Important MasterCard Mandate Deadline for Heartland Customers

Of note, I was actually onsite installing Card Defender for a customer here in Idaho when she received a letter from Heartland addressing the same card number issues noted below. It was very comforting for the retailer to know that Card Defender meets or exceeds industry requirements for payment processing. If you happen to be using Microsoft Dynamics RMS and have questions about these types of letters, please contact me. Thanks!

Dear Valued Customer,

As previously communicated, MasterCard cards are issued with account numbers beginning with a 5”. Beginning in 2017, MasterCard cards will also be issued with account numbers beginning with a “2”. 

The cards beginning with a 2 will be processed in the same manner as current MasterCard cards.

MasterCard requires that all point-of-sale systems accepting the current 5 series cards must also be able to accept the cards with the new 2 series number. Our records indicate that you process using a third-party system. Please contact your third-party provider directly to determine if any action is needed to ensure your system is in compliance and can accept the new 2 series cards.

Your failure to accept the new 2 series MasterCard cards after June 30, 2017 may result in non-compliance assessments being passed on to you – as well as potential lost revenue associated with not accepting customers’ cards. The MasterCard fee schedule for non-compliance is:

Up to $2,500 per occurrence for first 30 days
Up to $5,000 per occurrence for days 31-60
Up to $10,000 per occurrence for days 61-90
Up to $20,000 per occurrence for subsequent violations
If you have any questions, please contact
your third-party point-of-sale provider.

Sincerely,

Martin Moretti
SVP Chief Card Service Officer