Merchant Card Services

Merchant Card Services provides payment card acceptance to serve the entire University, which includes all campuses, regional sites and Extension offices. Merchant Card Services is part of University Administration and is a department within the Office of Business and Financial Services-Treasury Operations. Our office is located on the Urbana-Champaign campus.

Merchant Card Services is responsible for overseeing all payment card transactions accepted for the sale of goods and services by all entities within the University. To oversee this operation, Merchant Card Services partners with its sponsoring merchant banks (Visa/MasterCard/American Express/Discover) and payment card acquirer for all payment card transactions accepted for the sale of goods and services by all entities within the University. The payment card transactions are processed by department merchants through several different mechanisms: traditional credit card terminals, point-of-sale systems, and web-based credit card processing.

Merchant Card Services assists University units with payment card processing by acting as the liaison between University merchants and the University’s card processor, Global Payments.  Payment card processing includes: enrolling new merchants, consulting with existing merchants, and providing training and education on payment card processing and card data security.

Merchant Card Services also manages the University’s PCI DSS compliance activities (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard). The PCI DSS is an industry-wide program designed to help increase the security of payment card processing. PCI DSS compliance activities include but are not limited to:

• Payment Card Data Security Training
• PCI DSS Policies
  • Change Controls Monitoring and Reporting
  • Operational Security
  • Security Maintenance
  • Employee New Hire Requirements
  • Annual Self Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ)

Last Updated: May 3, 2010