What is a payment handle or payment username?¶
A payment handle is a public identifier used to find an account within a payment service. It can change, imitate another name and differ from the provider's stable user ID.
Visible identity may be user-controlled¶
Handles can be selected or assigned and linked to email or phone. Display names can be copied, spelling or symbols can distinguish accounts, and values may be recycled or reassigned.
Preserve historical linkage¶
Record exact case, punctuation, symbols, platform, source and observation time. Ask the provider which internal account held it at the event time, its creation and changes and associated verified information.
Compare user ID, transactions, contacts, endpoints and communications. Report handle separately from internal account and customer identity.
The point to remember
Preserve a payment handle exactly and obtain provider history linking it to the relevant stable account before using it for attribution.
