Overview
Card payments allow shoppers to complete purchases using a debit card, credit card, or prepaid card. These payments are processed through international card networks. These networks manage the rules, routing, and security standards used to authorize and settle every transaction.
When you accept card payments through Kustom, transactions are routed through these global networks to ensure fast, secure, and reliable processing. This applies to all supported card types.
Kustom supports Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.
All card transactions follow the same global network processes.
The checkout experience is familiar and consistent for shoppers in every market.
How card payments work
Card payments follow a standardized global process. This process is defined by the card networks and applies to all merchants, regardless of industry or location.
How the payment flow works
When a shopper submits a card payment, the card network connects the two banks that make the transaction possible:
The issuing bank is the bank that issued the customer’s card.
The acquiring bank is the bank or payment provider that receives the funds on behalf of the merchant.
Steps in the authorization flow
The shopper enters their card details or uses a stored card.
Kustom sends the authorization request to the card network.
The card network routes the request to the issuing bank.
The issuing bank approves or declines the payment.
The card network returns the response to the acquirer.
Kustom provides the result to the merchant in real time.
Approved payments are then captured and settled according to the standard payout schedule.
Debit and credit cards
From a merchant perspective, debit cards and credit cards work the same during checkout. Both follow the same routing, authorization, and settlement flows.
The difference is internal to the issuing bank:
Debit cards withdraw money from the customer’s bank account immediately.
Credit cards allow the customer to pay later through their monthly billing cycle.
There are no additional setup steps required to accept either type.
Supported card networks
Kustom supports the most widely used global card networks. These networks define the rules, dispute processes, and security requirements for card payments.
Visa
Visa is accepted in more than 200 countries. Shoppers can pay using Visa debit, Visa credit, or Visa prepaid cards. Visa provides security features such as Visa Secure and their zero-liability policy, which protects cardholders from unauthorized transactions.
Mastercard
Mastercard is accepted worldwide and supports debit, credit, prepaid, and commercial cards. Mastercard provides identity verification through Mastercard identity check, strong consumer protection policies, and global tokenization services.
American Express
American Express operates its own card network and issues many of its cards directly. Amex is known for strong consumer protections, premium card benefits, and secure transaction handling.
Regional card networks
Some countries use additional regional card networks. Many of these cards are co-branded with Visa or Mastercard. The co-branding allows the same card to work on the local network domestically and on the global network internationally.
Examples of regional card networks include:
Bancontact in Belgium
Cartes bancaires in France
Security and fraud protection
All card payments processed through Kustom follow the global security requirements set by the card networks. These requirements protect both shoppers and merchants during online payments.
Tokenization
Card networks replace sensitive card numbers with a secure token. This process prevents exposure of the actual card number. Tokenization is used for stored cards, recurring payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other digital wallets.
Dispute and chargeback protection
Card networks define global rules for disputes. Merchants may receive chargebacks when a customer disputes a transaction. Each network provides clear dispute reasons and response timelines. Kustom displays these events in reporting and order management.
Why accept card payments
Accepting card payments gives you access to the most widely used online payment method in the world. Card networks provide standardized processes and strong protections for merchants and shoppers.
Benefits of accepting card payments
Card payments are accepted globally across almost every market.
Shoppers trust the brand names and security of Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.
The checkout flow is familiar and has low friction.
Card networks provide strong fraud protection and authentication.
Digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay use the same card rails.