What is Card Account Updater?
Card Account Updater (CAU) is a service from our payment processor, Fiserv, that automatically keeps the card details you have on file updated. When a customer's card is renewed, reissued, or replaced — for example, it expired, was lost or stolen, or the card number changed — CAU updates that card's information on file automatically, without you or your customer having to do anything.
Why does it matter?
Recurring, scheduled and repeat payments fail most often because the card on file is out of date. CAU reduces those failures automatically, which means fewer declined payments, less time spent on collections for issues that were really just a stale card number all while getting paid quicker.
What does it cover?
- When CAU is first enabled, we enroll any card used in the last 90 days. After enrollment, CAU continues seeking updates for a card as long as it's been used within the last 365 days — it won't chase updates on long-dormant cards, and it doesn't attempt to update your entire card history.
- On average, about 3–5% of stored cards are updated in any given month. Most cards won't need an update at all in a typical month.
What does it cost?
- $10/month base fee
- $0.30 for each card that is actually updated
- Typical total impact: $10–$80/month, depending on how many of your stored cards get refreshed that month
How do I see what's been updated?
Log in to CardPointe, then go to Reporting > Card Updates. This report shows which cards were updated and when, along with the count of declined transactions tied to out-of-date profiles — so you can see the impact directly.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Will my first month cost more than usual?
It might. The very first update cycle checks every eligible card — anything used in the last 90 days — since this is the first time CAU has run for your account. Starting with the second month, each cycle only checks for updates within the prior 30 days of activity, so update volume (and cost) typically drops and becomes more predictable after month one.
How can I calculate my expected cost?
On average 3-5% of cards will update in a given month. Using this baseline you can calculate your expected cost based on how many unique cards you accept.
For example in the last 90 days if you accepted:
- 500 cards = 15-25 card updates = $14.50 - $17.50 expected cost (including monthly fee)
- 1000 cards = 30-50 card updates = $19 - $25 expected cost (including monthly fee)
- 5000 cards = 150-250 card updates = $55-$85 expected cost (including monthly fee)
Which card networks are supported?
Major card brands including Visa, Mastercard, Discover. Amex is currently not supported.
How does the Card Account Updater work?
When a customer saves a card on file (or signs up for a subscription), our system automatically enrolls that token into the Card Account Updater registry. Card networks (Visa, Mastercard, etc.) continuously push change notifications (expiration updates, new card numbers, or closures) to our system whenever the bank reissues a card. The underlying card data is automatically refreshed behind the scenes without you having to take any action.
Do we need to trigger updates before running billing ?
No. Because cards are enrolled on a continuous lifecycle, their billing tokens are kept in a "persistently fresh" state. You can simply run your billing jobs normally; the system will automatically use the most up-to-date underlying credentials.
Why was our account automatically enrolled in the Continuous Card Account Updater?
We auto-enrolled all accounts processing recurring payments or storing cards-on-file to immediately protect your revenue. Expired and reissued cards are the #1 cause of bad debt. By enabling this feature automatically, your saved customer cards are updated in the background with zero setup or code required on your end.
Can we opt out of auto-enrollment or disable this feature?
Yes. While we strongly recommend keeping it active to prevent lost subscriptions, you can reach out to our payments team at servicecorepay@servicecore.com to discuss opting out
Do we need to ask our end-customers for permission to auto-update their saved cards?
Card network rules (Visa/Mastercard) permit automatic updates for active Card-on-File and recurring subscription agreements.
Will our customers be notified when their card details are automatically updated?
No—and that is by design. The update happens silently in the background between their bank, the card networks, and our vault. Your customers enjoy an uninterrupted payment experience without needing to fill out manual update forms or respond to expired card emails.
What if a customer calls our support team asking how we got their new credit card number?
You can inform them: "When your bank reissues a card, they securely share the updated details directly with card networks (Visa/Mastercard) to prevent service interruptions for your active subscriptions. We received this update automatically through your bank's secure network program."
Do we need to update our database when a card changes, or does the platform handle it?
Our platform handles the vault updates automatically—your existing payment tokens remain valid and continue working seamlessly.
How can I tell which cards are updated?
You can navigate to the card section on the customer profile- there you will see active cards with an indicator if they have been updated, you can also find inactive card information for the expired cards that were updated.