Find upcoming payments from a card

[cosmin-minna]

Hi Visa team!

I'm looking at the Card-on-file API and I'm trying to figure out if this can help me implement the following use case:

- user A creates a trial account with company B

- user A uses the B's software for 1-2 days, then forgets about it, and also forgets to close the trial

- user A is automatically billed after the trial period ends. 

I would like to be able to detect that there's an upcoming payment, and send an alert to the user 3-4 days before the billing date. What would be the best way to achieve this? 

Thank you!

[SLi · Accepted solution]

Hi @cosmin-minna,

Card-on-File API is designed to provide information about the merchants with whom cardholders may have stored their cards on file, and when the merchants have received updated card details, in the event of card reissuance. You can use this API to identify all the merchants that have your card credentials on their file, but it doesn't detect your upcoming payments and send you alerts.

Based on your use case, please check out

Visa Stop Payment Service: It enables Visa card issuers to stop card-on-file payments.

Visa Transaction Controls: It lets cardholders place their own rules on a payment card's use and when to be notified of different financial events. 

[cosmin-minna]

Thank you SLi

I'm already looking into VSPS for blocking payments, the only part that is a bit unclear right now is the detection part. I was thinking to use Card on File for creating a user profile, with all the merchants he has shared card details with, and as soon as we notice a new merchant, that we know offers trial periods for their service, we ask the user if it's a trial, and then act accordingly.

The only issue I have with the above is that it might turn up to be extremely costly, depending on how often we check for new merchants, and how many users / cards we have to check. Hence, my question here. 

If this is the only possible way of detecting upcoming new payments, we'll have to be a bit more creative.

Thank you!