Supplementary Authorizations for Dankort and VISA/Dankort
As of October 2006, renewal of Dankort and VISA/Dankort internet transactions must be handled in the three-stage process described below. Please note, that this only applies to these two Danish cards.
The Three-Stage Model
The following procedure must be followed for Dankort and VISA/Dankort cards:
1. Null-authorization (control)
Basic card data is controlled, and it is verified that the card is valid. No amount is reserved on the card holder's account and no guarantee of payment is available for the merchant at this time. The null-authorization is valid for 365 days.
2. Authorization (confirmation)
Just prior to (max. seven days) the goods being shipped from the shop, a new authorization is sent. On a practical level this is done by pressing "confirm" in the DIBS Administration. For API-customers, suppl_auth.cgi is used. Please note, that the normal guarantee of payment is only valid for 7 days and cannot be renewed.
3. Capture
The is handled like any other transaction. However, you are able to capture transactions older than 7 days, but you will not have any guarantee of payment from PBS.
"What must I do?"
Option 1: You always send the goods to the customer within 7 days.
There is no need for further action, due to the fact that as of October 1, 2006, all DIBS customers default to performing both a null-authorization and a confirmation simultaneously. This allows transactions to be executed exactly as before — however with one significant change being, that the "renew" function is no longer applicable (neither in DIBS Administration or through the DIBS API).
Option 2: Sometimes delivery times exceed 7 days.
You should change your setup in DIBS to issue only a null-authorization (step 1) whenever the customer enters his/her card data. Depending on which integration method you use, you need to do one of the following:
- Customers using FlexWin or the Payment Window: Contact DIBS support and ask them to change your setup (please email support(at)dibs.dk).
- Customers using the DIBS API: Forward the parameter "confirm" to auth.cgi with values "now" or "later". "Now" asks the system to perform an immediate authorization (step 2). Specifying "later" asks the system to perform the transaction in 3 steps, thus authorizing the amount later. "Now" ensures immediate guarantee of payment, but also causes the guarantee to expire after 7 days with no means of recreating it.
Customers using an older integration method than the ones described above (e.g. relay.cgi), please contact us for further information.
Whichever integration method you use, you can confirm the authorization prior to capture, thus ensuring a guarantee of payment before the goods are shipped. If the transaction is not confirmed prior to capture, the capture command (both through the DIBS Administration and the DIBS API) will automatically trigger a confirmation (step 2), ensuring a guarantee of payment.
DIBS generally recommends that you always ensure a guarantee of payment prior to shipping the goods to the customer. This is done either by using the confirm functionality, or by performing a capture immediately prior to shipping. Please note though, that in principle, capture should not be performed until you ship the goods, so these two actions should happen in rapid succession.
We are aware that these changes may result in alterations in our costumers' systems and procedures, and we will do our best to make the transition as smooth as possible for all customers. If you have any questions, our support staff is ready to help by phone 70 20 30 77 or email support(at)dibs.dk.
Guarantee of payment
PBS, which handles Dankort and VISA/Dankort, offers a 7 day guarantee for transactions for these cards. Upon successful authorization, you will within this period be able to capture the transactions and transfer the amount from the customer's account to yours.
What is PCI?
Payment Card Industry (PCI) is an industry standard specified by VISA and MasterCard. The standard defindes a number of security demands for storage, transmission and handling of card data. All customers at DIBS are secured as we are fully compliant to this standard.
