Transaction Initiator Indicator

For Mastercard transactions, an indicator is sent to the network to identify whether the cardholder or the merchant initiated the transaction.

Resolution order

Placetopay determines the indicator in this order:

Merchant value: a valid additional.initiatorIndicator sent in the payment request is used without modification and takes precedence over the site configuration.
Site configuration: when the request omits the indicator or sends null, the configured site value is used, if present.
Automatic value: if you do not send an indicator and none is configured for the site, Placetopay determines it automatically.

Configure a fixed value for a site

Use data.integration.initiatorIndicator in the Core create or update site endpoints. The field is optional and accepts any of the indicators listed below. Invalid site values are rejected.

The following fragment configures a fixed value when creating a site (/core/site/create) or updating it (/core/site/update-all). Include the other required fields for the endpoint:

{
  "data": {
    "integration": {
      "initiatorIndicator": "MERCHANT_COF"
    }
  }
}

When updating a site, omitting the field preserves its current value. Send null to remove the fixed value and restore automatic calculation when the merchant does not provide an indicator:

{
  "data": {
    "integration": {
      "initiatorIndicator": null
    }
  }
}

You can check the configured value in integration.initiatorIndicator in the site search response.

For example, a site configured with MERCHANT_COF uses CARDHOLDER_COF if the payment request explicitly sends that value in additional.initiatorIndicator. If the request omits it, the site value MERCHANT_COF is used.

Supported values

Indicator	Description	Example
`CARDHOLDER_COF`	The consumer agrees to store the card on file with the merchant for future transactions or chooses to use a previously stored card for a purchase.	A consumer makes a purchase, and the merchant requests the consumer to store the credential on file for future cardholder-initiated purchases.
`CARDHOLDER_RECURRING_VARIABLE_AMOUNT`	The consumer agrees to store the card on file and performs an initial transaction in a series intended to be of variable amount and fixed frequency.	The initial transaction to store the credential on file for monthly utility payments.
`CARDHOLDER_RECURRING_FIXED_AMOUNT`	The consumer agrees to store the credential on file and performs an initial transaction in a series intended to be of a fixed amount and fixed frequency.	The initial transaction to store the credential on file for a monthly payment.
`CARDHOLDER_WITH_INSTALLMENTS`	The consumer agrees to store the credential on file to establish an installment plan and initiates the first transaction in a series. The installment plan should reflect the one-time purchase of goods/services with a known amount and a set frequency over a specified duration.	The initial transaction to store the credential on file for a purchase to be paid in installments financed by the merchant. For Colombia, this must only be sent in cases where financing is provided by the merchant.
`MERCHANT_COF`	A transaction performed under an agreement between a cardholder and a merchant, where the cardholder authorizes the merchant to store and use the cardholder’s account data to initiate one or more future transactions. The transaction may be of a fixed or variable amount but does not occur at regular intervals on a scheduled date.	A consumer agrees to allow a merchant to perform transactions when the balance in the consumer’s account with the merchant falls below a set amount (auto-reload).
`MERCHANT_RECURRING_VARIABLE_AMOUNT`	A transaction performed under an agreement between a cardholder and a merchant, where the merchant uses the cardholder’s account data for a transaction that must occur at regularly scheduled intervals for a variable amount, as specified in the agreement.	Automatic monthly utility payments.
`MERCHANT_RECURRING_FIXED_AMOUNT`	A transaction performed under an agreement between a cardholder and a merchant, where the merchant uses the cardholder’s account data for a transaction that must occur at regularly scheduled intervals for a fixed amount, as specified in the agreement. The subscription agreement may include provisions for introductory pricing or occasional price changes.	Monthly subscription payment or fixed monthly service fee.
`MERCHANT_WITH_INSTALLMENTS`	A transaction in a series performed under an agreement between a cardholder and a merchant, where the cardholder authorizes the merchant to store the cardholder’s account data so the merchant can initiate one or more future transactions for a known amount over a specified duration, based on a single purchase.	A TV is purchased for 1,000 USD and paid in four equal installments of 250 USD each (the first transaction is sent with `CARDHOLDER_WITH_INSTALLMENTS`, and the remaining three transactions are sent with `MERCHANT_WITH_INSTALLMENTS`). For Colombia, this must only be sent in cases where financing is provided by the merchant.