Payments Fundamentals (Virtual Instructor-Led)

Develop a practical understanding of payments: what happens behind each transaction, how portfolios are managed for growth and profitability and how risk is mitigated across the ecosystem. 

This course follows our blended learning model, which includes a mix of self-study and live instructor-led sessions. Learn more about blended learning. 

The course begins with two weeks of self-paced learning. Start with the foundations of payment processing — why processing matters, who participates in the ecosystem and how roles connect across issuers, acquirers, merchants and service providers. Explore VisaNet and the transaction lifecycle, and understand how authorization, clearing and settlement work together across products, channels and jurisdictions. Clarify billing fundamentals by reviewing the types of charges assessed on transaction volume and how they influence pricing and profitability. 

Next, move into portfolio management. Trace the customer lifecycle from acquisition to retention, and apply engagement strategies that improve activation, usage and loyalty. Learn the key performance indicators (KPIs) that matter for monitoring activity and satisfaction. Compare credit, debit, prepaid and commercial cards — their unique characteristics, revenue generation methods and current market opportunities — so you can position products effectively. 

Continue by examining the payments landscape from issuer and acquirer perspectives. For issuers, understand core responsibilities, risk management and product strategies and how consumer behavior and mobile banking trends shape portfolio decisions. For acquirers, explore merchant onboarding, Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs) and Payment Service Providers (PSPs), common pricing models and value-added services, as well as the operational challenges of enabling acceptance at scale. 

Conclude the self-paced section with fraud risk foundations. Define fraud within the context of payments, understand how consumer fraud is measured and review a practical fraud risk management framework that connects data, controls and program governance across stakeholders and emerging players. 

During the live sessions with a Visa University trainer, you will be guided through hands-on case studies to deepen the foundational knowledge gained during the self-paced learning section of the course. These live sessions include activities, reflection, regional considerations and action planning, helping you apply what you have learned to your real-life work. 

Upon completion of the course, you will be ready to explain how payments are processed, read and act on portfolio metrics, navigate issuer and acquirer priorities and contribute to a stronger fraud risk posture.