ICC Merchant Test Cards
Physical test cards with fixed profiles, for quick checks in store, regression testing and staff training. They are for basic transaction testing and confidence testing, and cannot be used for formal Level 3 certification.
Physical test cards for confirming that a POS or terminal configuration accepts, processes and responds correctly to each scheme profile. Thousands of companies worldwide use them to check terminal configuration before rollout, for regression testing, and to train staff by simulating in-store transactions.
What the cards are for
What you can check with these cards, and how. They are for basic transaction and confidence testing, and for training.
Confirms that the terminal accepts, processes and routes each scheme profile correctly. Used for configuration checks before rollout and for regression after a software update.
- Covers contact, contactless and mobile scenarios
- Supports magnetic stripe fallback testing, with the stripe encoded
- Offline and online authorisation testing, following the terminal's local currency
The contact cards carry three PIN scenarios, which can be exercised on cards supporting offline PIN.
- 1234: PIN verification succeeds. Any PIN other than 5678 or 1122 also succeeds
- 5678: incorrect PIN, one attempt remaining
- 1122: blocked PIN. The card is not actually blocked and can be reused
Two contactless cards that simulate mobile payment, reproducing a request for on-device CVM, that is a mobile PIN, and its successful verification.
- Card 1: makes the terminal request on-device CVM (mobile PIN)
- Card 2: presents a successful mobile PIN verification
- Note: these do not work with Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay
High-value contactless transactions above the contactless CVM limit can be authorised by signature or online PIN, depending on what CVM the terminal supports. Some cards also simulate cashback.
- High-value contactless: authorised by signature or online PIN, depending on the terminal CVM
- Maestro International and Mastercard Debit: domestic and international cashback
- Visa Debit: domestic cashback only
Example cards included
Example cards included, by scheme. Individual cards can be purchased
| American Express | AL05 / Amex ExpressPay AG02 |
|---|---|
| China UnionPay | 8-series BIN: contact DB01, contactless DB02, Credit CH01, QuickPass CY01 |
| Diners / Discover | Diners AL06 / Diners Contactless AG06 / Discover Credit EX02 / Discover Contactless(online) AN15 |
| INTERAC | English EQ01 / French EQ04 / INTERAC Flash AE13 |
| JCB | Contact FA01 / Contactless FA02 |
| Mastercard / Maestro | 2-series BIN EY03, Credit EY05, Debit EY06, PayPass EY07, PayPass MAG AN10, and various Maestro cards |
| Visa | Visa AE03, 19-digit PAN AE04, Credit EZ02, Signature EZ03, Debit EZ04, Electron EZ005, payWave EZ06, US Debit AP07, Expired EZ01 |
| Fleet | A set of 12 test cards, CP00 |
Specifications and schemes
Schemes covered by the cards included (coverage depends on the configuration and licences)
Important: these cards cannot be used for Level 3 scheme certification testing — use the ICCSimTMat tools for Level 3. They are not suitable for live environments, card-not-present transactions, loyalty, fuel or account cards, or online testing that requires a CVV. Contact and contactless are separate cards; there are no dual-interface cards. Use them with a test host or with the terminal in training mode, loaded with the scheme test keys. Replace the cards when they expire. Standard items ship in five to ten business days.
What they can and cannot be used for
These cards are for basic transaction testing, confidence testing and training. They cannot be used for formal Level 3 scheme certification. If certification is required, we can introduce ICCSimTMat or VIABLE.
| Use | Suitable |
|---|---|
| Operational checks in store, regression testing and confidence testing | Supported |
| Training till staff, including PIN handling | Supported |
| Checking magnetic stripe fallback | Supported |
| Formal Level 3 certification | Not possible |
| Payments in a live environment | Not possible |
| Card-not-present and e-commerce payments, and online payments using a CVV | Not possible |
| Testing real wallets such as Apple Pay | Not possible |
| A single card for both contact and contactless | Not available — they are separate cards |
| Fuel/Loyalty/Account Card | Out of scope for the standard cards |
Use the cards with a test terminal loaded with the scheme test keys, or with a test host or the terminal in training mode. Dynamic currency conversion is a terminal and acquirer function, not a card function.
PIN scenarios
On contact cards supporting offline PIN, the PIN you enter selects the terminal response.
| PIN | Scenario |
|---|---|
| 1234 | PIN accepted |
| 5678 | PIN mismatch, one attempt remaining |
| 1122 | PIN Blocked |
1122 does not actually block the card. It simulates a blocked PIN response, so the card can be reused.
Points to confirm before ordering
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Debit card routing | Some Mastercard Debit, Visa Debit and Visa Electron cards use a credit BIN range, so depending on the terminal they may not route correctly as debit. If you are checking debit paths or domestic debit routing, check the BIN and AID rather than the card name. International Maestro is understood to have a valid debit BIN range |
| Expiry | Published material is inconsistent on this point, so we confirm the expiry of the cards being shipped at the time of order |
| Fallback | Depending on the terminal, the acquirer and the scheme configuration, fallback may be prohibited or restricted |
| Mobile Emulation Pack | Two contactless cards: one that makes the terminal request on-device CVM or a mobile PIN, and one that indicates the mobile PIN has been verified. They simulate how the terminal behaves with mobile CVM, and are not cards for testing Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay themselves |
Choosing between the ICC Solutions products
The general-purpose ICCSimTMat, the Fiserv-only kit and the Worldpay-only VIABLE are clearly separated.
| Comparison | TMat | TMat for Fiserv | ICCSimDev | Merchant Cards | VIABLE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General purpose or dedicated | General purpose | Fiserv only | General-purpose development | General-purpose basic cards | Worldpay only |
| Primary audience | Vendors, laboratories and acquirers | Fiserv merchants and ISVs | EMV developers | Stores, maintenance and training | Worldpay merchants and ISVs |
| Level 2 | Suite available | Mainly Level 3 | Custom-developed testing | Not possible | Mainly Level 3 |
| Level 3 | Supported | Supported | Not for formal certification | Not possible | Supported |
| Host integration | External or simulated | Fiserv Portal integration | Outside its purpose | Requires a test host | Built-in closed loop |
| Negative testing | Scheme test case coverage | Fiserv test case coverage | Highly flexible | Limited | Worldpay test case coverage |
| Automated analysis | Yes | Yes | Focused on script development | No | Yes |
| Certification submission | Through suites | For Fiserv | Generally not possible | Not possible | For Worldpay |
| PaytestProbe | Supported | Supported | Focused on generated cards | Not supported | Supported |
Where the product sits in the process
On the issuance side, the Barnes and ICC Solutions products are not competitors; they sit at different stages of the process.
| Process stage | Product | Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Card issuance side | Barnes CPT | Inspects card data, certificates, EMV tags and magnetic stripe data |
| Card and terminal development | ICCSimDev | Develops error cards, custom cards and negative tests |
| Terminal kernel | ICCSimTMat Level 2 | Verifies the EMV kernel and reader application |
| Finished POS and ATM | ICCSimTMat Level 3 | Scheme integration testing |
| Specific acquirer | TMat for Fiserv / VIABLE | The Fiserv and Worldpay certification process |
| After store deployment | Merchant Test Cards | Quick checks, regression testing and staff training |
What we confirm before proposing
Before finalising a configuration we ask about the following.
| Category | Points to confirm |
|---|---|
| Test scope | How far coverage must extend across contact, contactless and magnetic stripe, and whether Level 2, Level 3 or both are needed |
| Scope | Which of POS, ATM, Tap to Phone, transit or fuel applies, and the exact scheme and test suite versions |
| Connects to | Which acquirer you connect to — Fiserv, Worldpay or another |
| Method | Whether physical ICCSim cards or PaytestProbe is used, whether physical cards for fallback testing are included, and whether a host simulator is required |
| Licences and maintenance | Maintenance charges after the first year and what happens if renewal stops, the expiry of the test cards, and how licences are divided between the scheme-qualified suites and development scripts |
| Automation | The API specification for Auto API and robot integration, and compatibility between cards generated in ICCSimDev and TMat |
| Domestic requirements | Is a dedicated L3 test plan available for the local acquirer or payment network? |
Supporting an international brand’s L3 suite and having the local acquirer or payment network accept that result as certification are two separate matters. We confirm the brand, acquirer, payment gateway and terminal configuration before fixing the product configuration.
Choosing the right ICC product
The ICC products divide by purpose. Where each sits is set out in the Level 3 layer.
| Product | If you are considering |
|---|---|
| ICCSimTMat | You need to pass formal scheme approval at Level 2 and Level 3, and want acceptance testing managed and run with qualified suites |
| ICCSimTMat for Fiserv | Merchant and ISV certification through Fiserv, with test logs uploaded directly via the portal |
| ICCSimDev | You want to build your own card responses and error conditions, for negative testing and debugging |
| VIABLE | You want to run merchant and ISV acceptance testing together in a closed-loop store setup |
| ★ Merchant Test Cards (this page) | You want physical cards for checking terminal configuration, regression and staff training |
| Testing and certification services | You would rather not run the testing yourself and want certification handled for you |
Where it is used
- Setting up Level 3 verification for a new development
- Regression after a configuration change or update
- Coverage checks ahead of certification
Relationship to certification
For quick operational checks, regression testing and training. They cannot be used for formal Level 3 certification; if certification is required, we can introduce ICCSimTMat or VIABLE.