Issuer Guide - Visa Bulk Enrollment
Issuer Guide to Visa Bulk Enrollment
Enable corporate clients to receive real-time transaction data through their Spend Management Platform
Introduction
This guide helps bank relationship managers set up Visa Business Data Solutions (VBDS) subscriptions for corporate clients through the Visa Commercial Platform. Astrada leverages Visa's VBDS API-based data solutions and ensures secure and efficient delivery of data to your corporate clients' spend management providers.
By following these simple steps, you can quickly enable your corporate clients to receive their transaction data (powered by Astrada) through their Spend Management Platform, empowering them with real-time spend data to optimize their expense and accounting workflows.
Prerequisites
Before beginning this process, ensure:
- The corporate client has requested VBDS subscription setup
- You have access to Visa Access
Step 1: Engage Visa to Activate VBDS API Endpoint
One-Time Setup per Spend Management PlatformThe following step walks you through how to set up a Visa Business Data Solutions API subscription at the Issuer level. This is required before setting up a Company level subscription.
Email Visa to Request API Endpoint Activation
Email [email protected] (cc [email protected]) to request activation of the API endpoint at the Issuer level.
Request to subscribe to the "[SMP_Name] by Astrada" endpoint (replace [SMP_Name] with the specific Spend Management Provider name) and the following Visa Products:
- Starter Data API
- Authorization Data API (Pull)
- Authorization Data API (Push)
- Transaction Data API
Draft Email to Visa
Copy: [email protected]
Hi Visa team,
I am writing to setup a corporate card data feed to [Spend Management Platform] for our customer [Company Name].
We need your assistance setting up a VBDS subscription to "[SMP] by Astrada" for the following Visa Products:
- Starter Data API,
- Authorization Data API (Pull),
- Authorization Data API (Push), and
- Transaction Data API
Please let me know if you need anything additional to subscribe to the endpoint and setup the data feed for [Company Name].
Thank you,
[Name]
Once the API endpoint subscription is complete at the Issuer level, proceed to the Company-Level Subscription steps below.
Company-Level Subscription
Required for Each Corporate ClientNow that you've set up the subscription at the Issuer level, the following steps walk you through how to set up a VBDS API subscription at the Company level.
Log in to Visa Access and Access VCS Hub
Log in to Visa Access and access the Visa Commercial Solutions (VCS) Hub.
Go to Marketplace and Select Business Partners
Go to the Marketplace section and select Business Partners.
Select the Company
Select the Company (e.g., ACME Corp) you are looking to set up.
Locate the Spend Management Provider Tile
Locate the relevant [Spend Management Provider] tile for the data feed:
- Select parent tile: "[Spend Management Provider]"
- Select child tile: "[Spend Management Provider] by Astrada"
Get Started
Click "Get started" on the "[Spend Management Provider] by Astrada" child tile.
Confirm Subscription
Confirm subscription so that the company is now subscribed to the [Spend Management Provider] by Astrada integration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Astrada and how do they work with the networks and the Spend Management Platform?
Astrada enables Spend Management Platforms to securely and safely access real-time transaction feeds on behalf of the corporate and its cardholders. Astrada connects directly to major card networks and delivers normalized, real-time transaction data to their Spend Management Platform customers. This enables real-time expense reporting, faster reconciliation, and enhanced user experiences within the Spend Management Platform.
Astrada is PCI DSS Level 1 compliant and operates in accordance with its providers' (e.g., Payment Networks) and customers' (e.g., Spend Management Platforms) security, privacy, and compliance requirements. Astrada undergoes regular independent third-party security assessments and maintains industry-standard certifications appropriate for the processing of sensitive payment data.
I support file-delivery via VCF (Visa Commercial Format) files, but I don't support API-delivery.
All issuers on the Visa Commercial Platform (VCS) can support API-delivery. If you already support VCF (Visa Commercial Format) file delivery, you are operating on the same Visa Commercial Data platform that supports VBDS APIs. Enabling APIs does not require a new system; it is an additional configuration and data delivery option within the existing platform. VBDS APIs provide an alternative method for delivering data via Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that can complement your current file-based processes. Instead of sending a scheduled file, an API allows two systems to exchange data directly and in near real time, aiming to reduce manual steps and improve speed.
What if I do not participate in the Visa Commercial Platform? Can I sign up? If I don't want to, can our corporates and their cardholders still connect their cards to their Spend Management Platform?
If you do not currently participate in the Visa Commercial Platform, you have two options:
- Connect with your Visa Account Executive to inquire about signing up.
- Encourage your corporate customer to reach out to the Spend Management Platform to leverage Astrada's Individual Enrollment option instead.
What specific data fields are shared with the Spend Management Platform through Astrada?
Astrada delivers authorization and clearing data fields that businesses need to manage spend through their Spend Management Platform. This includes a core set of authorization data (e.g., merchant name, transaction amount, date) to power real-time purchase notifications, as well as clearing data comparable to standard bank and network clearing files.
A full list of data fields is available here in Astrada's documentation.
Does corporate and cardholder consent need to be obtained before enrolling a company? If so, whose responsibility is that?
Yes. Astrada works with each Spend Management Platform (Astrada's customer) to ensure that proper disclosure and consent are incorporated into the end-user experience, user terms, and privacy policy. The corporate and its cardholders consent to sharing data with Astrada and the Spend Management Platform and to allowing the payment network to facilitate the data sharing.
Astrada reviews and approves each program — including the UX, user terms, and privacy policy — before allowing it to launch, and conducts regular audits thereafter.
Does this work for all commercial card products (purchasing, corporate, fleet, virtual), or only certain ones?
All corporate and commercial card products that participate in the Payment Network's commercial platform are eligible.
Reference Materials
If you have any questions about Astrada or the setup process outlined in this guide, please contact [email protected].
Troubleshooting
Company not found in search
Solution: Verify the company name/ID or check if the company needs to be added first. If the company is not there, it means your bank and/or processor must start sending data to Visa to enable Visa to send outbound to recipients.
"[SMP_Name] by Astrada" endpoint is not appearing
Solution: Email [email protected] and copy [email protected] for assistance. You may not be subscribed to the appropriate endpoint at the Issuer level (see Step 1). Regardless, the Visa Support team will be able to assist you with troubleshooting and resolving the issue.
Unable to select relevant Visa Products (e.g., Starter Data API, etc.)
Solution: Contact [email protected] and copy [email protected] for assistance.
Support
For any assistance with this process, please contact:
Astrada Onboarding Support:
[email protected]