iATS Account Updater

What are the rules governing which cards are picked for the account updater?

The Account Updater program runs daily. Visa and MasterCard cards are eligible candidates for the Account Updater service when they meet all of the following criteria:

• They must be expired or expiring in the current month OR be processed with one of the following specific soft decline responses:

• They must be associated with a merchant registered for the Account Updater service.
• They must not be part of the “no send” card list.
• They must not be part of a pending Account Updater transaction (previously submitted and awaiting response).

Will I have to do anything to submit cards for the Account Updater service?

Account Updater will run automatically on a daily basis.

Will card details be updated in our CRM or management systems?

No, the tokens saved in the vault will be updated with new account information if a response is received, but card data will not be pushed back to updated in any other systems.

Is there a monthly fee?

No. There is a setup fee and either per submission or per submission & per match based on provider of the service (US or Canada clients)

Is there a fee per search, or match, or both?

Account Updater is charged per submission in the US and per submission & per match in Canada

Can the Merchant pause the service and reactivate at a later time?

No. However, a Merchant can stop the service by submitting a Maintenance Request through normal channels. At a later time, the merchant can submit a Maintenance Request to add Account Updater again. Each reactivation causes a new setup.

Is the merchant required to have processed payments in the past to use Account Updater?

No, newly signed merchants may sign up for the Account Updater program. However, cards to be updated must have been attempted for use under the BIN to which it is registered, or be processed on that BIN once updated.

How can a merchant stop the service?

Submit a Maintenance Request through normal channels to remove the service.

Will cards be resubmitted after being rejected for update?

No. Once a card has been submitted and received a response of DO NOT RESUBMIT, that card must not be resubmitted under that BIN/CARD Acceptor combination.

What happens when we submit cards that are not supposed to be resubmitted?

If a card is resubmitted after receiving a response of DO NOT RESUBMIT, fines can be incurred.

How soon can the cards be updated?

The registration process takes up to 13 business days for Visa cards, and from 8 - 10 days for MasterCard. After that, Account Updater runs every day.

How long does it take to get a response?

Response files can take 5-7 business days once submitted and may come back in separate batches.

Can we bring over merchants and update cards that are already expired?

Yes, a manual processing of expired cards can be arranged upon registration.

Where can merchants see the billing information?

The fees will be reflected in reporting portals (FirstView or iATS Portal) and will be billed on a monthly basis during month-end billing per the pricing structure. Merchant with iATS Legacy can view their Account Updater Report in the Journal Report – Download Journal. Merchant with 1stPay can view their Account Updater Report in FirstView – Account Updater Summary.

How does Account Updater handle international cards?

Account Updater doesn’t differentiate international cards from domestic cards. If the card is used for recurring billing and is on file at the BIN/CARD acceptor ID level, and the merchant is registered, the card may be submitted for update. The issuer must participate in order to receive response. Billing applies to the merchant for the submission. In addition, Account Updater only updates Visa and MasterCard.

What merchants are eligible for Account Updater?

Enrollment in the First American Account Updater program is limited to merchants sponsored on our BIN.

What is the trigger for activating Account Updater? Is it a checkbox in our Salesforce that triggers the Account Updater process?

For new merchants, see the process noted in the answer above. For existing merchants, send a signed copy of the iATS Account Updater Addendum to maintenance per your normal process.

Are we billed per MID/merchant? How is the billing broken down, and how do merchants reconcile?

Merchants are billed at a MID level for the designated pricing structure.