Configure Velocity Controls

Velocity Controls are an extension of Spend Rules, where a time boundary constraint can be applied to a Spend Rule. For example, a Spend Rule may be set to decline all authorizations greater than $1,000 on a payment card; a Velocity Control may be supplemented to the Spend Rule to decline any authorizations which exceed $1,000 in spend within a calendar week. Velocity Controls allow you to refine transaction authorization decisioning to better target fraudulent behavior or allow your customers to budget their spend on your product.

Adding a Spend Rule to a Velocity Control prohibits cumulative spend within a specified time frame: daily, weekly or monthly. A Velocity Control must have an Amount Spend Rule and 2 additional Spend Rules may be added. Cumulative spend amount is based on the sum of all approved authorizations within the cadence you specified on the Velocity control. Daily, weekly, and monthly Velocity Control cadences are available for use at the Payment Card or Card Product level.

Note: Refunds and reversals will not impact the cumulative amount on a Velocity Control.

After you’ve created your Spend Rule(s), you can create your Velocity Control and connect the Spend Rules. Once the Spend Rule is associated with the Velocity Control, the Spend Rule will calculate cumulative authorizations which meets the Spend Rule’s criteria within the timeframe specified on the Velocity Control. Up to 3 Spend Rules can be associated with a Velocity Control.

Note: An Amount Spend Rule (a cumulative rule) is required to create a Velocity Control.

For example, if you attach an Amount Spend Rule of $1,000 and a Merchant Category Code Spend Rule to allow Airline purchases to a monthly Velocity Control, the user will be declined for all authorizations with cumulative monthly spend greater than $1,000 on Airline purchases. Non-Airline purchases will not count towards the cumulative, monthly $1,000 spend limit on the Velocity Control; all Spend Rules on the Velocity Control must be true for the amount to accumulate.

Similar to Spend Rules, Velocity Controls can be attached to a Payment Card or a Card Product. Attaching a Velocity Control and Spend Rule to a Card Product will apply the authorization rule(s) to all Financial Accounts' Payment Cards on your Card Product.

Velocity Controls and their associated Spend Rules can be attached to individual Payment Cards.

Over time you may need to update the logic of a particular Velocity Control and it’s associated Spend Rules. You can detach a Velocity Control from a Card Product using the mutation below.

Note: If you update a Spend Rule associated with a Velocity Control, the Spend Rule and Velocity Control will be updated and the Velocity Control cache will reset. Similarly, if you detach and then re-attach a Velocity Control, the balance will reset.

You can detach a Velocity Control from a Payment Card using the mutation below.

Note: If you update a Spend Rule associated with a Velocity Control, the Spend Rule and Velocity Control will be updated and the Velocity Control cache will reset. Similarly, if you detach and then re-attach a Velocity Control, the balance will reset.

You can query for a list of the Velocity Controls created within your Organization.

Velocity Controls cache the purchase amount of the authorizations in the specified timeframe, which meet the criteria in the associated Spend Rules. You can look up the cumulative current balances of a Velocity Control on a Payment Card or Financial Account to understand when or why an authorization may be declined. The balances on the Financial Account will belong to the Velocity Controls associated to the Card Product. The balances on the Payment Card will belong to the Velocity Controls associated to the Payment Card.