American Express Global Network Policy

To govern Issuers' and Acquirers' relationship with the American Express Global Network and each other

Overview

The American Express Global Network establishes and maintains policies via published manuals which are provided to licensed Issuers and Acquirers upon signing an agreement with American Express.

 

These manuals are updated regularly to:

 

  • Support business growth and increased scale.
  • Enable American Express-branded payment products to be accepted worldwide and deliver innovative products and capabilities to our Issuers and Acquirers.
  • Mitigate operational risk and provide objective rules across Issuers and Acquirers and the American Express Global Network.

Manuals

Business and Operational Policies (BOP) manual

 

The Business and Operational Policies (BOP) manual is a global document which is published bi-annually in April and October, and provides Participants with the information necessary to participate in the American Express Global Network as required by their Agreements.

 

Network Specifications manuals

 

The Network Specification manuals (Instructions, Authorization, and Financial/Non-Financial) are published bi-annually in April and October. They contain instructions and details on the available Authorization and Clearing features, and describe core and feature-based processing on the American Express Global Network. Message layouts are provided with programming notes where required.

 

Codes Reference Guide

 

The Codes Reference Guide is published bi-annually in April and October, and contains a complete listing of the codes and their descriptions necessary to process messages on the American Express Global Network.

 

Network Participant Updates (NPU)

 

Effective October 12, 2018, the Network News and Policy and Technical Release Announcement (PTRA) were retired and a new publication, the Network Participant Updates (NPU), was released. The NPU is published on the second Friday of every month and provides Participants with policy, technical, and informational updates. Articles can include new information, reminders, corrections, and clarifications, and the contents may ultimately be incorporated into one or more bi-annually published core documents (i.e., Business and Operational Policies (BOP) manual, Network Specifications manuals, Codes Reference Guide).

FAQs

Network Policy FAQs

The Business and Operational Policies (BOP) manual and Network Specifications manuals are published on a bi-annual basis in April and October, per the standard industry release cycle timelines. These publications are intended to provide Issuers and Acquirers with information necessary to conduct business on the American Express Global Network. Additional announcements are communicated monthly in the Network Participant Updates (NPU). As needed, Special Bulletins are published to address issues immediately impacting Issuers and Acquirers.

The Business and Operational Policies (BOP) manual contains:

  • Global requirements for transacting on the American Express Global Network
  • Systems access and interface requirements
  • Authorization requirements
  • Card product requirements
  • Clearing and settlement requirements
  • Disputes processing rules
  • Service establishment requirements that acquirers must enforce
  • American Express Global Network fees
  • Fraud/risk requirements for card production and for transactions

Yes, the Business and Operational Policies (BOP) manual and Network Specifications manual are an integral part of agreements executed between the American Express Global Network and Issuers and Acquirers. Therefore, failure to comply with policies and specifications may result in financial liabilities and legal action.

The Merchant Policy Manuals (Merchant Regulations, U.S. and Merchant Operating Manual, Canada) are the policies that apply to merchants acquired directly by American Express. The Business and Operational Policies (BOP) manual contains policies set by the American Express Global Network for licensed Issuers and Acquirers.

The Business and Operational Policies (BOP) manual is a confidential document that contains sensitive proprietary information, and is therefore subject to the confidentiality provisions of our agreements with individual American Express Global Network Issuers and Acquirers.

The official language of our agreements with American Express Global Network Issuers and Acquirers is English, including the Business and Operational Policies (BOP) manual, which forms part of such. 

Next Steps

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