.
It happens that for some reason the client wants to return the purchased product back. If the goods were paid for with a card, then the money must be returned to the card account, and not in cash. Moreover, the refund must be made to the account of the card on which the initial payment was made. If the goods are returned back, the merchant employee must execute the appropriate operation on the electronic terminal (refund / credit - return / credit). As a result of this operation, a credit check is printed on the terminal, which is a confirmation and the basis for the return of funds to the payer's account. According to the rules of the Ministry of Railways, the return of funds must be made within 30 days from the date of registration of the credit transaction. If there is no receipt of funds to the card account after this period, the client can file a claim with the issuing bank, and the funds will be returned following the results of the claim cycle with the basis "loan not processed".
The Ministry of Railways impose very strict requirements on the contents of checks of electronic terminals printed out upon completion of the operation. So, the following data must be indicated on the check:
According to the requirements of the Bank of Russia, on the checks of Russian merchants, it is necessary to place a text on the amount of the commission (usually they write "There is no acquirer commission") charged from the buyer.
It is also necessary to have text similar to the following: "I hereby authorize my issuing bank to pay for this purchase and undertake to reimburse the issuer for the amount indicated in the "Total" column, plus all applicable commissions."
Customers must keep copies of checks for at least six months to ensure that they can control the correctness of debiting funds in their statements on card transactions. The main purpose of the information on the check is to provide an opportunity to unambiguously correlate the information reflected in the statement with the data on the check. If the data on the check and in the statement differ significantly, the client has the right to file a claim with all the ensuing unfortunate consequences for the acquirer.
In all cases described in this article, affected buyers - bank card holders need to contact only their issuing bank that issued the card. In this case, it will be necessary to provide the bank with such data as the exact address of the merchant, name, date, time, identifier or name of the acquiring bank (if the card transaction did not take place at all, i.e. the authorization request was not generated and did not go online , the issuer will not be able to determine this data on its own), and the essence of the claim (refusal to accept the card, requirement to present a passport, enter a PIN, etc.).
Obviously, it makes no sense to even try to contact the acquiring bank, since in the general case the situation with violation of the rules for processing card transactions can take place anywhere in the world and not always the victim will be able to find time to visit the right place and it is unlikely that he will have special knowledge and know the terminology in the local dialect.
On the basis of such an appeal, the issuer has every right to send, in turn, a claim to the authorized body of the Ministry of Railways, and a variety of sanctions can be applied to the acquirer - from a warning and a requirement to conduct additional training for employees of the violating merchant up to the imposition of tangible financial fines (hundreds and thousand dollars or euros depending on the tariffs of the Ministry of Railways).
In our dynamic age, when non-cash payments are rapidly invading all areas of life, and transactions with bank cards have become an everyday occurrence, the aspect of client literacy is very important. This question includes both the basics correct use cards in everyday situations, as well as the nuances covered in this article, namely: what rights the buyer has when paying for goods or services in the network of trade and service enterprises with a card and what exactly needs to be done in case of violations of the procedures for processing such transactions.
Since international payment systems do not work with end customers (cardholders and merchants), but with financial institutions and, first of all, make sure that their products (cards) are accepted everywhere and without restrictions, very strict requirements are imposed on acquirers in terms of warranty and compliance with the procedures for accepting MPS cards in the network of their merchants. In cases of violations of the procedures and conditions for accepting cards, holders should complain to the issuing banks, which, in turn, have the right and obligation to inform the relevant IPS about such incidents, which can ultimately lead to very unpleasant sanctions for acquirers and incorrectly working merchants and their employees.
September 2012
Article placement date: 09/11/2014
Almost every bank, sooner or later, begins to look for access to the retail market. One of the most attractive products for individuals is banking (payment) cards. However, in order to get the right to issue cards (issue) and service them in the network of your enterprises (acquiring), you must at least become a member of one or another payment system, mainly international.
At the beginning of the last decade, a very popular solution for banks to quickly enter the retail market was the so-called agency scheme, in which the sponsor bank, which is a full member of the international payment system (hereinafter referred to as the IPS), as a rule, is larger, attracted smaller banks to issue and acquiring. And if payment systems rarely had questions regarding the issue, since the cards of such sub-issuers could be unambiguously identified (Egida, New Age projects), then things were much worse with acquiring from the point of view of the MPS: agent banks, not being members of payment systems, attracted trade and service enterprises (hereinafter referred to as TSPs) for servicing, in which conditions favorable for fraud often arose.
Moreover, some merchants, having concluded an acquiring agreement with their bank, independently attracted other outlets, thus becoming a mini-bank or a settlement center for the latter, which, of course, neither the MPS nor the acquiring bank had the slightest idea until a certain time. representation.
Such activities led to the fact that about 10 years ago, the Ministry of Railways categorically and for a long time banned the so-called agency schemes on the territory of the Russian Federation and only relatively recently gave relief in this matter, including the concept of Payment Facilitator (payment intermediary). This is a definite plus and new opportunities for acquirers, but now, having learned from bitter experience, the Ministry of Railways strictly regulated all aspects of both the registration of such intermediaries and work with them.
General requirements of international payment systems for payment intermediaries
The relationship scheme assumes that the acquiring bank enters into an agreement with a payment intermediary, and that, in turn, acquires the right to attract and conclude acquiring agreements with many merchants, thus creating a kind of tree structure (hierarchy). In this article, such merchants will be referred to as "slave merchants".
In accordance with the rules and requirements of the IPS, the acquiring bank is fully responsible for any actions and errors of both the subordinate merchants and the payment intermediary itself. The payment intermediary, in turn, can no longer be subordinate to the merchant of any other payment intermediary.
International payment systems impose severe restrictions on the total turnover: unless otherwise stipulated in the rules, any subordinate merchant, whose total annual acquiring turnover on MPS cards exceeds 100 thousand US dollars, must cease to be such and enter into direct contractual relations with the bank - acquirer.
The acquiring bank must ensure that the following requirements are met.
1. The payment intermediary and all its subordinate merchants must operate exclusively in the territory determined by their bank's acquiring license. The location of subordinate merchants is determined by the place of the transaction, and not by the place of registration of the payment intermediary.
2. Funds received by the payment intermediary must be used exclusively for payments to subordinate merchants.
3. The Acquirer may allow the payment intermediary to carry out the following activities on its own behalf, while remaining fully responsible to the IPS for their adequate performance:
- verification of subordinate merchants for the correctness of doing business;
- maintaining records of how the preliminary check of subordinate merchants was carried out, subject to the prompt provision of such records at the request of the acquirer;
- transfer to the accounts of subordinate merchants of funds for card transactions carried out in them;
- providing subordinate merchants with all the materials necessary for successful card transactions;
- monitoring the activity of subordinate merchants in order to detect fraudulent activity or incorrect processing of transactions.
Neither a payment intermediary nor its subordinate merchants are permitted to require a cardholder to waive the right to protest a transaction.
The acquiring bank is required to submit quarterly to the IPS a report on the performance of each subordinate payment intermediary merchant, including at least the following:
- the name of the subordinate Merchant and its address;
- if applicable, a link to the affiliated Merchant's website or trademark name;
- merchant category code (MCC) - tabular description of the business direction;
- for each MCC - the number and volume of card transactions for the quarter;
- for each MCC - the number and volume of transactions protested by issuers.
Payment intermediaries and high-risk merchants
International payment systems designate a payment intermediary as high-risk if it offers a sponsoring bank subordinate merchants whose business falls under the Excessive Chargeback Program or meets any of the following MCCs:
- telecommunications (MCC 4814, 4816);
- e-commerce of adult video content (MCC 5967, 7273, 7841);
- gambling via the Internet (7995), as well as payment for games on the Internet (7994);
- Internet sales of pharmacies and medicines (MCC 5122, 5912);
- Internet sales of tobacco and similar products (MCC 5993).
The Acquirer must register each of these Merchants with the appropriate MSP program (for example, for MasterCard, this is the Merchant Registration Program (MRP)) before accepting card transactions from them.
In its sole discretion, the IMF has the right to de-register a payment intermediary if it detects an excessive number of protests either from the payment intermediary itself or from any of its subordinate merchants, or if they violate any of the requirements / standards of the IPU. Also, MPS reserves the right to de-register a payment intermediary or its subordinate Merchant in case of detection of activities that could harm the MPS.
Any acquirer entering into a relationship with a high-risk payment intermediary must ensure that payment system a monthly report on the activities of all subordinate merchants in accordance with the rules of the IPU.
Registration requirements for payment intermediaries
In order to declare a Merchant as a payment intermediary to the IPS, the acquirer must:
- be a member of the IPU with good status;
- meet all the requirements prescribed in the rules of the IGC;
- when registering an intermediary that falls into the high-risk category, - fully comply with all the rules and requirements of the Ministry of Railways related to risk control and security issues.
To register a merchant as a payment intermediary, the acquirer must:
- send to the authorized subdivision of the Ministry of Railways all necessary documentation and materials no later than within 60 days from the date of the intended registration;
- to ensure that the intermediary fully complies with security requirements such as PCI DSS and other requirements applicable to the situation.
Before sending to the settlement network of the Ministry of Railways financial information about the transactions of the payment intermediary or its subordinate merchants, the acquirer must receive written confirmation from the IPU (confirmation by e-mail) about successful registration of the payment intermediary. The decision to register a payment intermediary or to refuse it is made by the IPU at its sole discretion.
In order to support the registration of the payment intermediary, the acquirer must periodically send to the IPU information and documents that may be required for analysis, such as a copy of the agreement between the acquirer and the intermediary. IPS reserves the exclusive right to refuse to renew the registration of a payment intermediary.
When registering a payment intermediary, the Ministry of Railways will charge the acquirer all the fees applicable to this process in accordance with the current tariffs (for registration, review, renewal of a license, etc.).
If the acquiring bank intends to terminate the agreement with an intermediary or subordinate Merchant, it is necessary to notify the IPS of such a decision at least one week in advance. MPS reserves the right to require an acquirer to immediately stop accepting transactions from a payment intermediary at any time.
Responsibilities of a payment intermediary
A payment intermediary is a merchant and has all the rights and obligations arising from this status that apply to a regular outlet.
It is the acquirer's responsibility to ensure that the payment intermediary satisfies all of the IMS requirements that apply to Merchants as set out below.
Before entering into, renewing or renewing an agreement with a subordinate Merchant, the payment intermediary must ensure that the Merchant is conducting a legitimate and correct business, has a sufficient set of mechanisms and procedures to reliably protect cardholder data and card transactions from unauthorized access or disclosure. , complies with all necessary requirements and laws, and in addition, all transactions directed from such a Merchant reflect a valid transaction between the subordinate Merchant and the cardholder.
The Acquirer must verify that the payment intermediary is not a sponsor of a subordinate Merchant registered in the untrustworthy database. outlets(e.g. MATCH for MasterCard). Also, the acquirer is obliged to send to the relevant authorities of the Ministry of Railways data on any subordinate merchant, the contractual relationship with which was terminated due to the latter's dubious activities.
Each payment intermediary must enter into a written agreement with each subordinate Merchant, which must specify all the conditions applicable to the issue of accepting bank cards for payment by such Merchant. Such agreement must not interfere with or diminish the rights of the payment intermediary, acquirer or IPS to terminate it at any time. IGC reserves the prerogative to limit the payment intermediary's right to enter into agreements with affiliated merchants depending on the direction of the business or other criteria at the discretion of the IGC.
Required clauses of the agreement
Each agreement between a payment intermediary and its sponsored subordinate Merchant must reflect all necessary terms and conditions set forth in the relevant sections of the IGA Rules and other standards applicable to the nature of the Merchant's business, and apply those standards in the same way as for a regular Merchant.
If the payment intermediary does not specify in the agreement with the subordinate Merchant any necessary clause provided for by the rules of the IPS, or special conditions set by the MPS, this does not release the acquirer from liability for protest operations and other claim procedures.
An agreement with subordinate merchants must include the following provisions.
1. The affiliated Merchant must continuously inform the payment intermediary of the current address of each of its offices, the names of the trademarks used, along with full description goods sold and services provided.
2. If there is a conflict between the rules of the IPS and any of the clauses of the agreement between the payment intermediary and the subordinate Merchant, then the provisions of the rules shall prevail.
3. The Payment Intermediary is solely responsible for the compliance of the Subordinate Merchant with card service standards and procedures and has the right to require such Merchant to make changes to their website and other similar actions if it seems necessary or reasonable to ensure that the Subordinate Merchant complies with the rules and standards of the IPU. .
4. An agreement with a subordinate Merchant shall be automatically and immediately void if MPS deregisters its payment intermediary or the acquiring bank ceases to be an MPS participant for any reason, or if the acquiring bank loses MPS acquiring license.
5. The Payment Intermediary, at its sole discretion or at the direction of the Acquirer/IMS, has the right to immediately terminate the agreement with the Subordinate Merchant due to activity that appears fraudulent or questionable from the point of view of the Payment Intermediary, the Acquirer or the IMS.
6. Subordinate Merchant acknowledges and agrees that:
a) it complies with all applicable standards and regulations of the IPS, as amended from time to time;
b) IPU is the sole and exclusive owner of its trademarks and marks;
c) the affiliated Merchant will never attempt to challenge the ownership of IGC's trademarks for any reason;
d) IPU may at any time, immediately and without notice, prohibit the use of its trademarks by Merchant's affiliates for any purpose;
e) the IMS has the right to strengthen the enforcement of any of the standards and prohibit the subordinate Merchant and (or) its payment intermediary from participating in any activity that, from the point of view of the IMS, may damage or create a risk of damage to the reputation of the IMS, and also clearly adversely affects the integrity of the IMS network, or confidentiality of information;
f) the subordinate Merchant will never take any action that may interfere with or conflict with the exercise of these rights by the IPU.
An agreement with a subordinate Merchant must not contain any terms that conflict with applicable standards and rules of the IGC.
Obligations of a payment intermediary as a sponsor of a subordinate merchant
The Payment Intermediary must strictly comply with the following obligations in relation to each of its subordinate merchants.
1. Send only data on valid transactions to the network.
The payment intermediary must provide its acquirer with records of valid transactions transmitted by subordinate merchants and initiated by the original cardholder. The Payment Intermediary must not forward to the Acquirer any transaction that it or the Subordinate Merchant probably/should know to be fraudulent or not authorized by the Cardholder, or which it probably/should know was initiated by the Cardholder in collusion with the Subordinate Merchant in criminal purposes. Merchants' subordinates are expected to be held accountable for the actions of their employees, agents and representatives.
2. Ensure that subordinate merchants comply with IGC standards.
The payment intermediary is responsible for ensuring that each of its subordinate Merchants complies with the standards and rules of the IMS. The Payment Intermediary shall take all necessary and reasonable steps to ensure that the Merchant's subordinates continue to comply with the IGA standards.
3. Maintain the relevance of information about subordinate merchants.
The Payment Intermediary must keep up to date the names, addresses and URLs (if applicable) of all its subordinate Merchants on an ongoing basis. The Acquirer shall ensure that the payment intermediary forwards such information to the IMS in a timely manner upon request.
4. Make payments to subordinate merchants.
Each payment intermediary must pay its subordinate merchants for all transactions transmitted to the acquirer on behalf of those merchants. The agreement with subordinate merchants may include a clause allowing the payment intermediary to withhold amounts on disputed transactions or other similar cases.
5. Provide subordinate merchants with materials.
Each payment intermediary must regularly verify that all its subordinate merchants are provided with all materials necessary for effective work with cards and forwarding transactions to the MPS network in accordance with the standards and rules for accepting cards.
6. Monitor subordinate merchants.
Each payment intermediary shall continuously monitor the activity and use of the IMS trademarks by all of its subordinate Merchants in order to detect fraudulent and misleading activity early and ensure continued compliance with IMS standards. To comply with this rule, minimum merchant monitoring standards have been established that apply to all subordinate merchants.
conclusions
A more democratic and flexible approach of the MPS to the issues of building relations between acquiring banks and their trade and service enterprises, in particular the legalization of the scheme using a payment intermediary (Payment Facilitator), undoubtedly allows MPS participants to develop the network at a faster pace, attracting new and new merchants and creating entire hierarchical structures with more complex levels of subordination and relationships.
Nevertheless, acquiring banks should be extremely careful in choosing merchants as payment intermediaries and scrupulously comply with all the rules and requirements of the IPU, especially in terms of security issues and compliance with the standards for accepting cards for service in merchants.
The Bank of Russia, as part of its work to qualitatively improve the level of customer service for credit institutions when they carry out transactions using payment cards, recommends that credit institutions refund funds for goods (services) previously paid for using a payment card as follows:
1. When returning goods (refusal of services) by an individual in a trade and service enterprise (hereinafter - TSP), previously paid using a payment card, an acquiring credit institution that provides services for paying for goods (services) using payment cards in this TSP, no later than the business day following the day the credit institution receives the register of payments or an electronic journal containing information on the return of goods (refusal of the service), returns funds to the address of the credit institution - issuer.
The credit institution - issuer, on the basis of the register of payments or an electronic journal containing information on the return of goods (refusal of services), as well as in accordance with internal banking rules and an agreement between the credit institution - issuer and an individual - holder of a payment card, restores the spending limit of the settlement (debit) ) cards, limit credit card set in accordance with the conditions loan agreement, the limit of the prepaid card and ensures the possibility of making transactions using it, taking into account the restored limit of this payment card, no later than the business day following the day of receipt by the credit institution issuing the specified payment register or electronic journal.
2. Credit institutions (issuers and acquirers) determine in the internal bank rules the procedure for returning funds to an individual holder of a payment card when they return goods (refusal of services) to the merchant, previously paid using a payment card, including in the case when individual it is not possible to provide the merchant with a payment card that was used to pay for this product (service) (for example, in case of loss of a payment card, change of the number of a payment card when it is reissued, closing bank account open for transactions using a bank card, etc.).
3. Bring these clarifications to the attention of credit institutions.
Letter of the Central Bank of Russia dated August 1, 2011 No. 112-T “On the return of funds for goods (services) previously paid using a payment card”
Return instructions given credit organizations funds for goods (services) previously paid for using payment cards.
When returning goods (refusal of services) by an individual in a trade and service enterprise (TSP), the acquiring credit institution that provides services for paying for goods (services) using payment cards in this merchant returns the funds to the issuing credit institution. Deadline - no later than the business day following the date of receipt by the acquirer of the register of payments or the electronic journal containing information on the return (refusal).
The issuer, on the basis of a register or journal, as well as in accordance with internal banking rules and an agreement with an individual cardholder, restores the spending limit of a settlement (debit) card, credit / prepaid card limit. Deadline - not later than the business day following the date of receipt of the register or journal by the issuer.
Issuers and acquirers determine the procedure for the return of funds to an individual cardholder in case of a return (refusal) in the internal bank rules. In particular, situations are stipulated when a citizen does not have the opportunity to provide a card to a merchant (for example, in case of its loss, change of number during reissue, closing of the corresponding bank account, etc.).
