What Visa Direct is
Visa Direct is Visa's money movement platform. It pushes funds to eligible Visa cards and, in many markets, to bank accounts and digital wallets, for payouts, person-to-person transfers and business payments, at home and across borders. Banks, fintechs, businesses and governments use it.
A payout to a card is an Original Credit Transaction, which credits the account linked to the card. Visa describes the platform as real time, while the moment the money can be used depends on the recipient's bank. Programmes are run by an originator that is a licensed Visa acquirer or is sponsored by one, so access comes through an enabled acquirer or processor. Paying people on the card they already carry is why Visa Direct is one of the networks our payouts module connects to.
What it does in your platform
Payouts
Pays out to a recipient's Visa card, so money reaches the bank account behind it without asking for bank details. Payouts to accounts and wallets are available in some markets too.
How the connection works
Visa Direct is reached through an acquirer or processor enabled for it. The module sends each payout to that partner's API; the partner submits it to Visa and reports the result.
A payout is requested
A driver asks to be paid to their Visa debit card. The module screens the payout and holds the amount in the ledger.
The partner sends it
Your acquirer or processor submits an Original Credit Transaction to Visa, with its acquiring BIN.
The card's bank decides
Visa routes it to the bank that issued the card, which approves or declines it.
The money is credited
Once approved, the issuer credits the account behind the card; when the driver can use it depends on their bank.
The ledger closes it
The partner reports the result, the ledger books the payout, and a decline releases the held amount, with its reason in the backoffice.
Next to other networks
Visa Direct reaches Visa cards and Mastercard Move reaches Mastercard cards, and both reach some accounts and wallets. The payouts module sends each card payout to the network that reaches it, and bank rails cover recipients who would rather share account details.
The payout screens, the statuses and the ledger are the same whichever network carries a payout. Changing the acquirer or processor behind Visa Direct changes a connector, not your app.
When Visa Direct fits best
A strong fit when
- You pay drivers, sellers or gig workers who want their money fast.
- You want to pay out with a card number instead of collecting bank details.
- Your acquirer or processor is already enabled for Visa Direct.
Also worth a look
- Mastercard Move for recipients with Mastercard cards.
- An instant bank rail, such as SEPA Instant or Faster Payments, where recipients share account details.
How we get you live
The partner
We help you get Visa Direct access through an acquirer or processor enabled for it, and the programme approval it needs.
The programme
We set up the payout use cases, limits and approvals with you, within the rules of your programme.
The keys
Credentials for the acquirer or processor go into your platform's secrets and nowhere else.
A full test run
Payouts and declines are tested with your partner before your first real payout; Visa itself asks for sandbox and certification testing before production.
