Network Tokens

Network tokens let you process payments using a digital replacement for the shopper's card number, issued directly by the card networks.

What are network tokens?

A network token is a secure, tokenized representation of a card number (PAN), issued by the card networks — Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and others — instead of by DEUNA or by the merchant. The token is unique to the combination of shopper, merchant, and use case, and is used in place of the real card number throughout the payment flow.

The two work together: a saved card can be represented by a DEUNA token for storage, while the underlying card is additionally represented by a network token for authorization.

Why use network tokens

• Higher authorization rates. Because the token is validated and refreshed by the card network itself, issuers approve network-token transactions more consistently than PAN-based ones.
• Fewer failed renewals. If a card expires or is reissued, the network updates the token automatically, so recurring or saved-card payments keep working without asking the shopper to re-enter their card.
• Better security. Each transaction is protected with a single-use cryptogram, and the real card number is never exposed to the merchant or transmitted through the payment flow.
• Lower PCI exposure. Replacing the PAN earlier in the flow reduces how much raw card data merchants need to handle.

Integration models

DEUNA supports two ways to work with network tokens, so you can choose the approach that fits your setup.

DEUNA-Managed

DEUNA requests and stores network tokens on your behalf, the same way DEUNA already stores cards today. No additional integration is required: your existing purchase requests automatically benefit from network tokenization whenever a token is available for the stored card.

This is the recommended option if you want the authorization-rate and auto-refresh benefits of network tokens without building or maintaining your own token collection process.

Merchant-Managed

If you already collect and store your own network tokens directly from the card networks, you can pass those tokens to DEUNA at the time of payment instead of sending the raw card number. DEUNA forwards the token details to the acquirer for authorization.

This option requires you to manage the token, its expiration data, and the cryptogram generated per transaction. It's best suited for merchants who want to keep full control of an existing token relationship or use the same tokens across multiple providers.

For each transaction, you'll provide the network token data as part of payment_source.card_info, following the same field conventions used across the DEUNA API: