Glossary

Term	Definition
3-D Secure	A protocol for authenticating payers, originally developed by Visa but now also adopted by Mastercard, JCB, and American Express. Uses a Directory Server to determine whether the payer is enrolled for 3DS, then redirects the payer to an Access Control Server (ACS) to authenticate. See also Verified by Visa, SecureCode, J-Secure, SafeKey.
Acquirer	A bank or another payment processor which acquires transactions from merchants. The merchant has a business relationship with the acquirer, and usually has a bank account with the acquirer into which funds are paid from the proceeds of transactions.
Authorisation	A message sent via an acquirer to a card issuer, asking that funds be reserved in the payer's account for later capture. If the authorization is successful, an authorisation ID or code is returned as a receipt.
API Credentials	API credentials are unique identifiers linked to your account, permitting API requests to be processed while controlling access. 1. Application: PowerBoard Widget SDK; API Key Required: Public Key; Description: Public Key is set with a functional call. 2. Application: PowerBoard REST API; API Key Required: Secret Key; Description: Secret Key is added as a header to the PowerBoard API request.
Capture	The process of capturing funds from the payer's account to the merchant's account.
Card Scheme	Identifies the underlying type of a credit card, for example, Mastercard, Visa, Amex.
Card Security Code	Card Security Code also known as: - CSC - CVV2 - CVC2 - 4DBC - CID This is the card scheme's name for the 3- or 4-digit non-embossed code on a credit card, which is used to verify that the card is in the payer's possession.
Cardholder	The cardholder has a payment instrument (typically a credit card) issued by the issuer and uses it to buy goods or services from the merchant.
Customer	Through the use of vaulted tokens, merchants can store one or more payment sources using the customer feature. Customers can be associated with Subscriptions and can have Charges.
EMV	Europay Mastercard Visa. A smart card standard for financial chip cards. EMV cards are a type of smart card which offers a more secure payment through an embedded microchip.
Issuer	Issues payment instruments (typically credit cards) to payers.
Notifications	PowerBoards Notifications enables Merchants to use webhooks or email.
MOTO / Mail Order Telephone Order	Stands for Mail Order/Telephone Order. Common term for traditional card-not-present orders that the merchant acquires by mail or phone. MOTO is also the traditional name for initial transactions (authorisation or pay) performed using 'Merchant Dashboard'.
One-Time-Token	This is a token that represents payment information. This is often generated on the client (using Client SDK). One-time tokens expire after 3 hours.
PAN	Primary Account Number. Known as the card number.
Payment Sources	Payment source is the chosen payment method used to process a specific charge.
Charge	Charge is a single transaction that immediately debits the funds from a payer's credit card account. Used when the merchant is allowed to bill the payer's account immediately, for example when providing services or goods on the spot.
Refund	A return of funds to the payer from the merchant. PowerBoard requires the refund to be performed against an order (as a security feature).
SafeKey	American Express's brand name for its 3D-Secure implementation.
SSL	Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is a security technology that is used to secure transactions between the payment gateway and the web browser. SSL protects data submitted over the Internet from being intercepted and viewed by unintended recipients.
Token	The identifier for the stored card details that may be used later to refer to the card details to perform a payment or authorization.
Charge Request	A request from the API to PowerBoard to provide charge information.
Charge Response	A response from PowerBoard to the API to indicate the outcome of the charge.
Vault	A secure repository within PowerBoard’s platform to store tokenised credit cards.
Verified by Visa	Visa's brand name for its 3D-Secure implementation.
Cancel	A cancellation of the payment portion of the transaction, so that no funds are transferred between the payer and the merchant. The transaction is cancelled and is not recorded on the payer's statement. Cancel can only be performed on transactions that have not yet been sent to the bank for processing at the end of day. Once a transaction has been sent to the merchant's bank for processing, the merchant must perform a refund instead of a Cancel.