Visa Token Service

A unifying platform for mobile and digital payments.

Offer more ways to pay

Visa Token Service can help you build and maintain your digital payment experiences while protecting consumers’ sensitive information from fraud. As more consumers come to expect mobile payment solutions , Visa Token Service provides three essential tools to help you meet the demand. Mobile payments eCommerce Internet of Things Three essential tools Get started

Custom payment solutions

Visa offers standards, specifications, development tools, and turnkey mobile solutions to help partners build and deploy their own tokenised apps to cardholders.

Visa Developer Platform

Work with us to create your own mobile payment application with the Visa Token Service SDK
Develop payment solutions that integrate directly with token management tools.

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Contactless payment solutions

Contactless mobile transactions are leading the next wave of digital payments, and Visa Token Service can make them simple and secure. With Near Field Communication (NFC) technology and Visa contactless, secure purchases are as easy as the wave of a hand.

Apple Pay 

Make convenient, on-the-go purchases with compatible iOS devices.

Google Pay

Google Pay is a fast, simple way to pay with your Visa in-store and in-app.

Samsung Pay 

A safe and simple way to make purchases with your Visa compatible Samsung devices.

Fitbit Pay

Pay right from your wrist with Fitbit Ionic, no phone or wallet necessary.

Garmin pay

Garmin Vivoactive 3 offers contactless payment capabilities on a GPS smartwatch.

eCommerce solutions

Make it easier for cardholders to pay online with a secure, simplified process that quickly moves customers from cart to conversion.

New Ways to Pay Online

Card on File securely stores tokenised accounts and updates card data captured from online consumers for a better checkout experience.

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Internet of things

Makers of devices like wearables, connected cars, clothing and home appliances – even city infrastructure – can now bring secure payments to life across the Internet of Things with Visa Token Service.

Wearables

Wearable devices with contactless payment technology allow consumers to leave their wallets at home.

Connected Cars

Drivers can easily make secure, contactless payments from their in-dash entertainment system.

Other connected devices

Visa technology makes secure payments easy and accessible from almost any device with an internet connection.

Developing payment experiences

Visa offers standards, specifications and development tools to help partners build and deploy their own mobile payment apps.

Visa contactless

Secure, contactless mobile purchases made with the wave of a hand.

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QR code

Purchases made by scanning a QR code on a mobile device screen.

BLE

Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) allows purchase from anywhere in the store.

Three essential tools

Visa Token Service is a complete, integrated set of tokenisation tools: Visa Token Vault, Token Management and Visa Risk Manager.

Visa Token Vault Token Management Tools Visa Risk Manager

Visa Token Vault

Stores tokens and their domain restrictions in a secure digital vault Link tokens to a cardholder’s PAN 1 for payment processing Provisioning: Deliver tokens to authorise internet-connected devices and mobile applications for payment

Token Management Tools

Lifecycle Management: Suspend, resume or delete tokens in the payment network and on devices Card Metadata Manager: Manage the card data and art presented to consumers Other key tools for digital payment platform management – Reporting for performance insights and APIs

Visa Risk Manager

Places controls on digital credit and debit products to stop high-risk transactions and enable faster response to emerging fraud schemes Provides access to extensive fraud risk management functionality and Visa’s comprehensive transaction and compromise alert data Use VRM to configure risk decisioning rules that Visa will apply to incoming token provisioning requests on your behalf

Get started with the Visa Digital Enablement Programme

Visa’s Digital Enablement Programme (VDEP) simplifies the way you offer innovative payment solutions. With streamlined access to Visa Token Service, VDEP connects financial institutions and technology companies so that you can offer payment options with Google Pay, Samsung Pay and Visa Checkout all in one go.

One-time integration

Connect quickly and easily with no need for multiple technology integrations.

Simple and scalable framework

Drive growth through a simple, scalable plan with no pass-through fees.

Robust protection

Receive a powerful combination of security and consumer data protections.

Access to partnerships

Participate with a fast-growing number of technology partners.

Q + A

Answers to commonly asked questions about Visa Token Service.

What is payment tokenisation?

Payment tokenisation is the process of replacing the traditional payment card account number with a unique digital token in online and mobile transactions. Tokens can be restricted for transactions with a specific mobile device, merchant or transaction type. The tokenisation process happens in the background in a way that is invisible to the consumer.

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Is there an industry standard for tokenisation?

In October 2013, Visa, MasterCard and American Express proposed a new standard for digital payments. EMVCo – the global standards organisation that oversees EMV specifications to ensure interoperability and acceptance – has since built on this framework with input from EMVCo’s members and the industry to advance availability and adoption of tokens around the world. EMVCo published the initial version of the specification in March 2014. The development of a global standard will help enable a new generation of payment products, while maintaining compatibility with the existing payments infrastructure.

Why was a new industry standard needed?

We live in a “connected” world. As more consumers make purchases online with smart phones, tablets and PCs, the payments industry is focused on delivering a safe, secure, simple and consistent consumer purchasing experience, regardless of where they are and what device they are using. The development of a global standard will help enable a new generation of payment products, while maintaining compatibility with the existing payments infrastructure.

How will the standard be managed?

EMVCo, the global standards organisation that oversees EMV specifications, has expanded its scope to also develop tokenisation specifications. EMVCo has built the framework with input from EMVCo’s members and the industry as we collectively seek to advance availability and adoption of tokens around the world. EMVCo published the initial version of the specification in March 2014.

Why are payment tokens important to the payments community?

Tokens help to simplify the purchasing experience for consumers by largely eliminating the need to enter and re-enter the account number when shopping on a smart phone, tablet or PC. Tokens can also help prevent fraud in eCommerce and m-commerce transactions by removing sensitive card account information from the payment process. Finally, merchants and digital payment providers can store payment tokens in place of payment account numbers, this further enhances payment security.

Payment tokens can also include additional data fields to provide richer information about the transaction helping to improve transaction efficiency and security, and provide more information about the circumstances under which the transaction was initiated.

What is Visa doing with regard to tokenisation?

Industry standard

Visa participated in the development of a cross-industry standard which provides a globally consistent approach to payment tokens. Elements of the standard include token creation and de-tokenisation, new data fields in authorisation, clearing and settlement, and token identification and verification services.

VisaNet processing

In April, Visa published mandatory changes by June 2014 (as outlined in April 2014 Technical Letter).

All US VisaNet endpoints must be capable of recognising and processing payment token-related data; a critical step in migration to payment token processing.

Visa Payment Token Service

Visa has developed a token service which is expected to be available to issuers in late 2014. The service will also help issuers manage the life cycle of payment tokens, as well as detokenise a Visa-created token when necessary. It can also support issuance of multiple tokens for a single account, each tied to a specific mobile device or service. The Visa token service is expected to be commercially available in late 2014. The service will align with the requirements outlined in the EMVCo specification.

How would the token be different from a virtual card?

A virtual card is typically a one-time use account number that can be used for online purchases. A token can be used for multiple purchases, and can be restricted in how it is used with a specific merchant, device, transaction or category of transactions.

What are the benefits of payment tokenisation to different stakeholders?

Payment tokenisation offers significant benefits to all stakeholder groups:

Issuers should see a decrease in eCommerce and m-commerce fraud and its associated costs (fraud losses, exception handling, customer service and card re-issuance).

Acquirers and processors should experience a reduced threat of sensitive cardholder data being usable by fraudsters if compromised.

Merchants and their service providers should experience a reduced threat of sensitive payment data being usable by fraudsters if compromised. Merchants will also have a powerful tool that will allow them to develop innovative retail experiences without the burden of handling this sensitive payment account data.

Tokens help to simplify the purchasing experience for consumers by largely eliminating the need to enter and re-enter the account number when shopping on a smart phone, tablet or PC.

What is required of Visa clients regarding the tokenisation standard?

A Technical Letter issued in October 2013 included specifications for US VisaNet endpoints to enable the minimum data fields. Clients with US VisaNet endpoints are required to enable the minimum data fields that will be needed to ensure payment tokens can be recognised and processed seamlessly across the Visa ecosystem by June 2014. These mandatory modifications were part of the April 2014 VisaNet Business Enhancement Release and were aimed at ensuring all VisaNet endpoints - US acquirer processors, acquirers, merchants, issuer processors and issuers that are directly connected to Visa - are keeping pace with industry developments in digital payments.

With efforts accelerating in the US marketplace to enable streamlined digital payments, these system modifications are an important first step to ensure all Visa clients - regardless of scale or capability - will be able to recognise payment tokens passing over their systems and process them effectively. Marketplace activity in the US creates a need for these requirements to first be implemented in the US Visa is in the process of developing a roadmap for VisaNet processing support for tokens globally.

Is tokenisation a US only initiative?

This is a global initiative and the service is based on a proposed global standard. However, the initial implementation will be in the US More information regarding Visa’s deployment in other countries as the rollout continues.

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