Card program migrations: How they work & what to consider

Managing card processing places significant strain on organisations that need to move fast, stay compliant and scale with confidence. Many executive teams find that considerable resources are tied up simply keeping legacy technology functional. Critical engineering capacity is diverted from innovation to focus on operational needs, delaying product launches and limiting competitiveness.

These challenges are amplified by heightened regulatory oversight. Outdated systems make it harder to keep pace with scheme requirements and regulatory changes, increasing the risk of financial penalties and reputational damage.

At the same time, many organisations rely on processors who may be slower to innovate, resulting in longer time to market and inconsistent user experiences. Fragmented vendor ecosystems and tech stacks further inflate operational costs and introduce unnecessary risk.

The strategic importance of modernisation is reflected in industry trends:

📊 79% of European banks are currently moving away from legacy card platforms, and 55% identify legacy infrastructure as a major barrier to digital transformation.

With the European B2B payments market projected to expand to $1,160 billion by 2033, pressure on organisations to operate with modern, resilient and scalable payment processing infrastructure continues to intensify.

In this blog, we will explore how enterprise leaders can navigate program migrations with confidence, what to consider at each stage of the journey. 

What should enterprise leaders consider when migrating processors?

A successful migration is fundamentally a governance exercise. Clear vision, aligned stakeholders and disciplined planning are critical. Migrations work best when there is strong coordination both internally and across external partners.

Key principles include:

• Strong project governance: defined ownership, clear escalation routes and consistent communication.
• Synchronisation across suppliers: aligning issuers, manufacturers, scheme partners and technology vendors.
• External validation where helpful: auditors can strengthen quality assurance and ensure regulatory alignment.
• Regular cross-stakeholder planning sessions: maintaining alignment and resolving issues early.
• A single project manager on both sides: improving communication flow and accelerating decision-making.
• A well-defined MVP: delivering core functionality first, followed by phased enhancements.
• Parallel operation where possible: ensuring existing and new platforms overlap before full cutover.
• Continuous risk monitoring: identifying delays, dependency risks and maintaining fallback plans.

This structured approach enables enterprises to move at pace without exposing users - or the business - to avoidable risk.

Full migration checklist for card programs 

With 20+ years of payments experience, Edenred Payment Solutions has supported organisations to navigate the complexities of migrating programs with upmost care, due diligence, and thoroughness. A dedicated delivery team provides a strong framework to support enterprises to define requirements, coordinate resources, and ensure clear communication among all stakeholders.

Our checklist is built on the hands on experience of serving enterprises and acts as a set of core steps organisations should consider as part of a compressive migration strategy.

1️⃣ Understanding product requirements  

Several foundational product decisions shape the migration path and the technical complexity involved. These should be defined early to ensure aligned timelines, internal readiness and customer clarity.

 Accounts, BINs and balances

Product managers at enterprises should determine:

• Whether the new provider has regulatory scope, for example holds an EMI licence, to issue Account Number & Sort Code or IBANs, or whether the existing account details will migrate.
• Whether the program uses a dedicated or shared BIN; shared BINs typically require the purchase of a new BIN range and a full re-carding exercise. 
  

📌 See how Edenred Payment Solutions can support both set ups 

•  How balances, funds flow and reconciliation will operate, either by the processor or managed directly through an external authorisation setup that provides you with more control over spend. 
  

2️⃣ Licensing & third-party tooling

• Regulatory requirements must be aligned - such as e-money issuance, card scheme access, and regulatory authorisation from local regulators.

• Enterprises should also conduct a full audit of their technology stack to identify:
  which third-party tools (such as Know-Your-Customer, international payments, banking, transaction screening) must be integrated, which integrations are native on the new platform, and which require custom work. 

3️⃣ Mapping data and operational processes

Data and process design are often underestimated but essential to a smooth transition. At Edenred Payment Solutions, we encourage enterprises to begin with a comprehensive data audit to ensure that no critical information - such as transaction history, fraud profiles or customer account events - is lost during migration.

Core activities include:

• Data mapping between existing and target systems, defining required transformations and migration steps.
• Ensuring data integrity analysis to prevent missing or duplicated transactions.
• Process mapping across reconciliation, fraud, disputes, settlement and customer support.
• Identifying dependencies and gaps that may require new banking integrations or system adjustments on the new provider’s side.

This work underpins the “must-have” deliverables for launch and informs the sequencing of post-launch enhancements.

 4️⃣ Card manufacturing and fulfilment 

Where physical cards are being issued, an additional set of specialised tasks must be completed. This includes the setup of secure key exchanges, personalisation flows and encrypted data transfer processes with card manufacturers. At Edenred Payment Solutions, we support clients through these steps and maintain integrations with several leading UK and European fulfilment houses.

Testing is a mandatory phase to ensure cards perform as expected across all relevant use cases. Where a re-carding program is required - for instance, due to a BIN change - logistics, communication and activation timelines must be carefully orchestrated to minimise customer disruption. 

5️⃣ Managing customer impact 

For many businesses, payment services underpin essential operations - from supplier payments to processing payroll to employees expenses. As a result, even minor downtime can have outsized consequences. Enterprises must therefore approach customer impact as a core strategic priority.

Best practices include:

• Scheduling migration steps during low-usage hours, typically overnight
• Providing clear, proactive communication outlining expected downtime (if any)
• Using a phased approach across banking, schemes and cards to reduce risk
• Accounting for pending direct debits or scheduled payments before making changes
• Giving customers a transition window to adopt new processes without affecting their critical financial obligations

 Protecting customer continuity reinforces trust and safeguards brand reputation.

Leveraging Edenred Payment Solutions' in-house payment platform 

We offer a modern, enterprise-grade platform built for security, scalability and innovation.

Helping organisations simplify their operations and accelerate product delivery is at the heart of what we do:

✅ Operational simplification through in-platform reconciliation and settlement

✅ Cost optimisation via proactive scheme fee monitoring

✅ Built-in compliance with PCI Level 1 DSS certification to process cardholder details and transactions securely

✅ Fraud prevention as standard, with risk scoring and real-time alerts

✅ Rapid innovation through an API-first architecture that supports 3^rd party integrations for modern user experiences

Final thoughts

Card program migrations demand strong governance, disciplined planning and careful orchestration across data, systems and stakeholders. Although they can be complex, they provide a valuable opportunity to modernise infrastructure, strengthen compliance and deliver better user experiences.

Working with a compliant and flexible card processor can reduce operational friction and enable long-term innovation in an increasingly competitive payments landscape.

Migrating a card program with confidence 

If you are considering migrating an existing card program to a new processor, get in touch with our experts to find out how we can help you do it with no disruptions to your users.