Account Updater

Keep recurring payments flowing with automatic account updates

Stop chasing customers for new card info. Automatically refresh stored cards to reduce declines, protect revenue, and ensure your recurring payments process without interruption.

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Avoid service disruptions

Account Updater automatically pulls new details from participating networks when cards are lost, stolen, or expired, instantly refreshing the data inside CSG Payments.

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Capabilities

Maintain more stable, predictable cash flow

Account Updater works with CSG Payments’ tokenization and recurring billing capabilities. Tokenize card-on-file payments, then let Account Updater keep those card tokens current through regular updates from the card networks. This combination equips you to:

Protect sensitive card data

Using and storing tokens instead of raw card numbers.

Support recurring-use cases

Subscription, membership and express checkout.

Omnichannel

Connect Account Updater with your processes running on web, mobile, scheduled and billing flows.

Customer Stories

Where market leaders go to grow

Discover how global operators rely on CSG to safeguard their networks, accelerate recovery, and deliver uninterrupted connectivity.

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"I don’t even think I could put a quantity on the manpower this is saving.”

Kathy CokerShared Services ManagerHall’s Culligan

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Security

Compliance that scales with your business

When you work with us, you’re working with a fully audited, secure, and compliant partner. From PCI compliance to broader data privacy, we safeguard your payments and sensitive information wherever you do business.

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Solutions that deliver real results

260M

transactions processed annually

175K

worldwide businesses served

99.99%+

gateway uptime reliability

Awards

Recognized for excellence

G2 Spring 2026 Payment Gateway: High Performer

Powered by reviews from merchants, government agencies, and partners who use CSG Forte Payments to run their day-to-day payments.

Fintech Breakthrough Awards: Payment Enablement Platform of the Year, 2026

CSG Forte's Payment Enablement Platform of the Year award validates our leadership in delivering faster, more reliable payment solutions.

Forrester Included in for The Merchant Payment Providers Landscape, Q4 2025, 2025

CSG Forte's inclusion in Forrester's Merchant Payment Providers Landscape confirms our competitive position in the payments industry.

QKS Spark Matrix: Merchant Payment Provider, Q4, 2025

CSG Forte named Strong Contender for Merchant Payment Provider

2024 PayTech Award

Top Innovation in Payments

Juniper Future Digital Awards: Omnichannel Payments Platform

CSG Forte awarded Omnichannel Payments Platform at the 2024 Juniper Future Digital Awards

Juniper Future Digital Awards: Recurring Payment Platform of the Year

CSG Forte awarded Recurring Payment Innovation at the 2024 Juniper Future Digital Awards

Ready to enhance recurring payments?

Get the most from your online payments with automated card updates. Contact our team to learn more.

Frequently asked questions

Account Updater is ideal for any business that relies on recurring credit card billing. This includes organizations running subscription services, membership programs, express checkout services, and installment payment plans. Industries such as utilities, telecom, healthcare, property management, education, and government are strong fits, as these verticals depend on uninterrupted, automated payments via Visa, Mastercard, and Discover.

To activate Account Updater, a merchant must use tokenization services for credit card payments; be qualified to participate in Visa, Mastercard, and Discover programs; and remain in compliance with all Card Association Operating Regulations. Approval from Visa USA, Mastercard, and Discover is also required. Merchants must have a valid business reason to conduct recurring transactions, such as subscription or membership billing.

Yes. Merchants are encouraged to configure their token list before running Account Updater. API merchants can exclude specific paymethod tokens by setting the suppress_account_updater=true parameter via a POST or PUT request to the Paymethods endpoint using the REST API. Merchants should also delete old or unused tokens before the first run to avoid unnecessary charges. Cards with a "closed" status and Google Pay or Apple Pay tokens are excluded automatically.

Account Updater addresses the credit card side of recurring payment failures by refreshing stored card credentials automatically, while Validate and Validate+ screen ACH bank accounts before submission to reduce returns, and Authenticate verifies account ownership. Direct Recovery handles ACH payments that have already failed by automating re-presentment. Together, these tools form a layered approach to preventing and recovering lost revenue across both card and ACH payment types.

Merchants using REST-compatible string tokens can query the Paymethods endpoint with date range filters to retrieve a list of all tokens updated in a given period, including the type of change—account number updated, account closed, or expiration date changed—along with the date the update was applied. Merchants not using REST receive a monthly invoice showing updated token quantity and fees. Internal reporting jobs also exist for Account Updater Summary and detail reports.