Last update 6/09/2018

The ability to work with an alias for recurrent invoicing or other specific applications depends on the payment methods you wish to use.

3.1 e-Commerce

To use an existing ALIAS, the following hidden fields can or must be submitted in your request:

Field	Description	Mandatory
ALIAS	The name of the ALIAS you want to use. We will check whether the alias already exists for your account/PSPID.	Y
ALIASUSAGE	Send a value with this field only if you want to show a different text to the customer than the one you initially sent at the time the alias was created.	N

If the alias exists, the cardholder name, masked credit card number (or account information) and expiry date will be initialised in the payment details page for validation.

3.1.1 Alias update

If the cardholder does not change any of the pre-set details and simply clicks the “Submit” button, we will look up the financial profile (based on the alias) in the database.

However, if he wishes to update certain details, such as the expiry date, the cardholder can modify the initialised fields. If the transaction is successful on our platform (not status 0 or 1), we will update the customer’s financial details accordingly.

For more information on pre-payment checks and post-transaction feedback requests, go to Creating an Alias via e-Commerce.

3.2 DirectLink

To use an existing ALIAS, you must submit the following fields in your request:

Field	Description
ALIAS	The name of the ALIAS you want to use. We will check whether the alias already exists for your account/PSPID.
ALIASPERSISTEDAFTERUSE	It indicates whether you want to store a temporary (N) or indefinite (Y) Alias. The possible values are: "N": the alias will be deleted after 2 hours. "Y": the alias will be stored indefinitely, for future use. Note:  If an Alias is created with the N value and the transaction is completed within a two-hour timeframe, the transaction too must include this parameter/value combination for the alias to be deleted. If the transaction does not contain this parameter/value combination, the alias will be retained for future use.
ECI	ECI value "9" must be sent for recurring transactions.

If the alias exists, the cardholder name, masked credit card number (or account information) and expiry date will be initialised in the payment.

3.2.1 Alias update

If you simply send us the ALIAS (with no new credit card number, expiry date, cardholder name), we will look up the financial profile (based on the ALIAS) in the database.

Apart from the ALIAS parameter, you can also send us a new credit card number, expiry date or cardholder name to update the existing ALIAS. If the transaction is successful on our platform (not status 0 or 1), we will update the cardholder’s financial details accordingly.

3.3 Batch

To use an existing ALIAS, you must submit the following fields in your file:

Field	Description	Field No.
ALIAS	The name of the ALIAS you want to use. We will check whether the alias already exists for your account/PSPID.	17
ECI	ECI value "9" must be sent for reccurring transactions.	35

3.3.1 Alias update

If you send us the alias, we will look up the financial profile (based on the alias) in the database.

Apart from the ALIAS field you can also send us a new credit card number, expiry date or cardholder name in order to update the existing alias. If the transaction is successful on our platform (not status 0 or 1), we will then update the cardholder’s financial details accordingly.

3.4 e-Terminal

To use an alias via e-Terminal, please follow these steps:

1. Click the “Alias” link in the back-office menu.
2. Look up the alias you want to use in the Alias Management page.
3. Click the "Use" button in the Alias row. You will see the voucher pre-initialised with the cardholder's name, card number and expiry date.

3.4.1 Alias update

Only the expiry date can be changed in the voucher. The initialised cardholder's name and card number cannot be changed in the voucher.

3.5 Errors

If an alias is submitted with a transaction, but our system can't find the alias (usually when the alias doesn't exist), an error code and message will be returned as follows:

Return field	Value
NCERROR	50001111 (Data validation error)
NCERRORPLUS	Alias "..." not Found

If a customer has made use of the Recurring Payment Stop Service (by Visa and MasterCard), resulting in the termination of a recurring payment subscription by the card issuer, an error code and message will be returned as follows:

Return field	Value
NCERROR	31171001
NCERRORPLUS	Cardholder has cancelled the recurring payment. Any further recurring payment will be declined.

We recommend you to stop the issuing of subsequent transactions for a recurring payment, on receipt of this error.