Soft Descriptor
The Soft Descriptor is a feature that allows customizing the name displayed on the cardholder's statement. This provides greater transparency for the consumer and helps reduce the chances of chargeback, as many clients dispute purchases for not recognizing the merchant's name on the statement.
To use this feature, simply fill in the SoftDescriptor field within the Payment node, which is optional.
The
SoftDescriptorfield can be used in both credit and debit transactions.
Benefits of the Soft Descriptor
• Chargeback reduction: clearer descriptions help the client recognize the transaction, preventing unnecessary voids.
• Brand and branch identification: allows customizing the name according to the brand, unit, or specific campaign.
• Client experience: provides more transparency, preventing the client from being confused by generic descriptions.
Soft Descriptor structure
Most acquirers use the following format:
[Trade Name] + * + [Soft Descriptor]
Where:
Trade Name or Hard Descriptor* → registered on the acquirer’s portal
Asterisk → mandatory separator
Soft Descriptor → sent via API
Important:
- The maximum composition size depends on the acquirer;
- The Soft Descriptor does not allow special characters.
Rules by acquirer
Below are the rules used by the main acquirers integrated with the Gateway.
Cielo
- Soft Descriptor: up to 13 characters
- Total limit: 20, 22, or 25 characters (final limit varies according to the card brand)
[Trade Name] + * + [Soft Descriptor]
To check the limits by card brand for Cielo acquirer, see: Rules by card brand for Cielo acquirer.
Getnet
- Soft Descriptor: up to 22 characters
- Total limit: up to 22 characters
- Spaces: automatically converted to *
- Allowed characters: alphanumeric + % $ , . / & ( ) + = < > - *
[Trade Name] + * + [Soft Descriptor]
Rede
- Total limit: 22 characters
- Hard Descriptor (Rede Portal): up to 12 characters
- Asterisk: 1 character
- SoftDescriptor = 22 – (Hard Descriptor length) – 1
Updated 20 days ago