Visa Expands Real Time Account Updater to Asia Pacific Region

Visa, the global digital payments leader, has announced the expansion of its Real Time Visa Account Updater (VAU) to select markets in the Asia Pacific. This service aims to streamline the payment experience for merchants and customers by offering cardholders a lifelong, single credential.

Simplifying Payments on Subscription Services

The implementation of this service in the Asia Pacific means consumers and merchants will now have access to Real Time VAU on subscription services such as ride-hailing, food delivery, and monthly utility payments, among others. The technology behind Real Time VAU addresses the problem of declined payments due to expired or replaced debit and credit cards. It allows businesses to effortlessly update customers’ stored card details in real time, resulting in fewer authorisation declines, lost sales, and broken cardholder relationships.

Enhancing Payment Experiences

T.R. Ramachandran, Head of Products & Solutions, Asia Pacific, Visa, highlighted that while card expiration and replacement are essential for fraud protection and card security enhancements, consumers often face the inconvenience of updating multiple automatic payment arrangements every few years. The introduction of Real Time VAU in the Asia Pacific, in collaboration with their partners, is expected to streamline this process while maintaining high security standards. This will empower merchants to increase revenue and card authorisation rates, while delivering a seamless payment experience meeting consumers’ current expectations.

Visa Collaborates with Global Payment Gateways

In the Asia Pacific, Visa is partnering with four global payment gateways and acquirers - Adyen, Checkout.com, Stripe, and Worldpay - to roll out VAU in the region. Cybersource, a Visa solution, will also offer VAU to customers, enabling more businesses across the region to benefit from VAU.

Enabling Seamless Payment Experiences

Warren Hayashi, President, Asia Pacific, Adyen, expressed excitement about the partnership with Visa, which builds on their successful adoption of the technology in Europe last year. The collaboration will enhance the payment experience for customers across multiple regions by updating card details in real time, which can minimize declined transactions and ensure a frictionless payment experience. Michael Balsamo, Head of International Card Networks, Stripe, echoed this sentiment, stating that the partnership would result in a more seamless checkout experience, enabling customers to complete their purchase on the first attempt.

Minimizing Friction for Consumers

Brian Sze, General Manager APAC, Checkout.com, highlighted that bringing Real Time VAU across Asia Pacific would minimize friction for consumers, eliminating the frustration of manual updating of payment credentials. This solution also provides a smarter way for businesses to be paid, allowing them to focus resources on driving business priorities rather than worrying about card declines.

Boosting Revenue for Merchants

Phil Pomford, SVP, General Manager of APAC, Worldpay from FIS, noted that collaborating with Visa to support VAUS to their customers in Asia Pacific aligns with their ambition to work with partners to accelerate global commerce for merchants and consumers. The service revolutionizes how businesses manage card updates, improving payment authorization rates, reducing customer friction, and helping merchants increase revenue.