What is a payment token or tokenised card number?¶

A payment token is a substitute identifier used instead of the underlying card number. It can link a transaction to a device, merchant or service relationship without exposing the printed card details.

Tokens can be route-specific¶

A mobile wallet may provision a different token to each endpoint. A merchant can store another token for later charges. Several tokens may therefore represent one card account, and the number in a transaction record may not appear on the physical card.

Trace creation as well as use¶

Preserve the token, masked underlying account, wallet or merchant ID, transaction reference, time and endpoint fields. Ask issuer, wallet or processor which account it represented and when and how it was provisioned.

Provisioning can preserve endpoint, authentication, contact and risk records. A lost, shared or compromised device can let another person use an active token, so provisioning and human operation remain separate questions.