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The CCBenefit component is an advanced tool used to authorize Electronic Benefits (EBT) cards in a Retail environment, where the customer is purchasing products or services in person. This component makes authorizing EBT Food Stamp and Cash Benefit transactions (with a customer PIN) very easy. Supported Industry Types include retail stores, restaurants, and grocery stores.

NOTE: What follows is a very short description of the component interfaces. For more information, please consult the help files that come with the respective package.

Remarks

This component allows for simple, direct, secure connection to the Vital/TSYS SSL gateway through a standard Internet connection. Because all SSL communications are handled inside the component, any application or web page can be deployed without the need for expensive dedicated SSL servers.

The CCBenefit component makes authorizing EBT card transactions (where the customer's card is swiped through a card reader and a PIN is supplied) very easy by adding an additional layer of abstraction between the programmer and the protocol. There is no need to deal with raw sockets, SSL handshakes, or data packet formatting. The steps to setting up the component and authorizing a transaction are outlined below:

First, set the merchant properties with setup information acquired from your member bank or processor. For instance:

  CCBenefit1.MerchantBankId = "999995"
  CCBenefit1.MerchantNumber = "888000002447"
  CCBenefit1.MerchantName = "TEST MERCHANT"
  CCBenefit1.MerchantTerminalNumber = "1515"
  CCBenefit1.MerchantStoreNumber = "5999"
  CCBenefit1.MerchantCategoryCode = "5999"
  CCBenefit1.MerchantCity = "Durham"
  CCBenefit1.MerchantState = "NC"
  CCBenefit1.MerchantZip = "27713"
  CCBenefit1.MerchantTimeZone = "705"
  CCBenefit1.MerchantABANumber = "123456789"
  CCBenefit1.MerchantSettlementAgent = "V123"
  CCBenefit1.MerchantFCSId = "1234567"
  CCBenefit1.AgentBankNumber = "000000"
  CCBenefit1.AgentChainNumber = "111111"
  CCBenefit1.IndustryType = itRetail

Next, set properties that contain details about the transaction. The TransactionNumber is a sequence number, and should be incremented for each transaction you send. TransactionAmount is the amount of sale, formatted with an implicit decimal place. The Card is read from the magnetic stripe on the back of the card, (Track 2 for EBT transactions) and the DebitPIN and DebitKSN are retrieved from a standard DUKPT Pin Pad device.

  CCBenefit1.TransactionNumber = 1
  CCBenefit1.TransactionAmount = "1000"
  CCBenefit1.CardMagneticStripe = "9999999800002773=09121015432112345678"
  CCBenefit1.CardPIN = "83C33384650827F6"
  CCBenefit1.CardKSN = "4A00310459400004"

The CCBenefit component supports both Food Stamp and Cash Benefit programs on the same card. Make sure to choose the correct TransactionType for the benefit program you wish to use, and then call the Authorize method. For example:

  CCBenefit1.TransactionType = ttFoodStampPurchase
  CCBenefit1.Authorize()

When the component receives a response from the Vital/TSYS servers, the result of the authorization will be displayed in several Response properties. The Response indicates whether the transaction was approved, and the remaining properties provide additional information about the transaction.

Once an EBT authorization is approved, the transaction must go through the batch settlement process in order for the merchant to receive the funds in his merchant account. This is done by passing the XML aggregate returned from the GetDetailAggregate method to the CCSETTLE component. Usually, a Batch Settlement of all authorized transactions is done at the end of each business day. Note that ttFoodStampBalanceInquiry and ttCashBenefitBalanceInquiry TransactionTypes cannot be settled.

Property List

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The following is the full list of the properties of the component with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

AgentBankNumber	Identifies a specific agent entity of the member bank or processor.
AgentChainNumber	Identifies a specific chain of an agent organization.
BatchNumber	The batch number that this transaction will be included in.
CardCVVData	Three digit security code on back of card (optional).
CardEntryDataSource	This property contains a 1-character code identifying the source of the customer data.
CardExpMonth	Expiration month of the credit card specified in CardNumber .
CardExpYear	Expiration year of the credit card specified in CardNumber .
CardMagneticStripe	Track data read off of the card's magnetic stripe.
CardNumber	Customer's credit card number.
CashBackAmount	Amount returned to the customer in cash.
DebitKSN	Clear-text Key Sequence Number, used for Debit and EBT transactions.
DebitPIN	DUKPT DES encrypted PIN block, used for Debit and EBT transactions.
IndustryType	Code which indicates the industry the merchant is engaged in.
MerchantBankId	The number which identifies the merchant's bank or processor.
MerchantCategoryCode	Classifies a merchant by the type of store.
MerchantCity	Merchant's City For Retail (Card Present) transactions, this property should contain the city in which the merchant is located.
MerchantCountryCode	Identifies the country where the merchant is located.
MerchantCurrencyCode	Identifies the type of currency used by the merchant.
MerchantLanguage	Designates the language that response messages will be returned in.
MerchantName	Name of the merchant.
MerchantNumber	A unique number used to identify the merchant within the VisaNet system.
MerchantServicePhone	Merchant's customer service number.
MerchantState	State or province that the merchant is located in.
MerchantStoreNumber	Used to identify a specific merchant's store within the VisaNet system.
MerchantTerminalNumber	Used to identify a unique terminal within a merchant location.
MerchantTimeZone	Specifies the GMT offset used to calculate the local time within the VisaNet system.
MerchantZip	Zip code where the merchant that initiated this transaction is located.
MerchantABANumber	Merchant's routing number.
MerchantFCSId	Identifies the merchant as an approved Food Stamp merchant.
MerchantSettlementAgent	Merchant's settling agent.
ResponseAuthorizedAmount	Amount actually used from the card (used when supporting partial redemptions).
ResponseBalance	Available balance remaining on card.
ResponseApprovalCode	Contains an authorization code when a transaction has been approved.
ResponseAuthSource	Indicates the source of the authorization code stored in ApprovalCode .
ResponseAVSResult	Contains the Address Verification System result code.
ResponseCode	Indicates the status of the authorization request.
ResponseCVVResult	Contains the returned CVV result code if it was requested.
ResponseRetrievalNumber	This number is to be submitted for reversals or at settlement.
ResponseReturnedACI	Returned Authorization Characteristics Indicator contains CPS qualification status.
ResponseText	Text information that describes each response code.
ResponseTransactionDate	Local transaction date returned from the server in MMDDYY format.
ResponseTransactionId	Contains the Transaction Identifier or MasterCard Reference Number.
ResponseTransactionNumber	Check this property against the original Transaction Number.
ResponseTransactionTime	Local transaction time returned from the server in HHMMSS format.
ResponseValidationCode	This optional property contains information generated by the card issuer.
ResponseHostMessageId	Unique host message identifier (Reserved for future use).
ResponseNetworkId	Identification code of the network on which the transaction was authorized.
ResponseSettleDate	Date at which the Debit, EBT, or Gift Card transaction will settle.
ResponseTrace	System Trace Audit Number returned for Debit transactions.
TransactionAmount	Purchase amount to be authorized.
TransactionNumber	Sequence number of this transaction.
TransactionType	Specifies the type of EBT transaction to process.
VoucherCode	Required for Food Stamp Voucher transactions.
VoucherNumber	Required for Food Stamp Voucher transactions.

Method List

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The following is the full list of the methods of the component with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Authorize	Sends a Gift Card transaction.
Config	Sets or retrieves a configuration setting.
GetDetailAggregate	Returns an aggregate containing details of this transaction, which is then used for settlement.
Interrupt	Interrupts the current action.
Reset	Clears all properties to their default values.

Event List

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The following is the full list of the events fired by the component with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

Connected	Fired immediately after a connection completes (or fails).
DataPacketIn	Fired when receiving a data packet from the transaction server.
DataPacketOut	Fired when sending a data packet to the transaction server.
Disconnected	Fired when a connection is closed.
Error	Information about errors during data delivery.
SSLServerAuthentication	Fired after the server presents its certificate to the client.
SSLStatus	Shows the progress of the secure connection.

Configuration Settings

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The following is a list of configuration settings for the component with short descriptions. Click on the links for further details.

DeveloperId	Number that indicates the software's origin to the TSYS network.
Retry	Set this to retry a failed transaction.
VersionId	Indicates the software's version to the Vital network.
ResponseStoreNumber	Check this field against the original Merchant StoreNumber.
ResponseTerminalNumber	Check this field against the original Merchant TerminalNumber.
Port	The port to which transactions are posted.
Server	The server to which transactions are posted.
CodePage	The system code page used for Unicode to Multibyte translations.