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  1. In-store payments
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Loyalty and ID lookup

Recognise loyalty members from the card they pay with, sign up new members on the terminal, and keep member data up to date.

With Aera ID lookup, the card a customer pays with is also their membership card. The terminal reads the card, Aera looks it up in your ID Vault, and your POS gets the member number back before the payment. The customer taps once.

Three parties make it work. Find your part:

Merchant

Sign the agreement, get your ID Vault and API access, and turn on ID lookup on your terminals.

Start here: Set up ID lookup

ECR provider

Build the checkout: look up the member before the payment, and sign up new members on the terminal.

Start here: Loyalty and card acquisition, in the ECR integration guide

Loyalty program

Keep the member data in the ID Vault up to date: finish sign-ups, add and replace cards, delete members.

Start here: Manage member identities

How it works

Loyalty lookup, then pay
Your POS
Terminal
Aera ID Vault
Loyalty program
1CardAcquisition
Step 1 of 8 · Your POS → TerminalRead the card first, with the amount.
2Look up the card
Step 2 of 8 · Terminal → Aera ID VaultThe customer taps. The terminal looks up the card in your ID Vault.
3Member number
Step 3 of 8 · Aera ID Vault → TerminalThe card belongs to a member.
4CardAcquisition response
Step 4 of 8 · Terminal → Your POSLoyaltyAccount has the member number. No LoyaltyAccount: offer sign-up.
5Get benefits
Step 5 of 8 · Your POS → Loyalty programYour POS asks your loyalty program for the member's discount or points.
6Discount
Step 6 of 8 · Loyalty program → Your POSThe new amount must not be higher than in the card acquisition.
7Payment with CardAcquisitionReference
Step 7 of 8 · Your POS → TerminalPay with the same card: the customer doesn't tap again.
8Payment response: AeResponseCode 000
Step 8 of 8 · Terminal → Your POSApproved, with the member discount, in one tap.
Your POS
Terminal
Aera ID Vault
Loyalty program
  1. 1
    Your POS → Terminal
    CardAcquisition
    Read the card first, with the amount.
  2. 2
    Terminal → Aera ID Vault
    Look up the card
    The customer taps. The terminal looks up the card in your ID Vault.
  3. 3
    Aera ID Vault → Terminal
    Member number
    The card belongs to a member.
  4. 4
    Terminal → Your POS
    CardAcquisition response
    LoyaltyAccount has the member number. No LoyaltyAccount: offer sign-up.
  5. 5
    Your POS → Loyalty program
    Get benefits
    Your POS asks your loyalty program for the member's discount or points.
  6. 6
    Loyalty program → Your POS
    Discount
    The new amount must not be higher than in the card acquisition.
  7. 7
    Your POS → Terminal
    Payment with CardAcquisitionReference
    Pay with the same card: the customer doesn't tap again.
  8. 8
    Terminal → Your POS
    Payment response: AeResponseCode 000
    Approved, with the member discount, in one tap.
  1. The POS sends a CardAcquisition request. The customer taps or inserts the card.
  2. The terminal looks up the card in your ID Vault.
  3. If the card belongs to a member, the response has the member number. The POS gives the discount or points. See Recognise members at checkout.
  4. The POS sends the Payment. The customer doesn't tap again.
  5. If the card isn't linked to a member, the POS can offer a sign-up on the terminal. See Enrol members at the terminal.
  6. The loyalty program finishes the sign-up and keeps the member's cards up to date. See Manage member identities.

Who does what

WhoDoes whatPages
MerchantSigns the agreement, orders API access, decides what a lookup returns, and asks Aera to turn on ID lookupSet up ID lookup
ECR providerRuns the checkout: looks up the member, offers sign-up, then pays or abortsIn the ECR integration guide: Loyalty and card acquisition, Recognise members at checkout, Enrol members at the terminal
Loyalty programOwns the members: finishes sign-ups, adds and replaces cards, deletes members, through the Identity Services API. Encrypts card numbers before sending themManage member identities, PAR and encrypted card data
ECR provider and loyalty programTest together before going liveTest and go live
AeraSets up your ID Vault, stores the data on your behalf and runs the lookup

You are the data controller for the data in your ID Vault, and responsible for consents and the legal basis for processing. Aera processes the data on your behalf.

Key terms

TermWhat it means
ID VaultYour own protected data area at Aera. Only your data, kept apart from other customers' data
IdentityOne person, with a unique ConsumerId
IdentifierSomething unique to the person that Aera can look up: a payment card, a bank account number, a mobile number
Loyalty valueWhat you want back when a member is found, usually the member number
AttributePersonal data that isn't unique, such as name or postcode

Get started

  1. Merchant: Set up ID lookup: agreement, ID Vault and API access.

  2. ECR provider: build the checkout with Recognise members at checkout and Enrol members at the terminal.

  3. Loyalty program: connect to Aera with Manage member identities. Card numbers must be encrypted: see PAR and encrypted card data.

  4. Together: test lookup, sign-up and cross loyalty, then go live. See Test and go live.

Steps 2 and 3 can run at the same time.

Used CardHolderOnBoarding before? See Move from CardHolderOnBoarding.

Updated 5 days ago

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