Update a boarded merchant

After you board a merchant, you may need to change their details, such as updating a name, adding a terminal, or modifying the currency configuration. Merchant updates are only available through the XML Boarding File Upload method. The Boarding API methods do not support updates.

The Boarding API does not support merchant updates. To update a boarded merchant, contact your Fexco Key Account Manager (KAM) to request changes on your behalf, or use the XML method described on this page. If you do not have SFTP set up, you must complete the SFTP security setup before you can submit update files via XML.

This guide covers how to build an updateMerchant XML element, submit it via SFTP, and verify the update was applied.

Before you start

You need the following before you can update a boarded merchant.

SFTP credentials and IP whitelisting configured through security setup.
A merchant that has already been boarded. You need the merchant’s ID (id attribute) from the original boarding request. See Board merchants via XML or Board merchants via the Boarding API.

Submit files that create merchants before files that update the same merchants. The Boarding File Upload utility does not check file order.

Merchant fields you can update

Not all merchant fields can be updated through Boarding File Upload. The following table lists the fields that the updateMerchant element supports.

Element	Description
`newName`	Updates the merchant name.
`newAddress`	Updates the merchant address.
`newMCC`	Updates the Merchant Category Code.
`newDistributionType`	Updates the point-of-sale type. One of: `Terminal`, `Integrated`, `eCommerce`, `Other`.
`newCommissionSplit`	Changes commission percentages between acquirer and merchant.
`addTerminal`	Adds a new terminal or ATM.
`deleteTerminal`	Removes an existing terminal by its ID.
`deleteMerchantOriginator`	Deactivates an existing merchant originator. Pass the originator tag (MID) as the element text. You can include multiple elements to delete more than one originator in a single update. See Delete an originator for details.

The merchant ID (id attribute) cannot be changed. It is used only to identify which merchant to update.

For the full list of elements, attributes, and validation rules, see XML Boarding File Upload format.

Build and submit the update file

Follow the steps below to build your update file, submit it, and verify the results.

Build the update XML

Add one or more updateMerchant elements inside the acquirer element of your Boarding File Upload XML file. Each updateMerchant element targets a single merchant by its id attribute and contains only the fields you want to change.The following example updates a merchant’s name and address, swaps a terminal, and adds a new currency configuration.

The baseCurrency element uses an ISO 4217 numeric currency code instead of a three-letter code. For example, 978 is EUR and 826 is GBP.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<merchantBulkUpload
  xmlns="http://www.fexco.com"
  xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
  xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.fexco.com
    https://reporting.fexcodcc.com/dais/schema/VanillaMBU_V26.1.xsd">
  <acquirer id="128">
    <updateMerchant id="012345678">
      <newName>Merchant One Updated</newName>
      <newAddress>
        <line1>34 Oak Park</line1>
        <line2>Tralee</line2>
        <line3>Kerry</line3>
        <countryCode>IE</countryCode>
      </newAddress>
      <newMCC>1325</newMCC>
      <newDistributionType>Integrated</newDistributionType>
      <addTerminal id="AC123456">
        <location>Reception desk</location>
      </addTerminal>
      <deleteTerminal>AB123456</deleteTerminal>
      <deleteMerchantOriginator>
        0123456780003
      </deleteMerchantOriginator>
    </updateMerchant>
  </acquirer>
</merchantBulkUpload>

You only need to include the fields you want to change. For example, to update just the merchant name:

<updateMerchant id="012345678">
  <newName>Merchant One Updated</newName>
</updateMerchant>

To change the commission split, include a newCommissionSplit element with both acquirerPercent and merchantPercent. Both fields are required and their values must add up to the total configured for the template. If the values do not add up, the update is rejected with error code 22.

<updateMerchant id="012345678">
  <newCommissionSplit>
    <acquirerPercent>2.845</acquirerPercent>
    <merchantPercent>0.155</merchantPercent>
  </newCommissionSplit>
</updateMerchant>

Validate the file

Validate your XML file against the Boarding File Upload XSD before submitting. Structural or syntax errors cause the entire file to be rejected. See Validate an XML file before submission for instructions.

Name and submit the file

Name the file using the Boarding File Upload naming convention and upload it to your designated SFTP directory:

MBUXXXYYYYMMDD.hhmmss.XML

Replace XXX with your three-letter merchant identifier (assigned by Fexco), and set the timestamp to the file creation time. Fexco picks up the file automatically at a scheduled time.

Check the response file

After processing, Fexco places a response file in your SFTP directory. The response file lists each merchant operation with a status code, warnings, and errors.Look for rows where the Action column is UPDATE. A Status Code of 200 means the update was accepted. Review any warnings or errors. For a full list of error and warning codes, see Troubleshoot boarding errors.

Every UPDATE row in the response file has a Status Code of 200 and no entries in the error list. If any updates failed, correct the data and resubmit only the failed merchants in a new Boarding File Upload file.

Delete an originator

A merchant originator represents a specific base currency and card scheme configuration linked to the merchant. To delete an originator, include a deleteMerchantOriginator element inside updateMerchant with the originator tag (MID) as the text content:

<updateMerchant id="012345678">
  <deleteMerchantOriginator>0123456780003</deleteMerchantOriginator>
</updateMerchant>

Deletion is a soft delete — the originator is deactivated rather than removed from the system. If you attempt to delete an originator that does not exist on the merchant, the response file returns error code 10. If the originator was already deleted, the response returns warning code 105.

You can delete multiple originators in a single update by including multiple deleteMerchantOriginator elements. To add a new originator or replace an existing one, contact your Fexco Key Account Manager (KAM).

Fields that require Fexco support to change

Some merchant fields cannot be changed through the Boarding File Upload utility. For these, contact the Fexco operations team. For the full list of which fields can and cannot be updated, see XML Boarding File Upload format.

Next steps

Deactivate a merchant: remove a merchant from active DCC participation.
Reactivate a merchant: restore a deactivated merchant.

Getting started

Merchant boarding

Rate service

Transaction import

Android app

Go live

Before you start

Merchant fields you can update

Build and submit the update file

Build the update XML

Validate the file

Name and submit the file

Check the response file

Delete an originator

Fields that require Fexco support to change

Next steps