What is C3?

C3 is a secure stored value card management platform that supports client-configurable program management, cardholder account management, card distribution, and other essential services for banks and non-traditional card issuers. Its extensible architecture can support future strategic initiatives involving nearly any card or electronic-oriented transaction.

What types of stored value products does C3 support?

Stored value is a term that includes a variety of card products or electronic transactions. Whether it’s a gift, incentive, travel, payroll, health, loyalty, private label or association-branded (Visa® or MasterCard®) card, C3’s card account management offers the most comprehensive, real-time, flexible solution on the market today.

What are the benefits of using C3?

C3 is a robust, cost-efficient, flexible, and scalable processing platform designed to meet the needs of financial institutions and other card issuers as they adapt to a changing business and consumer marketplace. Using C3, card program owners are able to configure their programs in order to permit competitive differentiation, enable the support of unique program requirement, and capitalize on new product opportunities. By enabling the independent configuration of card parameters –including fees and other charges, card and transaction limits, service options and branding – C3 ensures that tailored products and services can be quickly and easily launched.

How do I use C3 to manage a card program?

With C3’s unique design, card program owners can specify card parameters, set card and transaction limits, establish fees and charges, manage sales channel activity, and define the services they wish to offer to cardholders. The ability to define business rules on an organizational card type, account type and individual card level enables you to tailor your program to suit the needs of a diverse range of cardholders.

Can I limit usage of my cards at certain locations?

Yes. Every merchant that accepts credit or debit cards is assigned an acceptor code. Each merchant is also assigned a merchant category code (MCC). Both acceptor code and MCC can be used to block or flag transactions for further action for specific card programs.

Can I set limits on cards in a program?

Absolutely! C3 allows each card program to set specific limits on activities such as ATM and POS withdrawals, minimum and maximum transaction limits and deposit/load limits, and MCC amount-on-hold limits.

Can I issue cards within a designated card number range?

Yes. C3 provides two options for the generation of card numbers. The first option allows card numbers to be uploaded into the system by means of a text file. The second option allows the system to generate numbers internally.

How does C3 help me manage my sales channels?

Managing the revenue distribution chain is often identified as one of the most challenging requirements of a card program. It is not uncommon for resellers or distributors to wait for months to receive commission checks that were calculated on data they have never had access to. C3’s sales channel management is the most flexible and comprehensive tool on the market today. For each card program, stakeholders (program owner, reseller, ISO, merchant, etc.) are identified along with the services and rates for which they are earning commissions. Once defined in the system, each stakeholder is given access to sales channel information based on the user role assigned.

Can anyone view sales commission data?

Access to sales commission information is determined by user roles and is permission based. C3 was designed using a role-based security model. Roles are defined by assigning them a set of permissions. Each user is assigned a role rather than permissions directly. This makes ongoing user management easier.

Can I include more than one distributor/reseller in a card program?

Yes. C3 allows any number of distributors to be included in the sales channel of a card program. Each distributor receives a unique user identification and is entered into the system along with the services and rates to which commissions are being earned.

Does C3 provide notification services?

Yes. Alerts associated with occurrences of an activity on an account can be identified with selected card programs. Alerts can identify activities such as balances exceeding a preset limit, disputes, fraud reports, etc.

What types of reports does C3 support?

C3 provides a variety of reports including transaction, card account and commission details, cardholder data, activity, chargeback/disputes, fee history, funding, and fraud reporting. Reports can be generated in a number of formats, such as PDF, XML, Excel, Word, CSV, HTML and Java. Various sort-order and group-by options are available in addition to the ability to filter data using query-by-example query criteria.

Does C3 provide customer service?

Absolutely! C3 provides a customer service component for managing customer calls, chargebacks, card account details, funding and transfer options, alerts and other messaging.

Is there an C3 cardholder Website?

Yes. C3 provides a separate Website for cardholder access. Using mycardplace.com, cardholders can enter their card information (individual or family card accounts), add funds through their bank account, perform card-to-card transfers, schedule recurring transfers, retrieve transaction details, print statements, set notification parameters, and receive messages from card program owners or the issuing financial organization.

Can I offer loyalty points or reward coupons on a card program?

Yes. C3 allows you to assign reward parameters to selected card programs. Cardholders can earn points and redeem awards at merchant locations associated with a specific card program.

What is C3’s primary value proposition?

C3 offers a comprehensive, secure, world-class, robust platform for any financial institution or other card issuer seeking a managed stored value solution. By managing the various aspects of cardholder services and sales channel delivery, C3 enables users to focus on their core business while improving operational efficiencies, service quality and profit potential in the process.