New Transaction Initiator Field Available in ASA

Overview

Beginning on Wednesday, August 6th, Authorization Stream Access requests will include a transaction_initiator field that identifies the entity who initiated each transaction. This enhancement enables card programs to distinguish more easily between cardholder-initiated and merchant-initiated transactions, making it more simple to implement differentiated logic based on transaction origin.

Details

The new transaction_initiator field is a required string field that will be included in all ASA requests. The field identifies whether a transaction was initiated by the cardholder (such as a typical purchase), by the merchant (such as a recurring subscription), or if the initiator cannot be determined.

Available Values:

• CARDHOLDER - Transaction initiated by the cardholder
• MERCHANT - Transaction initiated by the merchant
• UNKNOWN - Transaction initiator cannot be determined

Example: ASA Request with Transaction Initiator

ASA requests include the transaction initiator at the top level:

{
  "merchant": {
    "acceptor_id": "333301802529120",
    "descriptor": "COFFEE SHOP",
    "mcc": "5812"
  },
  "amount": 2500,
  "status": "AUTHORIZATION",
  "token": "3fa85f64-5717-4562-b3fc-2c963f66afa6",
  "transaction_initiator": "CARDHOLDER"
  // other fields...
}

This field enables programs to apply different authorization logic based on who initiated the transaction. For example, programs might handle recurring payments differently than one-time purchases.

Release Timeline

Production availability: August 6, 2025

User Impact

This change is additive only and requires no modifications to existing integrations. The new field will automatically appear in all ASA requests starting on the release date.

Updated Documentation

For complete ASA request specifications, visit our API Reference.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us via the HELP link in your Lithic Dashboard.

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