Card payments processing is the global system that enables money to move securely between cardholders, merchants, banks, and networks. The lifecycle covers multiple stages — from the first tap or swipe at a POS terminal, to settlement of funds, reconciliation of records, and handling of exceptions like disputes or refunds.
Understanding these steps is essential for anyone entering the payments domain, because each process has its own purpose, participants, and standard ISO 8583 messages.
This guide walks you through 13 key processes with short explanations and visual Mermaid sequence diagrams.