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MIF - Brand selection

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Introduction

Background

The Mercanet solution, as a payment acceptance solution, is subject to European MIF regulations (OJ EU 2015/751 L123, 19/5/2015). Among these rules, the "brand selection" requires you to offer the customer, with a cobadged card, to choose a brand at the time of payment, which affects the payment page.

Purpose of this document

This document is intended for merchants already connected to the 2.0 acceptance solution and who must comply with brand selection for CB acquirers (French banks). The purpose of this document is to describe the operational implementation.

This document is not intended for new merchants who integrate the Mercanet solution with brand selection from the outset. These should refer to the Mercanet integration guides dedicated to their interfaces.

MIF "Brand Selection” regulation

List of trade rules

After a first phase dedicated to the limitation and duty of information of the merchant by the acquirer, regarding the interchange used for a payment transaction, a second phase was defined, applicable from the 9th of June 2016, that includes the following trade rules:

  • separation of brand activities from processing activities
  • cobadging and brand selection by the holder
  • differentiated pricing
  • obligation to accept all cards

This document will only address the case of “cobadging” for eCommerce.

Brand selection in CB framework

A cobadged card is a card that covers at least two brands. Most cards issued in France are cobadged with the CB brand. In the case of CB acceptance, the available cobadged card combinations are:

  • CB + Visa
  • CB + MasterCard

In addition, the GIE CB offers a new version of the exchange protocol between acceptors and acquirers, the CB2A protocol version 1.5.0, which allows the associated information to be transmitted.

Roles and responsibilities of stakeholders

The purpose of this section is to describe the roles and responsibilities of each of the stakeholders in implementing the brand selection.

PAT
  • Provides the necessary technical means, in compliance with the CB/MPADS regulation, to process the brand selection.
  • Informs customers of changes in the acceptance platform in relation to the the brand selection.
  • Provides support for implementation.
Acquirer
  • Gives acceptors the opportunity to indicate the brand selection in the authorisation request and the remittance of a payment transaction.
  • Responsible for communicating to, and monitoring the compliance of their merchants regarding brand selection.
  • Provides the simplified card repository to the Office (M2M) acceptors (list of extended acceptance ranges: CNFFHVB).
GIE CB
  • GIE CB has validated the Mercanet payment pages with brand selection.
Merchant

Office (M2M):

  • Brings their payment pages into line with current regulations using the CNFFHVB repository.
  • Manages the concept of a favourite brand and gives holders the final brand selection.

Paypage:

  • Indicates their favourite brands to the PAT to activate brand selection.
  • Checks the proper customisation of payment pages hosted on Mercanet.

Mercanet evolution

Functionally, this evolution is to allow brand selection for cobadged cards on the payment page. This selection must then be sent to the acquirer.

New payment pages

An update of the payment pages is required to take into account the brand selection.

For illustrative purposes, a sample Mercanet 2.0 payment page that takes into account this evolution is shown below. The card is CB-VISA cobadged, with CB as the default brand. The elements outlined in red are the visual changes pertaining to the MIF/brand selection regulation.


Payment page with highlighting of detected networks and network change link

Brand selection can be done on Wallet kinematics.

Merchant configuration

On Paypage, you must configure and activate the brand selection.

For payment pages hosted by Mercanet (Mercanet Payment or Paypage), you can set the default brands for co-branded cards:

  • CB / Visa -> CB or Visa
  • CB / MasterCard -> CB or MasterCard

By default, the configuration is initialised with the CB value. The VPay and Electron brands are currently considered to be the Visa brand and the Maestro brand to be the MasterCard brand. In the context of an upcoming production launch it will be possible to distinguish them (modifications will be implemented in an upcoming production launch).

You manage the brand selection and configuration on Office (M2M).

New transaction data

Brand selection management is based on two transaction-level pieces of information:

  • The brand selected to process the transaction is indicated in the existing PaymentMeanBrand field.
  • The brand selection method is indicated in the new paymentMeanBrandSelectionStatus field with the values described below:
    Sample population Description
    Empty The transaction is processed with no brand selection.
    APPLIED_DEFAULT The holder implicitly accepted your default brand.
    APPLIED_HOLDER The holder explicitly chose the brand.
    NOT_APPLICABLE The card used is not co-badged.
    Interface / Field PaymentMeanBrand field PaymentMeanBrandSelectionStatus field
    Paypage 2.0 Existing (response) New (response)
    Office (M2M) 2.0 Existing (request) New (request)
    Office Batch 2.0 Existing (request) New (request)
    Mercanet Back Office Existing New

Implementation

The implementation of the brand selection is based on the following principles:

  • Acquirer Login:

    • tailoring, tests and deployment acquirer per acquirer
  • Office (M2M) (payment pages hosted by the merchant):
    • new version of 2.0 connectors (for standard payment, minimum version = 2.13 - for payment using wallet, minimum version = 2.36)
    • dynamic merchant activation with no configuration on the Mercanet server
  • Paypage (payment pages hosted by Mercanet):
    • no obligation to change 2.0 connectors
    • new MIF pages available in Paypage 2.0 only
    • activation via configuration on the Mercanet server

Merchant Implementation

Paypage 2.0 merchant

Configuration

To benefit from the MIF, you must specify your default brands for each cobadged card combination so as to configure the brand selection on the Mercanet server:

  • CB + VISA = CB or Visa
  • CB + MASTERCARD = CB or MasterCard
Connector

To benefit from the MIF, you do not have to change the connector version.

The brand selected by the customer is transmitted in the response as it is today in the PaymentMeanBrand field.

The customer's choice pertaining to the brand selection is transmitted in the PaymentMeanBrandSelectionStatus field (available from version 2.14).

Customising pages

Payment pages have been modified to accept the brand selection.

If you customised your payment pages, in most cases, the card entry page with MIF is displayed correctly. However, in rare cases, your customisation may require minor adjustments (for example, the colour of the text displayed in black by default). Check this using the CustomPages interface.

Reporting

The brand selection method is displayed in Mercanet Back Office. This related information is also included in the latest connectors and transactions reports versions.

Key points

If you propose the payment means selection on your website, you must make sure that this selection cannot be interpreted as a brand selection pertaining to the card. One solution is to group the logos of CB, Visa and Mastercard cards into a single clickable area.

Implementation steps
Step Stakeholders Description
1 Merchant and Mercanet Call 1: coordination on the MIF implementation.
2 Mercanet Sends the MIF activation form (default brands, optional new version of the transactions reports).
3 Merchant
  • Integration of the new transaction report version (optional).
  • Integration of the new connector (optional).
  • Adjust and customise the card data entry form page (in case of a merchant CSS).
  • Process validation in simulation mode (recommended in case of a connector change).
4 Merchant Sends the MIF activation form, completed.
5 Mercanet Sets the default brand and new report version (optional).
6 Merchant and Mercanet Call 2: activate in production
7 Merchant and Mercanet Call 3: activation follow-up

Office (M2M) 2.0 and In-App 2.0 merchant

Configuration

No configuration change required on Mercanet servers, you drive the brand selection activation by populating the paymentMeanBrandSelectionStatus field in the payment request.

Note: if you use Office (M2M) with Hosted Fields, you do not need to worry about the brand selection itself, as this is done automatically by Hosted Fields.
Connector

An interface version change is required to populate the paymentMeanBrandSelectionStatus field (minimum version = 2.13) of the cardOrder (for non-3-D Secure payments) and cardCheckEnrollment (for 3-D Secure payments) functions.

To enroll a card in a Wallet, an interface version change is also required to populate the paymentMeanBrandSelectionStatus field (minimum version = 2.36) of the addCard function. And for Oneclick payment, the change is required to populate thepaymentMeanBrand field (minimum version = 2.36) of the walletOrder and walletCheckEnrollment functions.

Processing the payment page

If you manage your payment page yourself, you must change it to comply with regulations:

  • detect cobadged cards and offer brand selection to the holder
  • send the selection in the Mercanet payment request (PaymentMeanBrandSelectionStatus and PaymentMeanBrand fields)

To detect cobadged cards, you will use the card repository file called "Liste d’acceptation Enrichie VADS (pour le Grand Commerce / PAT)" ("Enhanced Acceptance List (for large retailers / PSPs)" (flow ID SICB – CNFFHVB), that you will ask to your acquirer.

Attention: due to brand selection regulations, you must indicate the exact brand used to process the transaction (whether the card is cobadged or not).
Processing the payment page

Brand selection can also be applied on Wallet kinematics, and for both case Oneclick and Subscription payment. If you manage your payment page yourself, you must change it to comply with regulations:

  • detect cobadged cards and offer brand selection to the holder while processing the enrollment;
  • send the selection in the Mercanet enrollment request (PaymentMeanBrandSelectionStatus and PaymentMeanBrand fields)
  • for oneclick payment case, propose again the brand selection to your customer. If the selection has changed, send the new value in the Mercanet payment request (PaymentMeanBrand and PaymentMeanBrandSelectionStatus fields)

To detect cobadged cards, you will use the card repository file called "Liste d’acceptation Enrichie VADS (pour le Grand Commerce / PAT)" ("Enhanced Acceptance List (for large retailers / PSPs)" (flow ID SICB – CNFFHVB), that you will ask to your acquirer (single file common to all acquirers).

Note: due to brand selection regulations, you must indicate the exact brand used to process the transaction (whether the card is cobadged or not).
Reporting

The brand selection method is displayed in Mercanet Back Office. This related information is also included in the latest connectors and transactions reports versions.

Key points

You must:

  • Ask the acquirer for the CNFFHVB flow.
  • Make sure your page complies with CB guidelines with your recipient.
Implementation steps
Step Stakeholders Description
1 Merchant and Mercanet Call 1: coordination on the MIF implementation.
2 Mercanet Sends:
  • the MIF activation form (optional for the new transactions reports version)
3 Merchant
  • Asks their acquirer for the CNFFHVB file and its specification.
  • Integration of the new transactions reports version (optional).
  • Mercanet support if needed.
4 Merchant MIF processing development:
  • CNFFHVB integration
  • adapts the payment means selection page
  • adapts the card data entry form page
  • performs validation steps in test environment using MIF generic merchantID
5 Merchant Sends the MIF activation form (JT)
6 Merchant and Mercanet Call 2: activate in production
7 Merchant and Mercanet Call 3: activation follow-up
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