Card schemes

Explore the card schemes and networks supported by Gr4vy.

Gr4vy supports a wide range of card schemes, including major international networks and regional domestic schemes. When a buyer pays with a card, the card scheme identifies the network that processes the transaction.

Card scheme support depends on the card processor you connect to. Most card processors support the major international schemes (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), while regional scheme support varies by processor.

Major international schemes

These card schemes are accepted globally and supported by most card processors.

Scheme	ID	Description
Visa	visa	The world’s largest card network by transaction volume. Accepted in over 200 countries and territories.
Mastercard	mastercard	A global payment network accepted in over 210 countries and territories.
American Express	amex	A global charge and credit card network, popular in the US, UK, and Australia. Amex operates as both card issuer and network.
Discover	discover	A major US card network also accepted in select international markets through partnerships with Diners Club, JCB, and UnionPay.
JCB	jcb	Japan’s largest card network, with growing international acceptance across Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Americas.
UnionPay	unionpay	China’s national card network and the world’s largest by number of cards issued. Increasingly accepted internationally.
Diners Club	diners-club	One of the world’s first charge card networks, now part of the Discover Global Network. Widely accepted for travel and entertainment.
Maestro	maestro	Mastercard’s international debit card brand. Widely used in Europe, particularly in the UK, Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands.

Regional and domestic schemes

These card schemes serve specific countries or regions. They often provide lower processing costs and higher approval rates for domestic transactions.

Scheme	ID	Region	Description
Cartes Bancaires	carte-bancaire	France	France’s domestic card scheme, the most widely used payment method in France. Cards are often co-badged with Visa or Mastercard for international use.
Bancontact	bancontact	Belgium	Belgium’s national debit card scheme, used for the majority of electronic payments in Belgium.
Dankort	dankort	Denmark	Denmark’s national debit card scheme. Cards are often co-badged with Visa.
Elo	elo	Brazil	A Brazilian card network issued by Banco do Brasil, Bradesco, and Caixa Econômica Federal. It covers debit, credit, and prepaid cards.
Hipercard	hipercard	Brazil	A Brazilian credit card brand created by the Itaú Unibanco group, widely accepted across Brazil.
EFTPOS Australia	eftpos-australia	Australia	Australia’s domestic debit card network for point-of-sale and online transactions.
RuPay	rupay	India	India’s domestic card scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). Widely used for domestic debit transactions.
MIR	mir	Russia	Russia’s national card payment system, launched by the Central Bank of Russia.

Debit and co-branded networks

These networks often operate alongside major card schemes on co-branded or multi-network cards, primarily in the United States.

Scheme	ID	Description
ACCEL	accel	A US debit network that provides ATM and point-of-sale access.
Cirrus	cirrus	Mastercard’s global ATM network brand.
Culiance	culiance	A US credit union ATM network providing surcharge-free access.
NYCE	nyce	A US electronic funds transfer network for ATM and point-of-sale transactions.
Pulse	pulse	A US debit network owned by Discover Financial Services.
STAR	star	One of the largest US debit payment networks, connecting ATMs and point-of-sale terminals.
QCARD	qcard	A New Zealand credit card scheme.
UATP	uatp	The Universal Air Travel Plan, a payment network owned by major airlines for travel-related payments.

Co-badged cards

Many cards carry multiple scheme logos—for example, a French card might show both Cartes Bancaires and Visa. These co-badged cards can be routed through either network, depending on the region and processor configuration.

Gr4vy detects the card scheme automatically during processing. Cards that don’t match a recognized scheme are reported as other.

You can use the card scheme definitions API to retrieve the full list of supported schemes programmatically.