What is a card-payment processor?¶

A card processor handles transaction data between merchant, acquirer, network and issuer. It is an intermediary evidence holder, not necessarily the merchant.

Processor records connect payment stages¶

They can include processor transaction ID, merchant or gateway ID, authorisation and response, endpoint or browser data, tokens, risk, settlement and linked returns. These identifiers can reconcile issuer, merchant and customer records that use different references.

A processor may support many merchants or facilitators and may appear in descriptors or website code. Order and delivery detail can remain with the seller.

Preserve the provider links¶

Retain every processor reference, time and field definition and ask how it maps to issuer, acquirer and merchant. Identify the processor's stage rather than treating its timestamp as customer action or its name as the seller.