Glossary
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PAN Prefix: A set of numbers in the Primary Account Number (PAN) that is approved or issued by ANSI, MasterCard or VISA, and that uniquely identifies a Member's cardbase for purposes of interchange.
PDF File: A method for distributing formatted documents over the Internet. You need a special reader program called Acrobat, and you can get it at www.adobe.com.
PIN (Personal Identification Number): The confidential individual number or code used by a cardholder to authenticate card ownership for ATM or POS terminal transactions.
PIN Authorization Request: A procedure enabling the issuer to validate cardholder identity by comparing the PIN to the account numbers.
PIN Pad: A Tamper Resistant Security Module that enables a STAR Cardholder to enter his or her PIN at a STAR Terminal.
PIN Verification: A procedure utilized by or on behalf of the Issuer Participant to verify the identification of the STAR Cardholder as a result of the use of the PIN upon receipt of a Transaction request.
PIN-Less Utility Bill Payment Transaction: A STAR POS Transaction where the STAR Cardholder initiates a payment transaction, without the use of a PIN, to pay all or a portion of a Utility Bill.
POB Interchange Fee: The fee paid to the Acquirer Member by the Issuer Member for a STAR POB Transaction as established from time to time by the STAR Network.
POS Terminal: A device placed in a merchant location that is connected to the bank's system or authorization service provider via telephone lines and is designed to authorize, record and forward data by electronic means for each sale.
POS2000: A client database (entitlements and equipment) and terminal tracking system (shipment status and serial numbers). This sub-system uploads to the First Data terminal billing information system.
Packet: A chunk of information sent over a network. Each packet contains the address that it's going to and the address from which it came.
Paper: Sales slips, credit slips, cash disbursement slips and other obligations indicating use of a card or a card account. Also referred to as “media.”
Paper/Voice: The oldest, yet most familiar bankcard process mode whereby a merchant must call the authorization center for approval of a credit card transaction and then submit their sales slips to First Data for processing.
Pass Through: Transactions that are processed by First Data for statement purposes, but are not funded by First Data (i.e., American Express).
Payment System: A set of instructions and procedures used for the transfer of ownership and settlement of obligations arising from the exchange of goods and services.
Physically Secure Device: A hardware device which, when operated in its intended manner and environment, cannot be successfully penetrated to disclose all or part of any cryptographic key or PIN information resident within the device.
Pick-Up Card: An issuer's response to an authorization request stipulating that the card be confiscated by the merchant and returned to the issuer.
Point of Banking (POB): The utilization of STAR Cards for POB Transactions at clerk-operated devices.
Point of Sale (POS): The location of a merchant where the customer makes a purchase.
Point-of-Sale Terminal (POS Terminal): Any terminal which does not dispense cash and which enables a cardholder to conduct transactions involving the purchase of goods or services at a merchant. A STAR Internet Device is not considered a POS Terminal.
POS Interchange Fee (PIF): A fee paid by a POS Acquirer Member to an Issuer Member, as a result of an authorized POS Purchase or Pre-authorization Completion Transaction made by a STAR Cardholder at a STAR Merchant.
Point-of-Sale System: An electronic system that accepts financial data at or near a retail selling location and transmits that data to a computer or authorization network for reporting activity, authorization and transaction logging.
Positive File: A file listing the current balance and available credit for each active cardholder account. PIN and other cardholder information may also be included.
Posting: The process of recording debits and credits to the cardholder's credit or deposit account.
Presentment: The process by which the acquirer sends the transaction to the issuer for reimbursement.
Primary Account Number (PAN): The number encoded on Track 2 of a magnetic stripe of a STAR Card and used by the Issuer Member to identify a STAR Cardholder to whom a STAR Card has been issued. The PAN must be of sufficient digits to identify the STAR Cardholder and must be no less than twelve (12) and not more than nineteen (19) digits.
Principal Member: A financial institution that directly participates as an issuing and/or acquiring member of MasterCard International.
Private Label: A retailer's proprietary card. Accepted only at that merchant's retail establishments.
Private Key: The key used in PKI to generate a Digital Signature and encrypt data or messages.
Processing Date: The earliest date stamped on the transmittal summary and draft by the member or its processor. The date on the 603 transmission header record for electronic transactions.
Processor: An organization that is connected to VISANet and or Banknet and provides authorization and/or clearing and settlement services on behalf of a member.
Proprietary Card: A card issued by a financial institution to its customers for access to their credit or deposit accounts.
Protocol: The agreed-on rules that computers rely on to talk amongst themselves. A set of signals that mean “go ahead,” “got it,” “didn't get it,” “please resend,” “all done,” and so on.
Public Key: The key used in PKI to verify a Digital Signature or decrypt data or messages to the holder of the Private Key.
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI): A system of employing a Public and Private Key pair to support identification and Authentication, data confidentiality, data integrity and key management services for parties using a public network like the Internet. A Public Key infrastructure is a complex integration of hardware, software and cryptographic components combined with policies, practices and procedures to enable business applications to operate in a secure environment. The policies, practices and procedures provide management with enforceable mechanisms to safely operate the PKI components in such a way to assure due diligence and prudent business practices.
Purchasing Card: Designed to help companies maintain control of small purchases while reducing the administrative cost associated with authorizing, tracking, paying and reconciling those purchases.
PDF File: A method for distributing formatted documents over the Internet. You need a special reader program called Acrobat, and you can get it at www.adobe.com.
PIN (Personal Identification Number): The confidential individual number or code used by a cardholder to authenticate card ownership for ATM or POS terminal transactions.
PIN Authorization Request: A procedure enabling the issuer to validate cardholder identity by comparing the PIN to the account numbers.
PIN Pad: A Tamper Resistant Security Module that enables a STAR Cardholder to enter his or her PIN at a STAR Terminal.
PIN Verification: A procedure utilized by or on behalf of the Issuer Participant to verify the identification of the STAR Cardholder as a result of the use of the PIN upon receipt of a Transaction request.
PIN-Less Utility Bill Payment Transaction: A STAR POS Transaction where the STAR Cardholder initiates a payment transaction, without the use of a PIN, to pay all or a portion of a Utility Bill.
POB Interchange Fee: The fee paid to the Acquirer Member by the Issuer Member for a STAR POB Transaction as established from time to time by the STAR Network.
POS Terminal: A device placed in a merchant location that is connected to the bank's system or authorization service provider via telephone lines and is designed to authorize, record and forward data by electronic means for each sale.
POS2000: A client database (entitlements and equipment) and terminal tracking system (shipment status and serial numbers). This sub-system uploads to the First Data terminal billing information system.
Packet: A chunk of information sent over a network. Each packet contains the address that it's going to and the address from which it came.
Paper: Sales slips, credit slips, cash disbursement slips and other obligations indicating use of a card or a card account. Also referred to as “media.”
Paper/Voice: The oldest, yet most familiar bankcard process mode whereby a merchant must call the authorization center for approval of a credit card transaction and then submit their sales slips to First Data for processing.
Pass Through: Transactions that are processed by First Data for statement purposes, but are not funded by First Data (i.e., American Express).
Payment System: A set of instructions and procedures used for the transfer of ownership and settlement of obligations arising from the exchange of goods and services.
Physically Secure Device: A hardware device which, when operated in its intended manner and environment, cannot be successfully penetrated to disclose all or part of any cryptographic key or PIN information resident within the device.
Pick-Up Card: An issuer's response to an authorization request stipulating that the card be confiscated by the merchant and returned to the issuer.
Point of Banking (POB): The utilization of STAR Cards for POB Transactions at clerk-operated devices.
Point of Sale (POS): The location of a merchant where the customer makes a purchase.
Point-of-Sale Terminal (POS Terminal): Any terminal which does not dispense cash and which enables a cardholder to conduct transactions involving the purchase of goods or services at a merchant. A STAR Internet Device is not considered a POS Terminal.
POS Interchange Fee (PIF): A fee paid by a POS Acquirer Member to an Issuer Member, as a result of an authorized POS Purchase or Pre-authorization Completion Transaction made by a STAR Cardholder at a STAR Merchant.
Point-of-Sale System: An electronic system that accepts financial data at or near a retail selling location and transmits that data to a computer or authorization network for reporting activity, authorization and transaction logging.
Positive File: A file listing the current balance and available credit for each active cardholder account. PIN and other cardholder information may also be included.
Posting: The process of recording debits and credits to the cardholder's credit or deposit account.
Presentment: The process by which the acquirer sends the transaction to the issuer for reimbursement.
Primary Account Number (PAN): The number encoded on Track 2 of a magnetic stripe of a STAR Card and used by the Issuer Member to identify a STAR Cardholder to whom a STAR Card has been issued. The PAN must be of sufficient digits to identify the STAR Cardholder and must be no less than twelve (12) and not more than nineteen (19) digits.
Principal Member: A financial institution that directly participates as an issuing and/or acquiring member of MasterCard International.
Private Label: A retailer's proprietary card. Accepted only at that merchant's retail establishments.
Private Key: The key used in PKI to generate a Digital Signature and encrypt data or messages.
Processing Date: The earliest date stamped on the transmittal summary and draft by the member or its processor. The date on the 603 transmission header record for electronic transactions.
Processor: An organization that is connected to VISANet and or Banknet and provides authorization and/or clearing and settlement services on behalf of a member.
Proprietary Card: A card issued by a financial institution to its customers for access to their credit or deposit accounts.
Protocol: The agreed-on rules that computers rely on to talk amongst themselves. A set of signals that mean “go ahead,” “got it,” “didn't get it,” “please resend,” “all done,” and so on.
Public Key: The key used in PKI to verify a Digital Signature or decrypt data or messages to the holder of the Private Key.
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI): A system of employing a Public and Private Key pair to support identification and Authentication, data confidentiality, data integrity and key management services for parties using a public network like the Internet. A Public Key infrastructure is a complex integration of hardware, software and cryptographic components combined with policies, practices and procedures to enable business applications to operate in a secure environment. The policies, practices and procedures provide management with enforceable mechanisms to safely operate the PKI components in such a way to assure due diligence and prudent business practices.
Purchasing Card: Designed to help companies maintain control of small purchases while reducing the administrative cost associated with authorizing, tracking, paying and reconciling those purchases.