Visa Account Updater

Visa Account Updater (VAU) is a service that enables merchants, operating in a card-not-present environment, to verify that on-file information, including account number and expiration date, is correct. This service is designed for merchants that process recurring transactions and other types of ongoing transactions where payments for products and services can be made over the course of months or years using the same account. The card account information can change due to account closure, card number replacement, card expiration date change, and other events. The Visa Account Updater service works as follows:

1. The card issuer sends information to VAU that includes account number, card expiration date changes, and account closures.
   
2. The acquiring bank sends inquiries to VAU for cardholder accounts that their enrolled merchants have on file.
   
3. VAU sends a response to the acquiring bank for each inquiry, including updated information.
   
4. The merchant updates the billing information for the customer.