I-file format

The I-file is a legacy format and is not offered to new customers. For new integrations, use the XML I-file instead.

The I-file is a fixed-length text format for transaction import, and this page lists the fields of every record type it contains. Use it alongside the Build and submit an I-file guide, which covers file structure, naming, submission, and the header and trailer records (VOL1, UHL1, and UTL1).

The I-file uses ASCII or UTF-8 character encoding, with every field at an exact character position. Verify field positions using a code editor with column view, such as UltraEdit or GNU Emacs.

Data type conventions

The following abbreviations appear in all field tables on this page. Each table entry uses these conventions to specify how data must be formatted at that character position.

Abbreviation	Meaning
`N`	Numeric. Characters 0–9 only.
`A`	Alphabetic. Letters only.
`AN`	Alphanumeric. Characters 0–9, A–Z, and a–z, including spaces.
`BH`	Binary and hexadecimal. Left-justified, space-filled. All letters must be uppercase (A–F).
`R`	Right-justified. Pad with zeros for numeric fields or spaces for alpha and alphanumeric fields.
`L`	Left-justified. Applies to alpha and alphanumeric fields only. Pad with spaces or zeros on the right as specified.
Space fill	Fill the specified positions with blank spaces.
Zero fill	Fill the specified positions with zeros.

Transaction record

Each transaction record occupies a single line of 173 characters. The line is split into two segments. Segment 1 (positions 1–90) holds card, merchant, terminal, and transaction data. Segment 2 (positions 91–173) holds currency conversion data. Use code J1 for a sale transaction and J2 for a refund.

Segment 1 fields (positions 1–90)

The following table lists all fields in Segment 1 of the transaction record.

Position	Length	Type	Field	Description
1–3	3	N	Card number prefix	Zero fill.
4–13	10	N	Bank Identification Number (BIN)	First 6 to 10 digits of the card number. Identifies the issuing bank and card currency. Left-justified, zero-filled.
14–19	6	N	Card number suffix	Zero fill.
20–21	2	AN	Transaction code	`J1` for a sale. `J2` for a refund.
22–32	11	AN	Terminal ID	Terminal or ATM identifier as defined by the acquirer. Right-justified, space-filled.
33–36	4	N	Reserved	Zero fill.
37–47	11	N	Base amount	Transaction amount in the merchant’s pricing currency. Unsigned minor units as defined by ISO 4217. Right-justified, zero-filled, no decimal point. For currencies with zero minor units (for example, JPY, KRW, CLP), right-pad with `00`. See Currency precision codes for the correct format per currency.
48–53	6	AN	Transaction date	Calendar date. Format: `bYYDDD` where `b` is a blank space, `YY` is the two-digit year, and `DDD` is the ordinal day of the year (Julian date). Mandatory.
54–59	6	N	Transaction time	Time of transaction on a 24-hour clock. Format: `HHMMSS`. Mandatory.
60–67	8	AN	Authorization code	Code returned from the authorization network. Right-justified, space-filled. Space-fill if not used.
68–79	12	AN	Originator’s transaction reference	Reference allocated by the merchant. Populate with `PARTIAL APP` if the transaction was partially approved by the issuer (field 39 = `10`). Space-fill if not used.
80	1	AN	Switch card issue	First digit of a two-digit card issue number, or the only digit if the issue number is single-digit. Space-fill or zero-fill if not used.
81	1	AN	ATM/POS terminal type	Terminal capability code. One of: `1` (unspecified), `2` (ICC reader only), `3` (magnetic stripe only), `4` (ICC and magnetic stripe), `5` (no card reader), `A` (contactless only). Space-fill for e-commerce transactions.
82	1	AN	Switch card issue number	Second digit of a two-digit card issue number, or the only digit if the issue number is single-digit. Space-fill or zero-fill if not used.
83	1	AN	Customer instructions	Describes how the transaction was completed. Accepted values are listed in the table below. Space-fill if not applicable.
84–90	7	N	Record sequence number	Position of this record within the file. Zero-filled, right-justified.

The following table lists the accepted values for the customer instructions field at position 83.

Value	Description
`1`	Signed voucher.
`2`	Mail or telephone order.
`3`	Continuous authority.
`4`	PIN verified offline.
`5`	Signed voucher, magnetic stripe captured.
`6`	Signed voucher, keyed at point of sale.
`7`	Unattended device without PIN verification.
`8`	PIN verified (card) transaction, recovered after sale.
`D`	Downgraded Integrated Circuit Card (ICC), track 2 data only.
`F`	IC card fallback to magnetic stripe read.
`G`	e-Commerce: secure transaction with cardholder certificate.
`H`	e-Commerce: non-authenticated security transaction with card acceptor certificate.
`J`	e-Commerce: non-authenticated security transaction without card acceptor certificate using channel encryption.
`L`	e-Commerce: non-authenticated security transaction with card acceptor certificate using channel encryption.
`M`	Full contactless EMV (Europay, Mastercard, Visa) transaction.
`N`	Contactless transaction with track 2 magnetic stripe format only.
`W`	Contactless online PIN transaction.

An unsupported value in the customer instructions field causes transaction rejection code 11. See Troubleshoot transaction import for the full list of rejection codes.

Segment 2 fields (positions 91–173)

The following table lists all fields in Segment 2 of the transaction record, which holds currency conversion data.

Position	Length	Type	Field	Description
91–107	17	AN	Statement narrative	Optional free-text field for fault finding and reporting. Space-fill if not used.
108–115	8	A	Reserved	Space fill.
116–128	13	AN	Exchange rate	Rate applied at the point of sale. Floating-point decimal, right-justified, zero-filled, padded to 13 characters. Set to `00000001.0000` for domestic (non-DCC) transactions. Examples: `00001.7532981`, `00000013.8329`.
129	1	AN	Reserved	Space fill.
130	1	N	Type of purchase transaction	Always `0`.
131–137	7	N	Reserved	Space fill.
138–148	11	N	Currency amount	Amount in the transaction currency. Unsigned minor units as defined by ISO 4217. Right-justified, zero-filled, no decimal point. For currencies with zero minor units (for example, JPY, KRW, CLP), right-pad with `00`. For domestic transactions, this value matches the base amount.
149–151	3	AN	Not for use	Space fill.
152–159	8	AN	EPOS identifier 1	Electronic point-of-sale (EPOS) device identifier within the merchant’s EPOS population. Used for per-till hit rate reporting. Space-fill if not used.
160–163	4	N	Transaction currency code	ISO 4217 numeric currency code, zero-padded to 4 digits. For example, `0978` for EUR and `0840` for USD. See Currency codes for a reference.
164–167	4	N	EPOS transaction number	Four-digit transaction sequence number within the merchant’s EPOS system. Zero-fill if not used.
168–171	4	N	EPOS identifier 2	Numeric EPOS device identifier for per-till reporting. Zero-fill if not used.
172–173	2	N	Additional data identifier	Zero fill.

Subrecord formats

Subrecords are optional supplemental lines that follow a transaction record. Each subrecord is 90 characters long. The I-file supports three subrecord types: multi-currency pricing (MCP), Integrated Circuit Card (ICC) addendum, and authorization network reference data. Only one subrecord of each type is permitted per transaction. A transaction may have multiple subrecords of different types, each on its own line with its own sequence number.

MCP subrecord (code 07)

The MCP subrecord reports the Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) or multi-currency pricing offered currency and the method used to detect it. The following table describes the fields in the MCP subrecord.

Position	Length	Type	Field	Description
1–4	4	N	Subrecord counter	Number of this subrecord relative to its parent transaction. `0001` for the first subrecord, `0002` for the second. Zero-filled, right-justified.
5–19	15	AN	Reserved	Space fill.
20–21	2	N	Transaction code	Always `07`.
22–25	4	N	MCP offered currency	ISO 4217 numeric currency code offered to the cardholder, zero-padded to 4 digits. For example, `0978` for EUR.
26	1	AN	Final currency detection method	Method used to determine the offered currency. One of: `1` (not available), `2` (IP geolocation), `3` (browser language), `4` (dropdown list), `5` (user profile), `6` (cardholder billing address), `7` (DCC), `8` (cookie). Zero-fill if not used.
27–29	3	N	Country of residence	ISO 3166-1 numeric country code for the cardholder’s country of permanent residence. Zero-filled, right-justified.
30–40	11	AN	Cashier ID	Identifier of the point-of-sale operator. Used for hit rate reporting by cashier. Optional. Space-filled, left-justified.
41–83	43	AN	Reserved	Space fill.
84–90	7	N	Record sequence number	Position of this record within the file. Zero-filled, right-justified.

ICC addendum subrecord (code 10)

The ICC addendum subrecord captures the application currency code read from the card’s integrated circuit (EMV tag 9F42) during a chip transaction. The following table describes the fields in the ICC addendum subrecord.

Position	Length	Type	Field	Description
1–4	4	N	Subrecord counter	Number of this subrecord relative to its parent transaction. `0001` for the first subrecord, `0002` for the second. Zero-filled, left-justified.
5–19	15	AN	Reserved	Space-fill or zero-fill.
20–21	2	N	Transaction code	Always `10`.
22–25	4	N	Application currency code	Currency code stored on the card’s integrated circuit, per EMV tag 9F42. ISO 4217 three-digit code, zero-padded to 4 digits. For example, `0978` for EUR and `0826` for GBP.
26–83	58	AN	Reserved	Space-fill or zero-fill.
84–90	7	N	Record sequence number	Position of this record within the file. Zero-filled, right-justified.

Authorization network reference data subrecord (code 26)

The authorization network reference data subrecord captures reference data returned in the card scheme’s authorization response. The following table describes the fields in the authorization network reference data subrecord.

Position	Length	Type	Field	Description
1–4	4	N	Subrecord counter	Number of this subrecord relative to its parent transaction. `0001` for the first subrecord, `0002` for the second. Zero-filled, left-justified.
5–16	12	AN	Reserved	Space-fill or zero-fill.
17–19	3	N	Authorization reference type	`001` for acquirer reference data. `002` for scheme reference data. Mandatory.
20–21	2	N	Transaction code	Always `26`.
22–27	6	N	Authorization network reference date	Date from the authorization network response. For Mastercard, populate with DE 16 (MMDD format). Mandatory. Space-filled, left-justified.
28–83	56	AN	Authorization network reference data	Reference data from the authorization response. For Mastercard, populate with DE 48 Subelement 63 (Trace ID). Mandatory. Space-filled, left-justified.
84–90	7	N	Record sequence number	Position of this record within the file. Zero-filled, right-justified.

Net summary record

A net summary record totals all transactions for a specific combination of merchant, terminal, and currency during the reporting period. The record is 90 characters long. Use code E4 when the value of sales equals or exceeds the value of refunds. Use code E5 when the value of refunds exceeds the value of sales. The following table describes the fields in the net summary record.

Position	Length	Type	Field	Description
1–19	19	N	Unused	Zero fill.
20–21	2	A	Transaction code	`E4` for a net sales summary. `E5` for a refund summary.
22–32	11	AN	Terminal ID	Same terminal identifier as the corresponding transaction records. Right-justified, space-filled.
33–36	4	N	Currency code	ISO 4217 numeric currency code, zero-padded to 4 digits. Identifies the currency of the transactions in this summary.
37–47	11	N	Net amount	Net base-currency equivalent of all transactions in this summary group. Unsigned minor units. Calculated as J1 (sales) total minus J2 (refunds) total.
48–58	11	N	Value of debit items	Total value of all J1 (sale) transactions in this group, in base currency. Right-justified.
59–69	11	N	Value of credit items	Total value of all J2 (refund) transactions in this group, in base currency. Right-justified.
70–76	7	N	Count of debit items	Total number of J1 (sale) transactions in this group. Right-justified.
77–83	7	N	Count of credit items	Total number of J2 (refund) transactions in this group. Right-justified.
84–90	7	N	Record sequence number	Position of this record within the file. Right-justified.

Net claim record

A net claim record totals all net summary records for a single merchant. One claim record exists per merchant. The record is 90 characters long. Use code E8 when the merchant’s total sales equal or exceed total refunds. Use code E7 when total refunds exceed total sales. The format of the claim record depends on the length of the merchant ID. Do not mix short and long merchant IDs in the same I-file. All merchant IDs in a single file must use the same format.

Short merchant IDs (11 characters or fewer)

The following table describes the net claim record format when merchant IDs are 11 characters or fewer.

Position	Length	Type	Field	Description
1–19	19	N	Reserved	Zero fill.
20–21	2	A	Transaction code	`E8` for claim by merchant (sales equal or exceed refunds). `E7` for payment by merchant (refunds exceed sales).
22–32	11	AN	Merchant ID	Unique merchant identifier, also referred to as the Merchant Originator tag in Mercury (Fexco’s merchant configuration system). Provided by Fexco. Right-justified, space-filled.
33–36	4	N	Reserved	Space fill.
37–47	11	N	Net amount	Net base-currency equivalent for the merchant in unsigned minor units.
48–58	11	N	Value of debit summaries	Total value of all E4 summary records for this merchant. Right-justified.
59–69	11	N	Value of credit summaries	Total value of all E5 summary records for this merchant. Right-justified.
70–76	7	N	Count of debit summaries	Total number of E4 summary records for this merchant. Right-justified.
77–83	7	N	Count of credit summaries	Total number of E5 summary records for this merchant. Right-justified.
84–90	7	N	Record sequence number	Position of this record within the file. Right-justified.

Long merchant IDs (12 to 16 characters)

The following table describes the net claim record format when merchant IDs are 12 to 16 characters long.

Position	Length	Type	Field	Description
1–3	3	N	Reserved	Zero fill.
4–19	16	AN	Merchant ID	Unique merchant identifier. Right-justified.
20–21	2	A	Transaction code	`E8` for claim by merchant (sales equal or exceed refunds). `E7` for payment by merchant (refunds exceed sales).
22–32	11	N	Reserved	Zero fill.
33–36	4	A	Reserved	Space fill.
37–47	11	N	Net amount	Net base-currency equivalent for the merchant in unsigned minor units.
48–58	11	N	Value of debit summaries	Total value of all E4 summary records for this merchant. Right-justified.
59–69	11	N	Value of credit summaries	Total value of all E5 summary records for this merchant. Right-justified.
70–76	7	N	Count of debit summaries	Total number of E4 summary records for this merchant. Right-justified.
77–83	7	N	Count of credit summaries	Total number of E5 summary records for this merchant. Right-justified.
84–90	7	N	Record sequence number	Position of this record within the file. Right-justified.

Next steps

The following resources complement this format reference.

Build and submit an I-file: step-by-step guide for building, encrypting, and submitting the I-file, including the header and trailer record formats.
Troubleshoot transaction import: full tables of file rejection codes (R01–R15) and transaction rejection codes.
Currency precision codes: the correct minor unit format for each currency, needed for the base amount and currency amount fields.

File formats

Android app

Codes and standards

Data type conventions

Transaction record

Segment 1 fields (positions 1–90)

Segment 2 fields (positions 91–173)

Subrecord formats

MCP subrecord (code 07)

ICC addendum subrecord (code 10)

Authorization network reference data subrecord (code 26)

Net summary record

Net claim record

Short merchant IDs (11 characters or fewer)

Long merchant IDs (12 to 16 characters)

Next steps