Visa Account Updater

Issuers can submit Visa Account Updater (VAU) updates through:

• Batch file process.
• 0302 PAN Maintenance File Message.
• Visa Token Service (VTS) PAN Lifecycle API.

Issuers can use any of the methods separately or in combination to submit VAU updates. Contact your Visa customer service representative (CSR) for the latest updates.

For issuers in the LAC region, non-Visa updates can only be submitted through batch file process.

This figure illustrates the issuer batch file process flow:

These steps detail the typical VAU issuer submission file process:

1. Issuer sends one or more files to VAU with updated account information. These files include changes to primary account numbers (PANs), expiration dates, contact advices for cardholders, and account closure instructions.

   Issuers can combine all lines of business (LOBs) into a single file using the multi-issuer file layout. Alternatively, an issuer processor may use separate multi-issuer files for different processing platforms, so an issuer’s credit and debit lines of business may be in different files.

2. VAU processes each file and sends a file status report to the issuer indicating whether the file was processed or rejected. If any records within a file are rejected, VAU also sends a rejected record report with detailed information about the rejected records.
3. Each month, VAU sends month-end reports to the issuer or issuer processor for issuers included in a multi-issuer file.

Before using Visa Account Updater (VAU), issuers must complete the enrollment and implementation steps outlined in the Visa Account Updater Client Implementation Guide on Visa Access.

During the enrollment process, issuers are assigned a VAU issuer ID and issuer segment IDs:

• VAU Issuer ID – Number generated by VAU that identifies the issuer.

  VAU reporting consolidates activity from all issuer segments under the corresponding VAU issuer ID.

• Issuer Segment ID(s) – Groupings of issuing BINs or separate business units that store VAU information.

  VAU activity for issuing BINs within a segment is consolidated under an issuer segment ID, and each endpoint is assigned at least one segment ID.

  Issuers may submit files to VAU from different geographical locations or platforms. Visa establishes additional segments as needed based on the issuer’s business requirements and constraints.

Visa Account Updater (VAU) participating issuers must submit updated account information within two business days of the date of change. Updates must only be submitted when an account is considered "live" and authorizations can be approved using the updated information.

While not an exhaustive list, VAU primary account number (PAN) and expiration date changes can occur for the reasons listed in this table:

The service identifier field in the Issuer Submission File Detail Record identifies the update type that the issuer sends to VAU.

VAU update types include:

• PAN and Expiration Date Changes
  • PAN Update (A)
  • Expiration Date Update (E)
• Account Advices
  • Closed Account Advice (C)
  • Contact Cardholder Advice (Q) – No account changes are provided with this response.
  • Account Switched Advice (S) – Only for use with the Current Account Switch Service (CASS) in the United Kingdom (UK).
• Cardholder Stop Advice (D) – Placed on a merchant's PAN inquiry.
• PAN Opt-Ins and Opt-Outs (for opting a PAN in or out of VAU)
  • Cardholder Opt-In (B)
  • Cardholder Opt-Out (O)

Account updates submitted for portfolio conversions or the transfer of an issuing BIN require identification as a conversion in the update record. If the buying issuer does not flag the account update as a conversion, the account change record risks rejection if the selling issuer reports the account as closed.

VAU portfolio update types include:

• Visa portfolio conversion (V)
• Non-Visa portfolio conversion (M)

Not all conversions require account update information to be sent to VAU; this table lists several conversion scenarios and with their corresponding issuer responsibilities:

The Issuer On Behalf of Credential Update service is designed to reduce the number of expired credential-on-file (COF) and eCommerce enabler tokens. The service also updates credentials with lapsed expiration dates that may not have been updated in Visa Account Updater (VAU).

Visa attempts to identify if any card-present, EMV® chip-approved authorizations occurred on a specific primary account number (PAN) with a valid expiration date. If found, Visa updates the PAN's expiration date in VAU (given an update for the PAN is present in VAU), along with the expiration date of PANs for associated COF and eCommerce tokens at the Visa Token Service (VTS).

Updates through this service only apply to the expiration date and do not replace other standard lifecycle management functions, including PAN replacement, nor the need for consistent lifecycle management updates performed by the issuer.

This service is only available in the NA, LAC, and CEMEA regions.

VAU Single PAN Inquiry allows issuers to inquire about Visa Account Updater (VAU) update details that were previously submitted to VAU. This includes the chain of account updates in chronological order based on the primary account number (PAN) associated with the search.

Information displayed includes:

• Segment ID
• Segment name
• Old and new PANs
• Old and new expiration dates
• Service code
• Conversion code (if applicable)
• Date of last update
• Opt-out status

For issuers in LAC, this feature will be available for non-Visa PANs at a future date.

Issuers are responsible for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of data submitted to Visa Account Updater (VAU). If an update is not complete, issuers may reverse it to ensure accuracy.

Reversal records can be used when an issuer discovers an error in information previously submitted to VAU. Only the last update that was submitted to the VAU database for a specific primary account number (PAN) can be corrected.

Reversal records must contain exactly the same information as the record being reversed, with the addition of an "R" in the "Reverse Code" field of the Issuer Submission File Detail Record.

Reversals can be applied to thee updates types:

• Expiration Date Update (E)
• Closed Account Advice (C)
• Contact Cardholder Advice (Q)

Reversals can only be applied to updates that still reside in the VAU database. Records are retained in the database for 4 years. To avoid rejects, reversal records should not be submitted for data that is more than 4 years old.

Issuers that participate in both Visa Account Updater (VAU) and the Visa Token Service (VTS) enable VTS to automatically pull updated cardholder data from VAU for token lifecycle updates when the underlying account has a change, like a new primary account number (PAN) or expiration date.

Issuers should notify Visa if they do not want VAU updates mapped to the token vault at VTS.

Closed account and contact cardholder advices are not compatible with VTS in the same way that other account changes are. To send a closed account advice to VTS, issuers should use one of the additional credential update processes described in the VTS documentation, like the ISO or API message format or the Token Lifecycle Management Tool.

For other PAN update options or bulk changes to token status, like the suspend, resume, or deactivate functions, issuers should contact their Client Services representatives.