4 pages

Acquiring

May 25, 20268 min read

Partial approvals: what terminals and hosts must do when the card pays only part

A partial approval is not a decline and not a completed sale. ISO 8583 response codes and amount fields must be read together — and the terminal must not show a green APPROVED …

Apr 20, 202610 min read

Reversals, Refunds, and Chargebacks: Decoding the Payment Lifecycle

Three words every payment professional uses — and confuses. Each lives at a different point in the settlement lifecycle, under a different protocol, with radically different …

Apr 05, 202614 min read

What Actually Happens in the 2–3 Seconds of a Card Payment

A card payment feels instantaneous. The system behind it is not.

Mar 23, 20267 min read

Why PIN Still Matters in Card-Present Payments

EMV authenticates the card. PIN still helps authenticate the cardholder.