How a retrieval reference number works
The number is generated when the transaction starts, by the terminal, the gateway or the acquirer's host, and placed in a dedicated field of the authorisation request. The issuer returns it unchanged in the response, and later messages about the same transaction, such as a reversal, repeat it.
The RRN is often printed on the receipt and shown in the acquirer's reports. Its format comes from the card networks' message specifications, which are built on the ISO 8583 standard.
What an RRN is used for
- Finding a payment when a customer calls with a receipt
- Matching an authorisation to its reversal or refund
- Reconciling the acquirer's reports against the merchant's own records
- Answering a retrieval request or a dispute
Limits of the retrieval reference number
An RRN is assigned by the acquiring side, so it is unique only within that acquirer's or terminal's numbering, not across a whole network. For that reason the card schemes add identifiers of their own, and the acquirer reference number identifies the cleared transaction in disputes. A payment system stores all of them against one internal transaction ID.
Where a retrieval reference number shows up in a platform
Modules that do the work
- Card acquiringCard acceptance on the phone, in store and online, through the acquirer you choose.
- LedgerThe double-entry book of record behind every balance, fee and transfer.
- BackofficeOne console to run the platform: customers, money, risk, content and staff permissions.