File Considerations
The Elavon Global Settlement File (EGSF) for Visa/MasterCard/Discover processing is created by the merchant and transmitted via a network connection to Elavon’s data center. If this file is being used to pass Discover transactions to Elavon, this means the merchant must be set up under the Discover Acquiring program which means Elavon will be handling all parts of the process (including delivering statements and funding the merchant). Not all merchants are eligible to participate in Discover Acquiring, please check with Elavon to ensure you are eligible to participate in Discover Acquiring before including Discover transactions in this file.
This file format is also used in some cases to pass information along to other card plans, American Express, JCB, or Diners. For these card plans the information received is passed unchanged to the applicable card plan. Elavon is not responsible for interchange/qualification for these card plans as it is simply passing the information received on to the card plan and is not privy to the pricing/interchange associated with the client and the specific card plan.
More Information
The following sections will help in understanding the various data elements used in the EGSF for Visa/MasterCard/Discover: