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Payment Flow Builder

Visualise and explore standard payment flows — authorization, 3D Secure, refunds, and disputes — with step-by-step participant descriptions.

Animated sequence view

In-store chip or contactless payment — from card tap through online authorization, clearing, and final settlement of funds to the merchant.

1 / 14
🧑CardholderCard / device
🏪MerchantPOS terminal
🏦AcquirerMerchant bank
🔗NetworkCard scheme
🏛️IssuerCardholder bank
1
Card Presented
2
Authorization Request
3
Acquirer Routing
4
Network → Issuer
5
Issuer Decision
6
Network → Acquirer
7
Acquirer → Terminal
8
Approved · Receipt
9
Capture / Batch
10
Clearing File
11
Presentment
12
Net Settlement
13
Acquirer Funded
14
Merchant Paid
Initiation

Card Presented

Cardholder taps, inserts, or swipes the card at the terminal.

The terminal runs the EMV kernel — application selection, GPO, read records, offline data authentication, and cardholder verification (CVM). Contactless completes in a few hundred milliseconds.

Initiation
Authorization
Issuer Risk Check
Response
Clearing
Settlement
Completion

Standard card-present or card-not-present authorization flow from cardholder to issuer.

Cardholder
Start

Presents card or enters credentials.

Terminal / POS
Process

Reads card data, constructs auth request.

Acquirer
Process

Routes request via card network.

Card Network
External

Visa / Mastercard switch.

Issuer
Decision
ApproveDecline

Checks balance, fraud rules, velocity.

Approved
End

Auth code returned; cardholder proceeds.

Declined
End

Decline code returned; cardholder informed.