Appendix
This chapter contains a brief description of the most important roles for scheme-based payment cards. More detailed information can be found, for example, in the following source: https://www.swiss-payment-association.ch/kreditkarten/kreditkartensystem
Depending on the provider, some roles might be covered by the same organization.
- Uses the payment card as payment instrument.
- Has a contractual relationship with the issuer.
- Is selling cards legally offered by issuers to cardholders by using his own brand.
- Does not directly own the data about payment cards and transactions. But access to these data can be possible based on the contractual setup between issuer and cardholder without an explicit con-sent of the cardholder.
- Can take over some duties and obligations for the card issuing, depending on the contract with the card issuer.
- Bank or other organization which is legally issuing a payment card under a certain payment scheme (e.g. Mastercard, Visa, American Express, others) to cardholders.
- Is responsible that payment cards and the issuer-side processing follow the rules of the payment scheme.
- Manages the payment cards of cardholders, authorizes transactions, and guarantees towards the scheme and acquirer the payment of valid authorizations.
- Is directly the owner of data about payment cards and transactions.
- Card issuers in Switzerland are for example banks, Cembra, Swisscard, Viseca Card Services.
- Is operating the card and transaction processing on behalf of the card issuer.
- Has a contract with the card issuer.
- Can cover many parts of scheme and legal regulations as service for the card issuer.
- Card service providers in Switzerland are for example UBS Card Center, SIX, Viseca Payment Ser-vices.
- Provides services for the card service provider related to the card management and transaction processing.
- Has a contract with the card service provider.
- Is producing the physical card upon request of the card issuer.
- Has a contract with the card issuer.