The Air Transport Settlement System provides for the unique system of arrangement of transportation sales by payment (bank) cards. The System aims at providing accredited agencies with the possibility to issue transportation on ATSS STDs (Standard Traffic Documents) and other services paid by payment (bank) cards of the main international payment systems with minimum spending. Under the Model Agreement, TCH provides accredited agencies (sub-agents) with the unique possibility to issue transportation without paying a bank commission for card processing services. The possibility to pay for transportation or other associated services may be provided to an accredited agency both at points-of-sale – POS (Merchant acquiring) and online – at Internet points-of-sale - IPOS (Internet acquiring).

Merchant acquiring

TCH's technology of arrangement of transportation sales by payment (bank) cards at agencies' points-of-sale has a number of advantages:

  1. No financial security is required for sale of transportation by payment against (bank) cards.
  2. An agency does not need to conclude separate agreements with banks and processing companies. The arrangement of sales and settlement are being made under contractual relationship with TCH.
  3. Uniform rules for operations with payment (bank) cards; uniform reporting and settlement technology; specially assigned codes of forms of payment 'PK' and 'INV PK'.
  4. In case of the issuance of transportation on ATSS STDs paid by payment (bank) cards under the 'PK' form of payment, an agency does not need to pay a fee for processing of payment (bank) cards on the amount of the transportation (a fare, airport and governmental charges).
  5. Agency's service fees and other charges, which are collected at the time of the issuance of transportation under the Model Agreement with TCH, can be paid by payment (bank) cards.
  6. For refund operations, settlement with cardholders are automated and processed in payment systems next banking day after the operation of transportation refund had been made in a reservation system.
  7. TCH performs and controls claim handling with payment systems.

About Payment Solution

At the moment, the main tool for authorization of bank cards for points-of-sale (ticketing agent's desks) is the use of special electronic devices for bank card payment – POS-terminals (remote keyboard Ingenico IPP320). Devices are integrated with the booking terminals of ARS.

The use of POS-terminals allows to accept for payment a wide range of bank cards, such as VISA, Mastercard, MIR, Union Pay, including electronic cards of international payment systems.

The use of the Payment Solution on the basis of POS-terminals allows to automatically calculate an amount of authorization, allows for automatic entry of bank cards data, automatic selection of a form of payment ('PK' or 'INVPK'), and automated issuance of documents on ticket-printing devices, fiscal receipts for payment by plastic cards, which significantly reduces the risks of mistakes made by the agency's employees when servicing cardholders. 

Activation procedure for card payment in POS-terminals with the 'PK' form of payment 

For organization of transportation sales by bank cards on ATSS STDs, an accredited agency must:

  1. Order, obtain the POS-terminals, designed for working with ARS Sirena-Travel, and install them on ticketing agent's desks. The instruction on how to receive, set up and activate POS-terminals is published on Sirena-Travel's website in the 'Agencies' section Remote Keyboard Ingenico IPP320.
  2. Send the Form of Application for Activation of POS-terminals to TCH at info@tch.ru.
  3. In order to ensure fare-pricing and include agencies's service fees into the total payable amount, it is necessary to register those in ARS (please approach JSC Sirena-Travel at n.gabaraeva@sirena-travel.ru).
  4. Examine all necessary normative & technological regulations of TCH, including the corresponding sections of the ATSS Standard Traffic Documents Ticketing Handbook.
  5. Examine the instruction on how to work in the terminals of ARS with the use of POS-terminals published on the website of Sirena-Travel, JSC in the 'Agencies-Manuals' section.
  6. Examine the rules for working with payment (bank) cards. Special attention must be paid to the main elements of protection of payment (bank) cards verifying their authenticity.
  7. Place stickers at points-of-sale (ticketing agents' desks) with the logos of the bank cards accepted for payment of transportation issued on ATSS STDs. The stickers can be obtained at the time of obtaining POS-terminals in Sirena-Travel, JSC or at TCH's Plastic Card Department.

Should you have any questions, please approach TCH's Plastic Card Department at +7 (495) 660-1977 or orpk@tch.ru.

Activation procedure for card payment for the flights of the carriers who banned the 'PK' form of payment (INV PK Payment) on POS-terminals

  1. Follow the steps of Section 'Activation procedure for card payment in POS-terminals with the 'PK' form of payment'.
  2. Via 'My Account' on TCH's website, send the 'Request to open/close payment by bank cards for the flights of the carriers who banned the 'PK' Form of Payment (the 'INV PK' form of payment). The Request is published in Section 'Requests (Applications) to TCH', Arrangement of transportation sale by plastic cards.
  3. When the request (application) receives the 'Completed' status in My Account of TCH, communicate this information to agents and sub-agents.

Should you have questions on how to active this form of payment, please approach TCH's Plastic Card Department at +7 (495) 660-1977 or orpk@tch.ru.

Sale of railway transportation paid for by payment (bank) cards using POS-terminals

From November 1st, 2017 accredited agencies may accept plastic (bank) cards in payment for rail tickets issued on TCH stock. In this case, the 'INVPK' form of payment is applied when issuing transportation.

Those agencies who use POS-terminals for payment of air transportation, when activating the 'INV PK' form of payment for air transportation, automatically obtain the opportunity to use those POS-terminals for payment of railway services by cards. The procedure for activation of POS-terminals is the same for arrangement of payment for air and rail transportation by cards, and is available on the website of Sirena-Travel, JSC in the 'Agencies – Manuals' section Remote Keyboard Ingenico IPP320.

Specifics of settlement and reporting

Settlement between TCH and an agency for payment by plastic cards are made taking into account the following:

  1. The revenue benefited from transportation sales by payment (bank) cards on ATSS STDs is credited directly to TCH's account, i.e. bypassing a settlement account of an agency.
  2. Agency remuneration from transportation sale by payment (bank) cards is deducted by the Agency from the total cash proceeds earned from sales on ATSS STDs for a relevant 10-day sales period.
  3. The Agency will also deduct an agency's service fee paid by payment (bank) cards under Schedule No.8 to the Model Agreement from a total cash proceeds earned from sales on ATSS STDs, taking into account the value of TCH services, for the relevant 10-day sales period.
  4. Every ten days, TCH generates and provides the Agency with the information about sales results as per a reporting 10-day period, which is drawn up based on the database of TCH's Electronic Ticketing Center (ETC) with due account for authorised claims, including agency settlement reports on transportation issued with FOP 'PK' and 'INVPK' drawn up in RF Rubles.

Accepted cards

Currently, POS-terminals accept the following payment (bank) cards:

  • VISA, VISA Electron
  • MASTERCARD, MASTERCARD Electronic and MAESTRO
  • MIR
  • Union Pay

Contacts

Should you have any questions about payment for transportation by plastic (bank) cards, please approach TCH's Plastic Card Department at +7 (495) 660-19-77 or orpk@tch.ru.