This Web service operation processes EBT card transactions for a merchant. The URL to access this service is:

https://secure.ftipgw.com/ArgoFire/transact.asmx?op=ProcessEBTCard

Descriptions of the parameters are listed below.

Parameter Description
UserName Required. User name assigned in the payment server
Password Required. Password for the user name assigned in the payment server
TransType

Required. Type of the EBT card transaction. Valid values are:

  • FoodStampSale to make a purchase on an EBT cardholder’s food stamp account
  • FoodStampReturn to credit to an EBT cardholder’s food stamp account
  • CashBenefitSale to make a purchase on an EBT cardholder’s cash benefit account
  • Inquire to check the balance on an EBT card
  • Capture to settle a single transaction in the current batch; only for terminal-based processors
  • CaptureAll to settle all transactions in the current batch; only for terminal-based processors or host-based processors that support a batch release feature
CardNum Required. Password for the user name assigned in the payment server
Password Required except for Capture and CaptureAll. EBT card number to process the transaction
ExpDate Required except for Capture and CaptureAll. EBT card’s expiration date in MMYY format
MagData Optional. Data located on the track 2 of the magnetic strip of the card. Once this field is populated, the transaction will be indicated as Card-Present transaction and usually result in a favorable retail discount rate. This parameter will remove invalid characters. See List of Removed Characters for more detailsThe format of the MagData (or Track 2 data) is CardNum=ExpDate followed by the service code and checksum. For example, 36438999960016=05121015432112345678
NameOnCard Optional, depending on different merchant processor setup. The cardholder’s name as it appears on the card
Amount Required except for CaptureAll. The total transaction amount in DDDD.CC format. This amount includes CashBackAmt and SureChargeAmt
InvNum Optional. Invoice tracking number. This parameter will remove invalid characters. See List of Removed Characters for more details
PNRef Optional except for FoodStampReturn and Capture. The reference number assigned by the payment server
Pin Required except for Capture and CaptureAll. The encrypted pin block returned by the pin-pad. The transaction will fail if an unencrypted pin value is used
RegisterNum Optional. A number uniquely identifies a register or computer, on which the transaction is performed. This parameter will remove invalid characters. See List of Removed Characters for more details
SureChargeAmt Optional. The amount in DDDD.CC format that a merchant charges for processing an EBT card transaction
CashBackAmt Optional. The amount in DDDD.CC format that a cardholder requests for cash back. If used, only good for TransType of CashBenefitSale
ExtData

Optional except for , which is required for FoodStampSale, FoodStampReturn, CashBenefitSale, and Inquire with DUKPT pin-pad setup. Extended data in XML format. Valid values are:

  • <TimeOut>TimeOut</TimeOut> for timeout value in seconds (default = 40)
  • <TrainingMode>TrainingMode</TrainingMode> to process transaction in Training Mode; either T or F
  • <KeySerialNumber>KeySerialNumber</KeySerialNumber > for managing DUKPT pin-pads for EBT transactions
  • <Force>Force</Force> for forcing duplicate transactions to be processed; either T or F. Note that some processors, including Concord EFS, will not utilize this tag and may still reject a duplicate transaction

Example: Swiped Food Stamps Sales
The example data below will process a swiped EBT card FoodStampSale transaction through the payment server.

Parameter Value
UserName test
Password 123
TransType FoodStampSale
CardNum 4055011111111111
ExpDate 1205
MagData 055011111111111=05121015432112345678
Amount 10.00
Pin 6366C0466A74C3F6
ExtData <KeySerialNumber>4A003102930003BB</KeySerialNumber>


Response
<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”utf-8″ ?>

<Response xmlns:xsd=”http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema” xmlns:xsi=”http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance” xmlns=”https://secure.ftipgw.com/ArgoFire/”>

<Result>0</Result><RespMSG>Approved</RespMSG><Message>FoodStampBal anceAmount: 6543.21</Message><AuthCode>VITAL1</AuthCode><PNRef>2431</PNRef><Ex tData>CardType=EBT</ExtData>

</Response>

Example: Manual Food Stamp Return
The example data below will process a manually entered EBT card FoodStampReturn transaction through the payment server. The PNRef parameter should be changed when testing this example yourself.

Parameter Value
UserName test
Password 123
TransType FoodStampReturn
CardNum 4055011111111111
ExpDate 1205
Amount 10.00
PNReg 2459
Pin 6366C0466A74C3F6
ExtData <KeySerialNumber>4A003102930003BB</KeySerialNumber>


Response
<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”utf-8″ ?>

<Response xmlns:xsd=”http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema” xmlns:xsi=”http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance” xmlns=”https://secure.ftipgw.com/ArgoFire/”>

<Result>0</Result><RespMSG>Approved</RespMSG><Message> FoodStampBalanceAmount: 6543.21</Message><AuthCode>VITAL6</AuthCode><PNRef>2460</PNRef><Ex tData>CardType=EBT</ExtData>

</Response>

Example: Manual Cash Benefit Sale
The example data below will process a manually entered EBT card CashBenefitSale transaction through the payment server. The PNRef parameter should be changed when testing this example yourself.

Parameter Value
UserName test
Password 123
TransType CashBenefitSale
CardNum 4055011111111111
ExpDate 1205
Amount 10.00
InvNum 1002
Pin 6366C0466A74C3F6
CashBackAmt 5
ExtData <KeySerialNumber>4A003102930003BB</KeySerialNumber>


Response
<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”utf-8″ ?>

<Response xmlns:xsd=”http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema” xmlns:xsi=”http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance” xmlns=”https://secure.ftipgw.com/ArgoFire/”>

<Result>0</Result><RespMSG>Approved</RespMSG><Message>CashBenefitBa lanceAmount: 1234.56</Message><AuthCode>VITAL8</AuthCode><PNRef>2461</PNRef><Ex tData>CardType=EBT</ExtData>

</Response>