Configure merchant parameters (Merchant Parameters)

The Merchant Parameters page includes basic merchant information such as merchant legal location, contact information, and SIC/MCC codes. You can also add non-Express front-end terminals to the merchant's profile from this page.

To configure or update a merchant's parameters:

1. If boarding a merchant, from the Merchant Add page, click Next.

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   For an existing merchant record, search for the merchant to display its details on the Merchant Summary page, and then:

   In the Merchant Quick Links panel, click Merchant Parameters.

   

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   From the Merchant menu, click Parameters.

   

   The Merchant Parameters page opens.

   

2. If the merchant is already boarded, click Edit.
3. Enter or edit the basic and DBA Information merchant parameter details in the fields provided (fields marked with a red asterisk are mandatory).
   • User Bank Number: This is a user-defined bank number used for reporting purposes. This field auto-fills based on the Bank ID number entered on the Express homepage.
   • Branch: The four-digit user-defined branch code. 0000 is a valid entry.
   • Card Brand MCC Participation

     Indicates whether the merchant is participating in the program to define card brand level MCCs.

     Note: If this check box is selected, all information for the MCCs must be entered at the merchant and terminal level.

   • Visa MCC

     The merchant's four-digit Merchant Category Code (MCC) for Mastercard.

   • Mastercard MCC

     The merchant's four-digit Merchant Category Code (MCC) for Mastercard.

   • Amex MCC

     The merchant's four-digit Merchant Category Code (MCC) for American Express; this field only appears on the Merchant Parameters page if the Card Brand MCC Participation indicator is selected for the merchant.

   • Discover MCC

     The merchant's four-digit Merchant Category Code (MCC) for Discover; this field only appears on the Merchant Parameters page if the Card Brand MCC Participation indicator is selected for the merchant.

   • Types of Good Sold

     This field enables you to further define the type of goods the merchant sells, in addition to the MCC code.

     Note: This field is mandatory if the Underwriting feature is turned on.

   • Sales Code: The Sales Code ID associated with merchant records that you can view on reports. Sales codes consist of 1-16 alphanumeric characters. This field auto-fills if the information was provided on the Merchant Add page.
   • CWOS Threshold (Merchant Parameters page): A value in this field indicates that the merchant is participating in Credit Without Offsetting Sale Threshold (CWOS), and the dollar value for the merchant that will override the CWOS Threshold set for the associated BIN on the BIN Setup page.

     Note: You can only enter a CWOS Threshold value for a merchant if its associated BIN has a CWOS Threshold value set on the BIN Setup page

     CWOS is a component of TSYS Risk Detector that allows clients to reject credits that exceed a threshold for an offsetting sale.

     Possible values for this field are:

     • (Blank): This indicates the merchant's threshold is based on the CWOS Threshold value for the associated BIN on the BIN Setup page. If the CWOS Threshold field is blank for both the merchant and the associated BIN, it indicates the merchant is not participating in CWOS. If the CWOS Threshold field for the associated BIN is blank, the CWOS Threshold field for the merchant is unavailable.
     • 00000: This indicates all credit transactions are checked for an offsetting sale.
     • 00001-99999: This indicates only credit transactions greater than the dollar value entered here (that is, between $0 and $99999) are checked for an offsetting sale.
   • Debit Return Threshold

     The Debit Return Threshold value for the merchant, if the BIN is participating in the Selective Debit Reject (SDR) program.

     Possible values are:

     • (Blank): This indicates the merchant's threshold value is based on the SDR BIN threshold value for the associated BIN on the BIN Setup page.

       Note: If the Debit Return Threshold and EBT Return Threshold fields for the associated BIN are blank, the SDR fields for the merchant are rendered unavailable; this indicates that the merchant is not participating in SDR.

     • 00000: This indicates all debit returns are not allowed. Attempts for returns will be rejected at the time of authorization.
     • 00001-99999: This indicates the dollar amount up to which debit returns are allowed.
   • EBT Return Threshold

     The EBT Return Threshold value for the merchant, if the BIN is participating in the Selective Debit Reject (SDR) program.

     Possible values are:

     • (Blank): This indicates the merchant's threshold value is based on the SDR BIN threshold value for the associated BIN on the BIN Setup page.

       Note: If the Debit Return Threshold and EBT Return Threshold fields for the associated BIN are blank, the SDR fields for the merchant are rendered unavailable; this indicates that the merchant is not participating in SDR.

     • 00000: This indicates all EBT returns are not allowed. Attempts for returns will be rejected at the time of authorization.
     • 00001-99999: This indicates the dollar amount up to which EBT returns are allowed.
   • MC ISO ID

     An identification number (up to 11 digits) assigned by MasterCard to registered Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs).

   • Network Tokenization

     When this check box is selected, it indicates that the merchant participates in Network Tokenization, in which case, the Merchant Token Requestor ID field is editable and requires a value. When the check box is clear, it indicates that the merchant is not participating, and the Merchant Token Requestor ID field will not then be editable.

     The required Visa-assigned ID for a merchant participating in Network Tokenization. This ID comprises 36 characters (acceptable characters are 0-9, A-F, and a-f) separated by hyphens in this format: ########-####-####-####-############

   • Merchant Token Requestor ID

     The required Visa-assigned ID for a merchant participating in Network Tokenization. This ID comprises 36 characters (acceptable characters are 0-9, A-F, and a-f) separated by hyphens in this format: ########-####-####-####-############

   • Rush: Select this check box if there is a request to rush the building of the file for the new merchant account. This helps increase the speed of the boarding process.
   • Lease Indicator: Select this check box if the merchant is leasing a terminal that requires deployment from TSYS Acquiring Solutions POS Systems and Services.
   • Merchant PCI Compliance: Select this check box to make the Merchant PCI (Payment Card Industry) Compliance pages available to the merchant.
   • Back End Merchant Only: Select this check box if the merchant is using a front end processor other than TSYS Acquiring Solutions.
   • MSR Name

     The merchant sales representative's name.

   • Underwriting Status

     This read-only field indicates the status of the underwriting process for the merchant. If this field is blank, it indicates the Underwriting feature is not in use. Otherwise, the possible values are:

     • Conversion: The merchant was boarded before the Underwriting feature was turned on, and there is no Underwriting Checklist for the merchant.
     • Waiting for Underwriting: The merchant's underwriting process has not yet begun in the Underwriting Queue.
     • In Progress: The merchant's underwriting process has begun, and is not yet complete.
     • Pended: There is an outstanding issue regarding the merchant's underwriting application; refer to the Underwriting Support Team.
     • Declined: The merchant's underwriting application was completed and not approved.
     • Canceled: The merchant decided to not proceed with the underwriting process.
     • Approved: The merchant's underwriting application was approved and can be boarded.

     Note: This field does not appear for Front End Only merchants.

   • Date Opened: This field auto-fills with the date the file build was started, in mm/dd/yyyy format. You can enter a new date if required, or click the calendar icon and select one from the pop-up calendar.
   • Token Zone Name
   • Sales Rep Email Address

     The email address of the sales person or team that supports the merchant underwriting application.

     Note: This field is mandatory if the Underwriting feature is turned on.

   • Visa Debit Consent CNP

     This is only available to Canadian acquirers. The value Y or N in this field indicates whether or not the merchant has consented to process Visa Debit Card Not Present (CNP) transactions.

   • Visa Debit Consent CP

     This is only available to Canadian acquirers. The value Y or N in this field indicates whether or not the merchant has consented to process Visa Debit Card Present (CP) transactions.

   DBA Information

   • Name: This field auto-fills from the information provided on the Merchant Add page.

     The merchant's DBA (Doing Business As) name. When entering or editing this name, the field accepts alphabetic characters (upper and lower case), numeric characters, spaces, and these special characters only:

     . , : ; " ' < ( ) + ! @ # $ % ? & * - _ = / > ¢

   • Postal Code: The 5-digit ZIP code for DBA address. This field auto-fills from the information provided on the Merchant Add page.
   • City: This field auto-fills when the postal code is entered and is editable, and auto-fills from the information provided on the Merchant Add page.
   • State/Province: This field auto-fills when the postal code is entered, and auto-fills from the information provided on the Merchant Add page.
   • Country: This field auto-fills when the postal code is entered, and auto-fills from the information provided on the Merchant Add page.
   • Phone: The merchant's contact phone number.
   • Extension: The merchant's extension number.
   • P/TWO: The merchant's fax number. This is a required field if you use Merlin Solutions for chargeback processing.
   • Customer Service Phone: The full telephone number that should be used to contact the merchant for customer service related communications. This may or may not be the same as the business Phone number.
   • Country of Origin

     The valid 3-digit ISO country code that represents the merchant’s home country.

     Although this field is optional, it should be populated for these merchant types:

     • A merchant identified as a government controlled or owned merchant such as an embassy, a school board, or a library. Mastercard requests that this field is populated for such merchants.
     • A merchant whose Business Type(MC/DV) as specified on the Merchant Account page is 9 - Government Agency.

       The MasterCard business type designation for the account. Possible values:

       • 1 - Corporation
       • 2 - Unknown
       • 3 - Sole Proprietorship
       • 4 - Partnership
       • 5 - Association/Estate/Trust
       • 6 - Tax Exempt (501C)
       • 7 - International
       • 8 - Limited Liability (LLC)
       • 9 - Government Agency

     For example:

     Merchant type	Country of Origin value
     Chinese embassy located in the USA	156 (the ISO country code for China)
     School in the USA	840 (the ISO country code for USA)

   • Merchant Email Address: The merchant's email address for replacement shipments. This must be in the standard email format (example@example.com).
   • Merchant Web Site: The merchant's web site address (URL). This must be standard URL format (http://www.example.com). This field is required if the Online field on the Merchant Account page Account Data > Acquirer Merchant Master File Data panel is set to Y.
   • Chargeback Email Address: This field is only available if the bank is participating in the option for merchants to receive retrieval and chargeback activity by email. In edit mode, you can enter the merchant's email address for the chargeback activity, or select the Same as Merchant Email Address check box.
   • Chargeback Email Option

     This field is only available if the bank is participating in the option for merchants to receive retrieval and chargeback activity by email. In edit mode, you can select the option to specify how the merchant receives dispute notifications:

     • Current Notification Method and Email (default)
     • Email Only
     • Do Not Send Email
   • DUNS ID: The merchant's Dun & Bradstreet number.
   • Last Credit Check: This field auto-fills with the date the file build was started, in mm/dd/yyyy format.
4. Add a new address to the merchant record as required.
   1. In the Add A New Address panel, click the Add button.

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      To add a new address to the merchant record by copying an existing address set up for the merchant, in the Add A New Address panel, from the Copy From Indicator drop-down list, select the Indicator code for the address you want to copy, and then click the Add button.

      The Address Detail panel opens; if you selected an existing address's Indicator code from the Copy From Indicator drop-down list, the fields in the panel are auto-filled with that address's details, which you can edit as required.

   2. Enter or edit the address details in the fields provided as follows (fields marked with a red asterisk are mandatory):
      • Indicator: This field auto-fills with the next available indicator number for this new address, which you can edit if required. Multiple addresses for a merchant are listed using these indicator numbers. When you first create a merchant on the Merchant Add page, Express logs the legal information that you enter as name and address indicator 00 and assigns all available usage codes to it. The 00 address indicator cannot be deleted.
      • Name: The name of the merchant for this location.
      • Attn: The name of the receiving person for this location. Currently, this is a required field for major shipping companies.
      • Address: The merchant's legal street address for this location.
      • Postal Code: The 5-digit ZIP code for this location.
      • City: This field auto-fills when the postal code is entered and is editable.
      • State/Province: This field auto-fills when the postal code is entered.
      • Country: This field auto-fills when the postal code is entered.
      • Email Address: The email address for this location. This must be in the standard email format (example@example.com).
   3. In the Usage Code Selection panel, select the check box for each Usage Code you want to apply to this location, or select the All check box to select all usage codes.

      Three-character usage codes are assigned to each name and address record, and determine how the record is used. All usage codes can be assigned to one address, or they can be individually assigned to different records. The usage codes cannot be assigned to more than one name and address record. This table lists the available usage codes:

      Usage Codes	Description
      AJF	Adjustment Fee
      BIL	Merchant Billing
      BT1	Billing Element Table 1 (Confirmation Letter)
      BT2	Billing Element Table 2 (Merlin Chargeback Notification)
      BT3	Billing Element Table 3 (Retrievals)
      CBF	Chargeback Fee
      CRB	Card Recovery Bulletin
      DIS	Discount and Deposit Summary (used for the address where the statement is mailed)
      IMP	Imprinter Fee
      IRS	Internal Revenue Service
      MEM	Membership Fee
      MIS	Miscellaneous Fee
      MLR	Mailer
      MSG	Unique Message
      POS	Point of Sale Terminal Fee
      RCL	Restricted Card Listing
      SHP	Shipping Address

      Each name and address combination that you add for a merchant must have at least one assigned usage code.

      Each usage code must be assigned to at least one name and address combination, except for BIL and SHP, which can remain unassigned. When you assign a usage code to a new name and address combination, that usage code is automatically unassigned from its previous name and address combination by Express.

      Note: You can configure the name and address for full-service or back-end only merchants. The information in this topic does not apply to front-end only merchants.

   4. If you select the BIL (Merchant Billing) Usage Code from the Usage Code Selection panel for this address, the following fields become available; enter the information as required:

      Three-character usage codes are assigned to each name and address record, and determine how the record is used. All usage codes can be assigned to one address, or they can be individually assigned to different records. The usage codes cannot be assigned to more than one name and address record. This table lists the available usage codes:

      Usage Codes	Description
      AJF	Adjustment Fee
      BIL	Merchant Billing
      BT1	Billing Element Table 1 (Confirmation Letter)
      BT2	Billing Element Table 2 (Merlin Chargeback Notification)
      BT3	Billing Element Table 3 (Retrievals)
      CBF	Chargeback Fee
      CRB	Card Recovery Bulletin
      DIS	Discount and Deposit Summary (used for the address where the statement is mailed)
      IMP	Imprinter Fee
      IRS	Internal Revenue Service
      MEM	Membership Fee
      MIS	Miscellaneous Fee
      MLR	Mailer
      MSG	Unique Message
      POS	Point of Sale Terminal Fee
      RCL	Restricted Card Listing
      SHP	Shipping Address

      • Phone: The merchant's contact phone number for this location.
      • Fax: The merchant's contact FAX number for this location.
   5. If you select the SHP (Shipping Address) Usage Code from the Usage Code Selection panel for this address, the following fields become available; enter the information as required:

      Three-character usage codes are assigned to each name and address record, and determine how the record is used. All usage codes can be assigned to one address, or they can be individually assigned to different records. The usage codes cannot be assigned to more than one name and address record. This table lists the available usage codes:

      Usage Codes	Description
      AJF	Adjustment Fee
      BIL	Merchant Billing
      BT1	Billing Element Table 1 (Confirmation Letter)
      BT2	Billing Element Table 2 (Merlin Chargeback Notification)
      BT3	Billing Element Table 3 (Retrievals)
      CBF	Chargeback Fee
      CRB	Card Recovery Bulletin
      DIS	Discount and Deposit Summary (used for the address where the statement is mailed)
      IMP	Imprinter Fee
      IRS	Internal Revenue Service
      MEM	Membership Fee
      MIS	Miscellaneous Fee
      MLR	Mailer
      MSG	Unique Message
      POS	Point of Sale Terminal Fee
      RCL	Restricted Card Listing
      SHP	Shipping Address

      • Ship To: The Contact/Attention line for Ship To address for this location.
      • Ship Method: Select the appropriate shipping method from the drop-down list for this location:
        • 1 - Overnight
        • 2 - Second Day
        • A - Air
        • E - Express
        • G - Ground
        • P - Priority Next Day
        • S - Saturday
      • Special Handling: Enter any special handling method required for shipping to this location.
   6. Click Apply to add the address to the merchant record.

      The new address record appears in the Addresses and Assigned Usage Codes table.

      Three-character usage codes are assigned to each name and address record, and determine how the record is used. All usage codes can be assigned to one address, or they can be individually assigned to different records. The usage codes cannot be assigned to more than one name and address record. This table lists the available usage codes:

      Usage Codes	Description
      AJF	Adjustment Fee
      BIL	Merchant Billing
      BT1	Billing Element Table 1 (Confirmation Letter)
      BT2	Billing Element Table 2 (Merlin Chargeback Notification)
      BT3	Billing Element Table 3 (Retrievals)
      CBF	Chargeback Fee
      CRB	Card Recovery Bulletin
      DIS	Discount and Deposit Summary (used for the address where the statement is mailed)
      IMP	Imprinter Fee
      IRS	Internal Revenue Service
      MEM	Membership Fee
      MIS	Miscellaneous Fee
      MLR	Mailer
      MSG	Unique Message
      POS	Point of Sale Terminal Fee
      RCL	Restricted Card Listing
      SHP	Shipping Address

5. In the Volume & Shipment Information panel, enter details as required.
   • Percentage of Retail

     The percentage of retail transactions (typically swipe transactions) that will occur for the merchant.

   • Percentage Key Entered

     The percentage of a merchant's hand-entered transactions. This value must be 20 or greater.

   • Percentage of E-Commerce

     The percentage of electronic transactions (typically manually keyed transactions with the card number keyed in by the card owner) that will occur for the merchant.

   • Total Tran Vol Debit

     The total number of debit card transactions the merchant processes annually.

   • Total Tran Vol Credit

     The total number of credit card transactions the merchant processes annually.

   • Average Ticket: The merchant's average transaction amount.
   • Annual Volume: The merchant's annual volume amount.
   • High Ticket: The highest single ticket dollar amount the merchant is expected to accept.
   • Total Dollar Debit

     The total dollar amount of debit card transactions the merchant processes annually.

   • Total Dollar Credit

     The total dollar amount of credit card transactions the merchant processes annually.

   • Delivery Delay:
     • Avg# Days Between Order & Ship

       The average number of days between an order being placed and the goods being shipped.

     • % of Trans W/Delay Ship or Service

       The percentage of transactions with a delayed shipment or delivery of goods or services.

     • ACH Process Credits Flag

       When this check box is selected, it indicates that the ACH process is going to allow credits to be posted for this merchant.

6. In the Primary Owner Information panel, and, if required, in the Secondary Information Panel, enter details for the primary and secondary (if any) owner.
   • Owner First Name Note: This field is mandatory if the Underwriting feature is turned on.
   • Owner Last Name Note: This field is mandatory if the Underwriting feature is turned on.
   • Owner Name
   • Owner Home Address Note: This field is mandatory if the Underwriting feature is turned on.
   • Owner Home Postal Code Note: This field is mandatory if the Underwriting feature is turned on.
   • Owner Home City / State Note: This field is mandatory if the Underwriting feature is turned on.
   • Owner Home Phone Note: This field is mandatory if the Underwriting feature is turned on.
   • Date Of Birth: Enter the owner's date of birth, or click the calendar icon and select it from the pop-up calendar.
   • SSN: The owner's Social Security Number.
   • Driver's License
   • Driver's License Issuing State
   • Business License
7. In the Additional DBA Information panel, enter any additional DBA information for the merchant.
   • Manager Name
   • Assistant Manager
   • Other Contact
   • Federal Tax ID
   • State Tax ID
   • Years in Business (when opened): This field is mandatory.
   • C/H Info Security Program: Select this check box if the merchant qualifies for the Card Holder Information Security program.
8. If the merchant has front end terminals on processing platforms other than TSYS's, select the Non-TSYS Acquiring Front-End Terminals check box.
9. If you are updating a merchant's parameters, click Validate or Board, as required.

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   If you are entering parameters for a new merchant, click Save at any time to save the information you have entered, and then to proceed to the next page in the merchant boarding process, click Next.