Business Central card on file

Business Central card on file

Business Central card on file gives Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central users a practical way to save approved customer payment methods as tokenized records and reuse those saved methods for future payment workflows. This intent page explains how card-on-file tokenization fits into customer payments, invoices, automatic payments, and Pay API payment scenarios without repeating release-specific user guide metadata.

Solution Overview

The System Solutions LLC payment processing extension supports customer-facing payment workflows inside Business Central, including credit card, debit card, ACH, sales invoice payments, sales credit memo payments, sales order preauthorizations, receipts, signatures, and authorized transaction review. Within that broader payment processing workflow, saved cards and recurring ACH information help users reduce repeated data entry while keeping payment data tokenized through the payment platform.

The business problem solved is straightforward: companies often need to charge returning customers, house account customers, or recurring account balances without collecting new payment information every time. The extension supports this by saving accepted cards on file, allowing users to select a saved card during a later payment, and using saved cards with automatic payment workflows where the documented setup allows it.

Typical users include accounts receivable staff, office managers, implementation consultants, Business Central administrators, and retail or counter sales teams that need connected payment processing from invoices, customer records, or point-of-sale workflows. The solution is especially relevant when customer payment methods Business Central users manage need to connect back to posted sales documents, customer balances, and payment authorization records.

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Business Central card on file Overview

Card-on-file functionality allows a user to use a customer's saved card instead of entering new payment information during each transaction. In the documented payment page, the Card on File option lets the user select an available saved card for the customer. For ACH recurring payments, the comparable option is named Account on File.

The documented setup field named Save Cards on File controls whether accepted cards are saved for future use. The available modes are No Cards, Optional During Payment, and All Cards. No Cards disables the feature. Optional During Payment adds a payment-page option allowing the user to decide whether the approved card should be saved. All Cards saves accepted cards automatically to the customer's Card on File list.

Business Central card on file Features

• Use a saved customer card during a later Credit Card Payment page transaction.
• Optionally save an approved card during payment when Optional During Payment is enabled.
• Automatically save accepted cards when All Cards is selected in payment processing setup.
• Choose a default saved card so it is selected automatically after Card on File is selected.
• Enable an Auto Payments option on the saved card when automatic payments are configured.
• Support token sharing across multiple merchants or platforms when the Datacap portal is configured with the same token sharing group.

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Payment Setup Considerations for Business Central card on file

The Payment Processing Setup page contains the core settings that determine how the extension connects to Datacap platforms and how saved payment methods behave. The Credit Card Platform field may be set for platforms such as TranCloud, TranCloud for Moneris Canada, DC Direct, or Pay API. Pay API also uses fields such as the Datacap Pay API Public Key and, when applicable, a Pay API Setup Code for token sharing between Pay API and other setup records.

When companies use multiple setup records, merchants, devices, locations, or payment methods, the Payment Processing Terminals page connects a payment method to the correct payment processing setup. This matters because card-on-file use should follow the same payment terminal and platform configuration that controls the rest of the payment workflow.

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Using Saved Payment Methods with Business Central card on file

Payments can begin from several Business Central locations, including the Customer Payment page, Customer Card actions, Posted Sales Invoice actions, Posted Sales Credit Memo actions, configured sales document posting, LS Express payment flows, and automatic payment processing where documented. When the Credit Card Payment page opens, a user can process a new card, use manual entry where applicable, process ACH through Pay API, or select a saved payment method when available for that customer.

For card payments, the Credit Card Payment page includes options such as Card on File, Manual Entry, Is Void, and Save Card. A user may select Card on File to use an existing saved card rather than entering new payment information. If the business process calls for saving a newly approved card, the Save Card option appears when the setup permits optional saving.

With Pay API, payment information can be entered directly on the Credit Card Payment page without a device. ACH payments can also be made through Pay API when ACH has been set up for the Datacap merchant, and ACH authorization requirements must be followed. The source documentation notes that ACH payments require proper authorization and that emailing after ACH payments is a NACHA requirement.

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Managing Customer Payment Methods

To manage a customer's saved cards, open the Customer Card and go to Actions > Payment Processing > Cards on File. The management page allows users to delete a card from the customer's list. The Default option specifies which card should be selected automatically after the user chooses Card on File on the payment page.

If automatic payments are enabled, the saved card page can show an Auto Payments option. That option identifies which saved card should be used by the automatic payment process. This keeps operational control on the customer record, where accounts receivable users typically maintain customer-specific payment behavior for Business Central card on file operations.

When multiple platforms or merchant IDs are configured, the source documentation states that saved card tokens can be used across different merchants and platforms if the Datacap portal merchant IDs are set up with the same token sharing group. That is the documented basis for Business Central card-on-file tokenization across more than one configured payment setup.

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Automatic Payments and Recurring ACH

Automatic payments are documented for the Pay API platform. When Process Automatic Payments is enabled, Business Central job queue entries are created for daily, weekly, or monthly processing. A customer must have a card on file, and the saved card must be enabled for Auto Payments before the workflow can charge the customer's balance automatically.

The Automatic Payment Amount setting controls whether the customer is charged the balance due or the full balance. The Customer Card includes payment processing fields such as Automatic Payment Schedule, Last Automatic Payment, and the automatic payment card or account selected for the customer. The documented workflow also includes an Automatic Payments page where completed or attempted automatic payments can be reviewed.

Recurring ACH payments can be performed automatically or by using the Account on File option on the payment page. The source documentation states that recurring ACH payments must be explicitly authorized by an authorization form or recorded phone call. During authorization, limitations such as payment frequency and amount range are specified, and those limits are checked before recurring ACH payment processing continues.

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Source Screenshot

The following preserved source screenshot shows the documented Credit Card Payment page with Card on File and Save Card options visible. This screenshot is included for buyer education because it directly supports how the saved-payment-method workflow appears in Business Central.

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Business Central card on file Example Business Workflows

Counter Sale with a Saved Card

A returning customer purchases material at the counter. The user posts the sale or opens payment processing from the customer-related document, selects Card on File on the Credit Card Payment page, chooses the saved card, and completes the authorized payment without asking the customer to provide card information again.

Invoice Payment with Optional Save

An accounts receivable user opens a Posted Sales Invoice and starts the payment action. During payment, Optional During Payment allows the user to select Save Card after the customer agrees to keep the approved card available for future purchases. The saved token then becomes available under the customer's Cards on File list.

Automatic Customer Balance Payment

A company using Pay API enables automatic payments and sets a customer's payment schedule on the Customer Card. After a card has been saved and marked for Auto Payments, the relevant Business Central job queue entry can process qualifying customer balances through the documented automatic payment workflow.

Recurring ACH Account on File

A customer authorizes recurring ACH payments using the required authorization method. The Business Central user records the recurring ACH details on the Customer Card, including the documented frequency and amount limitations. Future ACH payments can then use the Account on File workflow while respecting the authorization limits.

Multi-Platform Token Sharing

A business uses more than one payment setup or merchant ID. Implementation staff coordinate the Datacap token sharing group so saved card tokens can be used across the documented merchants and platforms. This helps tokenized payments Business Central environments remain consistent when more than one configured setup is required.

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Conclusion

Business Central card on file helps companies reuse tokenized customer payment methods in documented payment workflows while keeping saved card management inside the Business Central customer and payment processing experience. The strongest fit is for organizations that repeatedly charge the same customers, want card-on-file convenience, and need saved payment methods connected to invoices, customer balances, automatic payments, and authorized transaction review.

For implementation planning, pay close attention to Save Cards on File setup, Pay API requirements, ACH authorization requirements, token sharing groups, payment terminal assignment, and customer-level controls such as Default and Auto Payments. Those areas determine how saved payment methods behave in real accounts receivable and customer payment workflows.

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