Merchants will now have the option to process FSA/HRA transactions using signature and PIN network routing. The standards will allow industry participants to use the SIGIS’s standards on PIN networks as an option in meeting the new regulatory requirements.  Merchants certified for only a signature network are not required to adopt PIN networks.

The new certification and registration process will be available to merchants and Third Party Servicers in the fall of 2012.  A notification will go out to all members once it is available.

The Durbin Interchange rules went into effect on October 1, 2011, however the Routing and Exclusivity rules for FSA/HRA do not go into effect until April 1, 2013.

The SIGIS Board of Directors ratified the PIN Standard on April 4, 2012 and the standard can be accessed once you have logged into the Members area.

As standards change, SIGIS may create optional or mandatory Addendums to certifications to cover changes/additions to the standard. SIGIS may also determine that re-certification is required.  Please review the scenarios below.

IIAS

SIGIS will allow those merchants that are opting to implement the PIN standard that have completed the IIAS Merchant Self Assessment form and are already certified to complete an Addendum to their existing certification. The purpose of the Addendum is to simplify the process so that a certified merchant does not have to complete a full certification form for the sole purpose of being certified for the changes/additions to the standard. Only merchants already certified may use the addendum. The addendum is acquirer / certification specific and will need to be completed for each existing certification that needs to be amended. To clarify, if a merchant is seeking a new certification / acquirer combination, they must use the full form.  To obtain the IIAS Merchant Certification Self-Assessment Addendum, please email certification@sig-is.org.

Third Party Servicer

If a Third Party Servicer (TPS) decides to add the ability to process PIN based FSA / HRA transactions to their software, the TPS will be required to complete a new certification, as they would if they were implementing new software.  Once certified, the TPS should then work with their existing certified merchants that have opted to utilize the PIN enabled software to submit a new TPS Merchant Certification with the new software.

TPS Merchant

Once the TPS has submitted their new certification and become certified with the PIN enabled software, the merchants that have opted to utilize the PIN enabled software will be required to submit a new certification.

90% Registration

A 90% merchant that decided to accept PIN debit transactions will need to update their registration with correct Acquirer Identifier (i.e., MasterCard ICA, Maestro ICA, Visa BIN, Interlink ID, STAR ABA, NYCE ID, ACCEL ID, PULSE ID) and the Merchant Store Identifier (i.e., MasterCard/Maestro, Visa/Interlink, STAR, NYCE, ACCEL, PULSE Card Acceptor ID).