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Payments Professional Certificate - A Career Credential Program

Smiling professional holding a smartphone and credit card while working at a laptop. Text on a blue banner reads ‘Payments Professional’ with an icon of a hand holding a dollar sign inside a badge.

Master the modern payments ecosystem to optimize performance, reduce costs, and support business growth. The Payments Professional Certificate validates your expertise across the full payments lifecycle—from foundational infrastructure and routing strategies to advanced fraud defenses and regulatory compliance.

 

This program equips you with the technical and strategic insights needed to thrive in today’s complex payments landscape.

 
MRC Members: USD $1,000 (plus applicable taxes)
Non-members: USD $2,000 (plus applicable taxes)


Enroll | Members Enroll | Non-Members

Program Overview


This certificate program provides the knowledge and tools to navigate modern payments systems with confidence:


  • Streamline processing with orchestration to improve transaction performance.
  • Optimize costs and approvals through smart routing and vaulting techniques.
  • Track and improve payment KPIs such as conversion, fraud rates, and interchange impact.
  • Leverage enhanced BIN data to drive smarter routing, compliance, and optimization strategies.
  • Implement tokenization and 3-D Secure authentication to balance fraud prevention and user experience.
  • Evaluate emerging methods such as Pay by Bank and open banking for lower-cost, low-risk payments.
  • Navigate global compliance including PCI-DSS, SCA, and evolving data regulations.


FAQs

  • To earn this certificate, participants must complete two prerequisites and nine core courses, totaling 19.2 CPE credits.

     

    Step 1: Program Prerequisites

    • Payment Essentials
    • Fraud Essentials

    Step 2: Core Certificate Courses

    • Introduction to Payments Orchestration
    • Payments Orchestration and Optimization
    • Advanced Tactics for Transaction Optimization
    • Enhanced BIN for Payment Professionals
    • Payment Key Performance Indicators
    • Tokenization Essentials
    • Pay By Bank
    • EMV 3-D Secure Authentication
    • Payment Security and Compliance

    To earn this certificate, participants must complete two prerequisites and nine core courses, totaling 19.2 CPE credits.

     

    Step 1: Program Prerequisites

    • Payment Essentials
    • Fraud Essentials

    Step 2: Core Certificate Courses

    • Introduction to Payments Orchestration
    • Payments Orchestration and Optimization
    • Advanced Tactics for Transaction Optimization
    • Enhanced BIN for Payment Professionals
    • Payment Key Performance Indicators
    • Tokenization Essentials
    • Pay By Bank
    • EMV 3-D Secure Authentication
    • Payment Security and Compliance

    1. Orchestration: Understand how payments orchestration streamlines processing and improves performance.
    2. Smart Routing: Identify routing and vaulting techniques to reduce costs and increase approval rates.
    3. KPI Tracking: Track and improve payment KPIs such as conversion, fraud rate, and interchange impact.
    4. Data Strategy: Use enhanced BIN data to drive strategic decisions in routing, compliance, and optimization.
    5. Authentication: Implement tokenization and 3-D Secure to balance fraud prevention and user experience.
    6. Open Banking: Evaluate Pay by Bank and other methods for lower-cost, low-risk payments
    7. Compliance: Navigate the key requirements of PCI-DSS, SCA, and evolving global data regulations.
    1. Orchestration: Understand how payments orchestration streamlines processing and improves performance.
    2. Smart Routing: Identify routing and vaulting techniques to reduce costs and increase approval rates.
    3. KPI Tracking: Track and improve payment KPIs such as conversion, fraud rate, and interchange impact.
    4. Data Strategy: Use enhanced BIN data to drive strategic decisions in routing, compliance, and optimization.
    5. Authentication: Implement tokenization and 3-D Secure to balance fraud prevention and user experience.
    6. Open Banking: Evaluate Pay by Bank and other methods for lower-cost, low-risk payments
    7. Compliance: Navigate the key requirements of PCI-DSS, SCA, and evolving global data regulations.
    • Level: Intermediate
    • Format: QAS self-study (On-demand courses + final cumulative exam)
    • Time to Complete: Approximately 28 hours
    • CPE Credits: 6.8 CPEs (prerequisites) + 12.4 CPEs (required core)
    • Access: The program must be completed within one year of purchase
    • Level: Intermediate
    • Format: QAS self-study (On-demand courses + final cumulative exam)
    • Time to Complete: Approximately 28 hours
    • CPE Credits: 6.8 CPEs (prerequisites) + 12.4 CPEs (required core)
    • Access: The program must be completed within one year of purchase
  • Refund Policy: Refunds and cancellations are determined on a case-by-case basis. Cancellations must be communicated in writing to programs@merchantriskcouncil.org. No refunds will be issued once a course has been started.
    Refund Policy: Refunds and cancellations are determined on a case-by-case basis. Cancellations must be communicated in writing to programs@merchantriskcouncil.org. No refunds will be issued once a course has been started.

  • If I have completed all the courses in a Career Credential certificate program, can I just purchase the program cumulative exam?

     

    Great news—yes! If you have already completed all required courses, you are eligible to purchase the Career Credential Legacy Program. The Legacy Program offers a streamlined pathway to earn a Career Credential Professional Certificate without enrolling in the full program track.

    To get started, please email education@merchantriskcouncil.org to request the purchase link. You will be asked to complete an application attesting that you have completed the required courses. Once your application is approved, you will receive a notification confirming your enrollment and instructions to take the program cumulative exam.



    If I have completed all the courses in a Career Credential certificate program, can I just purchase the program cumulative exam?

     

    Great news—yes! If you have already completed all required courses, you are eligible to purchase the Career Credential Legacy Program. The Legacy Program offers a streamlined pathway to earn a Career Credential Professional Certificate without enrolling in the full program track.

    To get started, please email education@merchantriskcouncil.org to request the purchase link. You will be asked to complete an application attesting that you have completed the required courses. Once your application is approved, you will receive a notification confirming your enrollment and instructions to take the program cumulative exam.



SPECIAL GROUP PRICING

 

Looking to upskill your entire team? We offer discounted volume pricing for organizations purchasing 10 or more certificate enrollments. For more information and to recieve a group discount, email education@merchantriskcouncil.org .



Take the Next Step

 

Advance your payments expertise and earn industry recognition. Whether you’re optimizing operations, scaling product capabilities, or building strategic insights, the Payments Professional Credential provides the knowledge and credibility to succeed in today’s payments ecosystem.

Enroll Now



NASBA Sponsors logo

The Merchant Risk Council is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: nasbaregistry.org