Chargent includes fields, settings, and automation related to MIT/CIT mandates set by major credit card brands (such as Visa and Mastercard). Currently, these MIT/CIT options are available to customers on Chargent v8.65 or later for customers using one of the following gateways: Cybersource and/or Worldpay (fka Vantiv).
What is MIT/CIT Compliance? #
Card networks (Visa, Mastercard, and others) require that every payment using a stored payment method be classified as either:
- Customer Initiated (CIT): the customer is actively present and authorizing the payment (e.g., clicking “Pay Now” in a portal)
- Merchant Initiated (MIT): the customer has previously authorized recurring or unattended charges and is not present at the time of payment (e.g., scheduled batch billing)
This classification, along with whether it is the Initial or Subsequent use of a stored payment credential, must be sent to the payment gateway in every transaction request. Failure to comply can result in higher interchange rates, disputes, or card network penalties.
Gateways #
The following gateways are compatible with our MIT/CIT compliance updates:
- Cybersource
- Worldpay (fka Vantiv)
If your gateway isn’t listed, please contact us to express your interest, as we prioritize updates based on customer needs.
Cybersource Notes
MIT/CIT compliance for Cybersource is available on Chargent v8.55 or later. To improve authorization success rates for recurring and tokenized transactions, Cybersource is actively enforcing VISA and Mastercard’s mandates for Merchant-Initiated Transactions (MIT) and Cardholder-Initiated Transactions (CIT). Customers using the Cybersource gateway integration on Chargent versions prior to 8.55 may experience transactions flagged as “out-of-compliance.” See Cybersource’s article Supporting Merchant-Initiated Transactions and Credential-on-File for Visa, Mastercard, and Discover for more information.
Worldpay (fka Vantiv) Notes
MIT/CIT compliance for Worldpay is available on Chargent v8.65 or later. Chargent sends the required Worldpay V12 indicators automatically on authorization and sale requests, and stores the Network Transaction ID (NTI) returned by the first transaction so later transactions can reference it.
How It Works #
Chargent handles MIT/CIT compliance via automation, settings, and fields in Salesforce:
Automation
Chargent automatically classifies every charge and authorization using the following rules (in priority order). No manual entry is required.
- PAN present → always Customer Initiated (cardholder is actively entering their card)
- Stored payment method, first use → Customer Initiated (Initial credential use)
- Payment Request or Take Payment → always Customer Initiated
- Recurring batch → always Merchant Initiated
- API/explicit override → caller-declared value used
- Fallback → org-wide default setting (configurable — see the “Settings” section below)
Settings
A new setting controls the fallback classification when no rule applies (see the “Automation” section above). This setting defaults to “Customer Initiated Transaction” (the safe default). Most customers should not need to change this.
To modify this setting, follow these steps:
- In the AppLauncher, search for and select Chargent Settings.
- Click the Payment Methods subtab.
- In the dropdown to the right of Default Additional Charge Usage, select the option that best matches your use case based on the “Which option should I choose?” section below.
- Click Save Settings.
Which option should I choose?
To process payments in a compliant way, Chargent must determine whether your customers are actively involved when an Internal User makes a one-time charge using an existing Payment Method. Actively involved means they are on the phone or giving direct consent. For example, an agent is given express permission by the customer to process a payment, selects an existing Payment Method in the Payment Console, and charges the customer.
Select “Customer Initiated Transactions” if the customer is actively involved. Select ‘Merchant Initiated Transactions’ if the customer is not actively involved. As noted above, most customers should leave this field set as “Customer Initiated Transactions”.
Fields
New fields were created to allow you to track the payment type (CIT or MIT) and origin (which Chargent feature was used to take payment), providing an audit trail for your MIT/CIT compliance. The following new fields were added to the Chargent Log, Transaction, and Token objects:
| Chargent Log | |
| Origin | Where the transaction came from (e.g. Payment Console, Batch, API) |
| Payment Initiator | Customer Initiated Transaction or Merchant Initiated Transaction |
| Payment Type | Initial or Subsequent (first vs. repeat use of the stored credential) |
| Transaction | |
| Origin | Where the transaction came from (e.g. Payment Console, Batch, API) |
| Payment Initiator | Customer Initiated Transaction or Merchant Initiated Transaction |
| Token | |
| Stored Credential Reference | Four-state stored credential anchor field. Values include: null = legacy token (pre-upgrade, NTI never captured) Token Only = registered post-upgrade, no initial charge yet Network ID Pending = charged, gateway not yet wired for NTI capture <real ID> = network transaction ID, fully classified and ready for MIT. |
These fields are not automatically added to your page layouts. If you would like to monitor them, you can manually add them to your page layout.
Action Required #
If you would like to start using the above MIT/CIT options, update to the latest version of Chargent. Once updated, classification is automatic, and the default setting (Customer Initiated) is correct for most customers. There are two use cases that require additional action:
- If you run recurring batch billing: Subsequent batch charges will automatically be sent as Merchant Initiated with the correct stored-credential network reference. Ensure your payment methods have completed at least one successful Initial transaction before batch charges run.
- If you use the Chargent REST API or ActionService: A new optional merchantInitiated boolean parameter is available. Set it to true to explicitly declare Merchant Initiated for custom recurring billing engines and false to explicitly declare Customer Initiated. If omitted, automatic classification applies.
