Bulk card enrollment allows US and Canada-based companies to link all eligible Visa corporate cards to Payhawk with minimal involvement from employees. Instead of having each employee manually add their card, your company's Payhawk administrator can complete the process by coordinating with the card Issuer and providing the required setup information.
This guide walks you through the steps needed to successfully set up the Visa Business Data Services (VBDS) corporate card data feed to Payhawk over the Visa Data platform.
About Visa Business Data Services portal
The Visa Business Data Services (VBDS) portal is a platform that enables secure and standardized sharing of commercial card data between issuing banks and third-party providers. It supports real-time data feeds using key identifiers (RPIC) to configure and manage card programs. VBDS is essential for automating expense management and enabling features like bulk card enrollment with spend management solutions such as Payhawk.
About RPIC
Visa identifies card programs by using the following key identifiers, collectively known as the RPIC:
Region ID
Processor ID
Issuer ID
Company/Corporate ID
These identifiers are required to activate your data feed, and your issuing bank must provide them to Payhawk. The RPIC is typically shared when the feed is enabled; however, if the identifiers are not included in the bank’s confirmation, you have to request them directly. The feed cannot be activated until Payhawk receives the complete set of RPIC identifiers.
Eligibility requirements for bulk Visa card enrollment
To link your company’s Visa cards in bulk with Payhawk, the following eligibility criteria must be met:
Your issuing bank must be onboarded to the Visa Business Data Services (VBDS) portal to enable the data feed configuration.
If your Issuer is not yet onboarded, they will notify you and guide you when the feed can be activated.
For Issuers that do not support VBDS, Payhawk offers individual card enrollment as an alternative.
Only companies registered in the US or Canada are eligible for bulk card enrollment.
The cards must be Visa Business Data Services corporate cards.
Only corporate cards issued in employees’ names can be linked to Payhawk.
Step-by-step guide
The process for enrolling your corporate Visa cards to Payhawk includes the following steps:
Step 1: Contact your issuing bank relationship manager
To complete your Visa onboarding with Payhawk, your Issuer must configure an active corporate card data feed to Payhawk. This setup requires you to contact your bank relationship manager and request that the Visa commercial card data feed be enabled and directed to Payhawk.
Suggested email template to your Issuer
Suggested email template to your Issuer
The following is a sample email you can readily copy-paste and send to your card Issuer.
Subject: Setting up a Visa Business Data Services (VBDS) feed to Payhawk
Dear [Enter the name of the Issuer],
I'm writing to request the setup of a Visa Business Data Services feed for our commercial card program with the BIN: [Enter the 6-8 digit BIN], to be sent to Payhawk.
Please configure the data feed as an API endpoint subscription to Payhawk. If there is a form to fill out, feel free to send it across.
For step-by-step instructions, please see the Issuer guide for Visa bulk enrollment. I would appreciate your guidance on the next steps for completing this setup. Let me know if you need any additional information.
Best regards,
[Enter Your Name]
Visa Business Data Services instructions and configuration for your Issuer
Visa Business Data Services instructions and configuration for your Issuer
To facilitate the setup of Visa Business Data Solutions (VBDS) subscriptions, you can share the Issuer guide for Visa bulk enrollment with your Issuer.
Step 2: Obtain the company RPIC identifiers from your Issuer
To activate your card feed, your issuing bank must provide the RPIC key identifiers. These identifiers must be shared with Payhawk to enable the data feed. If they are not provided during setup confirmation, you have to request them directly from your Issuer, as the feed cannot be activated without them.
Some Issuers may require a data release waiver to be signed by an authorized company signatory. If required, this step must be completed directly with your Issuer, as Payhawk cannot assist with it.
Step 3: Provide the RPIC to Payhawk
To activate the feed, now you need to share the RPIC you received with your Payhawk account manager or the Support team.
Once the feed is activated:
Cards will appear in Payhawk > Cards > Linked cards > Inactive.
No further action is needed from the Issuer.
Data sharing continues automatically.
Specifics
Visa cards added through bulk enrollment are marked clearly in Payhawk.
Payhawk administrators can reassign linked Visa cards if needed.
You can switch between individual and bulk Visa enrollment by contacting Payhawk Support.