An Introduction to the 

Card Acquiring Service
Page 2 L EAD ∙ T RANSFORM ∙ D ELIVER

CAS 101: Presentation Outline

• CAS 101 Overview

–Program History

– Card Acceptance 

–Enrollment Process

• Contact Information 
Page 3 L EAD ∙ T RANSFORM ∙ D ELIVER

Agencies who qualify to work with CAS directly, your 

organization can join CAS through three (3) simple steps:

CAS 101: How to Get Started With CAS

Evaluate if CAS is the correct 

mechanism for your agency collections

Evaluate

Read the Treasury Financial Manual 

(TFM), Part 5, Chapter 7000 on Credit 

and Debit Card Collection Transactions

Understand

Apply for a new CAS account or add 

locations to an existing account, fill out 

the CAS Application online. Apply 

1

3

2
Page 4 L EAD ∙ T RANSFORM ∙ D ELIVER

Established 

in 1987

Formerly 

known as the 

Plastic Card 

Network

In 2007, the 

program name 

changed to the 

Card Acquiring 

Service (CAS)

The program 

has been in 

operation over 

thirty years

CAS History: Where did it all begin?
Page 5 L EAD ∙ T RANSFORM ∙ D ELIVER

Services: 

CAS provides 

merchant services for 

credit, debit, electronic 

benefit transfer (EBT) 

and stored-value (e.g. 

gift, etc.) cards for 

federal partner 

agencies

Vendor Support:

Financial Agent and 

Merchant Acquirer: 

Comerica Bank

Merchant Processor: 

Worldpay from FIS

Revenue: 

CAS processes at 

approximately 10,000 

locations over 19,000 

point-of-sale 

endpoints 

CAS Overview: What is CAS?

CAS is a Fiscal Service federal program that provides federal 

agencies payment card acceptance capabilities.
Page 6 L EAD ∙ T RANSFORM ∙ D ELIVER

• The card rules apply to federal agencies that are collecting or intend to 

collect obligations via credit or debit card. In addition to these 

requirements, an agency also must comply with and be bound by the 

rules and regulations governing all debit and credit card transactions 

accepted by the agency (collectively, the Network Rules), any of which 

may be altered or amended periodically and without notice.

CAS Overview: CAS governing policies

• The TFM is the official publication of policies, procedures, and 

instructions concerning financial management in the Federal 

Government.

• CAS policies and procedures are outlined in TFM - Volume 1, Part 5: 

(Chapter 7000) Credit and Debit Card Collection Transactions 

– https://tfm.fiscal.treasury.gov/v1/p5/c700.html

What is the Treasury Financial Manual (TFM)?

What are the CAS Card Rules?
Page 7 L EAD ∙ T RANSFORM ∙ D ELIVER

Chain 

Number

• Alphanumeric designator assigned by acquirer to reflect 

unique channel of processing (e.g. 0F123B)

Division 

Number

• Three digit value assigned under a chain to designate 

unique lines of accounting (e.g. 001)

Merchant ID 

(MID)

• Unique designator assigned by acquirer to reflect 

location of processing (e.g. 44450XXXXXXXXX)

Terminal ID 

(TID)

• Unique designator assigned by acquirer to reflect each 

terminal (e.g. 1214895)

CAS Overview: CAS Key Terminology
Page 8 L EAD ∙ T RANSFORM ∙ D ELIVER

Acceptance Points

• Traditional standalone terminals

• Integrated/Value Added Reseller point of sale solutions (e.g. OTCnet, 

electronic cash registers)

• Mobile Program: Public App (card-not-present)

• Mobile Program: FedRevCollect (card-present, tokenized)

• Kiosks

• Internet-based software applications (e.g. Pay.gov)

Products & Services

• Europay, MasterCard, & Visa (EMV) 

• End-2-End Encryption 

• Near-Field Communication 

• Tokenization 

Card Acceptance: What does CAS offer?
Page 9 L EAD ∙ T RANSFORM ∙ D ELIVER

What are the CAS acceptance points?

Value Added Reseller (VAR) – is a company or organization that 

adds features or services to an existing product, then resells it 

(usually to end-users) as an integrated product or complete "turnkey" solution – a/k/a integrated POS (iPOS) card acceptance 

systems. (Card Present)

Pay.gov – Pay.gov is a convenient and secure electronic payments 

system used by Federal Government Agencies. Many common 

forms of payment are accepted, including credit cards, debit cards, 

and direct debit via ACH. Pay.gov enables internet-initiated card 

transaction and also processes card transactions initiated at 

Bureau lockboxes. (Card Not Present)

Mobile Program: FedRevCollect - is a mobile application which provides 

government agencies with a convenient, simple, and secure way to accept 

card transactions, along with personal checks, at the point-of-collection. (Card 

Present; Card Not Present apps also feasible)

Point-of-Sale (POS) Device – a type of electronic-transaction terminal 

typically including a computer, cash register and other equipment or software 

used to sell goods or services. CAS Program-supported devices are referred 

POS to as “Standalone Terminals.” (Card Present)

VAR 

(iPOS)

Pay.gov

OTCnet

Mobile

OTCnet - The Over-the-Counter Channel (OTCnet) is a webbased application that offers agencies and financial institutions an 

all-in-one, customizable platform to manage multiple payment 

methods including check, currency depositing and card processing 

within one web-based application. (Card Present)
Page 10 L EAD ∙ T RANSFORM ∙ D ELIVER

CAS Program Benefits

• A convenient collection option for 

agencies and their customers

– All major card brands accepted, debit 

and credit

– All acceptance environments 

supported: 

• Card Present/POS, Card Not Present

– Data-rich transaction opportunities

• Real-time authorization & state-of-the-art 

industry standard fraud prevention 

• Offers and enables evolving payment 

technologies seamlessly:

– Near-Field communications

– EMV chip and PIN

– Digital wallets

– Mobile applications

• Prompt daily settlement of funds

Examples/Use Cases

• Online & point-of-sale fees

– Park entry

– License and registration fees

– Court fees/ fines 

– Visas

– Customs duties

• Online & point-of-sale retail purchases

– Coin sales

– Conference registrations

– Bulk purchases

• Lockbox bill payments/remittances

• Loan payments (debit cards only)

• Business purchases/procurement

– Hardware/Software

– Services & Auctions

– Furniture & Equipment

• Mobile/remote payment acceptance

CAS Program Benefits: Service Delivery
Page 11 L EAD ∙ T RANSFORM ∙ D ELIVER

Preliminary Steps:

• Determine your account creation strategy (e.g. new chain and/or new MID)

• All agencies interested in establishing a card services account for:

Enrollment Process: How to apply

Stand-alone Terminals 

Value Added Resellers*

Integrated Software Vendors

Mobile Applications and Devices 

Pay.gov and OTCnet Account Request* - Agencies that would like to establish a new and/or add 

locations to an existing account for card processing via Pay.gov or OTCnet, are required to contact 

their organizations Implementation Specialist, in order to submit applications for consideration. 

Complete 

CAS 

Application

Pay.gov 

OTCnet

Complete 

CAS 

Application

(CASA) 

Specialist 

submits 

CASA on 

behalf of FPA
Page 12 L EAD ∙ T RANSFORM ∙ D ELIVER

The Card Acquiring Service Application (CASA) is the 

form required to set-up new accounts and/or MIDs for 

Federal agency locations to accept credit or debit 

cards. 

CASA – What is a CAS Application?
Page 13 L EAD ∙ T RANSFORM ∙ D ELIVER

• The Card Acquiring 

Service Application 

(CASA) is the form 

required to set-up new 

accounts and/or MIDs for 

Federal agency locations 

to accept credit or debit 

cards. 

CASA – What is a CAS Application?
Page 14 L EAD ∙ T RANSFORM ∙ D ELIVER

CASA Review Process

Federal Agency Process

These are the steps required by the agency customer 

in order to initiate the CAS Application review process. 

The process time of these steps are contingent upon 

the type and number of account(s) (e.g. Terminal 

POS, Pay.gov, Mobile, VAR/ISV) being requested.

1

CAS Process

CAS retrieves, processes, and approves all properly 

submitted CAS Applications. The current processing 

time for Fiscal Service CAS approval is one 

business week (i.e. 5 business days). 

2

Worldpay Process

Worldpay is responsible for the creation of CAS 

accounts. A full account set-up would consist of a 

Chain and Merchant Identification Number (MID). A 

partial account set- up would consist of adding MIDs 

to an existing Chain. The current processing time 

for account creation is 7 business days. 

3
Page 15 L EAD ∙ T RANSFORM ∙ D ELIVER

CAS Reporting: iQ Portal and CIR 

What is CIR?

The Collections Information Repository 

(CIR), is a Fiscal Service-wide transaction 

broker, data warehouse, and reporting 

solution. CIR is:

What is iQ?

iQ is a one-stop reporting tool that houses all 

cardholder information for credit/debit 

transactions, and other relevant financial 

analytics and business intelligence. 

A collections reporting tool used for Federal 

Program Agencies to manage revenue

The primary mechanism for collections data 

reporting, containing detailed and 

summarized records of all revenue 

collections transactions processed by Fiscal 

Service

A system where data is standardized and 

optimized for reporting and for business 

analytics

Access clear, 

detailed, and upto-date sales 

performance 

figures for each 

line of business. 

Configure and 

customize data 

viewing and 

delivery options 

so the focus is 

on what’s most 

important.

Drill down into 

financial, 

operations, and 

chargeback 

management 

data to measure 

performance.
Page 16 L EAD ∙ T RANSFORM ∙ D ELIVER

CAS Transaction Flow Diagram
Page 17 L EAD ∙ T RANSFORM ∙ D ELIVER

CAS Agency Outreach Email: CardAcquiringService@fiscal.treasury.gov

Financial Agent/Acquirer: 

Email: RMTreasury@worldpay.com

Phone: (866)-914-0558

Contact Information: How we can help