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Payment Routing

Route every card payment to the best path. Ottu Router evaluates each payment in real time — BIN, country, scheme, amount, recent health, and fees — and sends it through the payment connection most likely to succeed at the best cost, with a safe fallback.

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Payment Connection refers to your acquiring/gateway connection used to process a payment.

Why It Matters​

BenefitDescription
Higher SuccessRoutes to the best-performing connection
Cost EfficiencySteers to lower-fee connections to cut processing costs
Customer SatisfactionFaster, more successful checkouts improve the experience
ScalabilityAdapts to volume spikes and new markets without manual tuning
Risk MitigationAvoids single-point dependence by switching based on real-time health
Market ExpansionPrefers local connections to improve cross-border approvals

How It Works​

Ottu Router runs each payment through four clear stages:

Payment → Blockers → Routing Rules → Routing Strategies → (Chosen Payment Connection | Fallback) → Processor

  • Blockers: Guardrails that can stop a payment outright
    • Blocks or allows transactions by card BIN range
    • Controls transactions by issuing country
    • Filters by card network (e.g., Visa, Mastercard)
  • Routing Rules: Decide which payment connections to route the payment through
    • Routes by BIN match
    • Routes by issuing country
    • Routes by card type (Visa, Mastercard)
    • Backup route if no match (fallback)
  • Routing Strategies: Pick the best payment connection from the eligible set
  • Fallback: If no payment connection qualifies, route to the default connection
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The Router always logs its decision: which blockers applied, which connections were eligible, which strategy was used, and why the final connection was chosen.

Payment routing sequence diagram

Blocker Rules​

These rules filter transactions before routing begins.

BlockerDescription
BIN Access ControlAllows or blocks transactions based on the card's BIN range
Geographic RestrictionRestricts or permits transactions based on card-issuing countries
Card Scheme RestrictionFilters transactions by supported card networks such as Visa or Mastercard

Routing Rules​

These rules assign valid transactions to the correct payment connection.

RuleDescription
BIN-Based RoutingRoutes a transaction to a specific payment connection based on BIN match
Country-Based RoutingDirects transactions to payment connections depending on the card's issuing country
Supported SchemesRoutes based on card type like Visa or Mastercard
Fallback RoutingActs as a backup route when no other rule matches

Routing Strategies​

Once the Router finds valid payment connections, selection strategies decide how to pick the best one.

Multi-Selection Strategies​

These consider several payment connections and select based on rule logic.

StrategyDescription
Exclude UnavailableRemoves connections with too many recent errors. Can blacklist for hours or until midnight. Automatically expires after a set time
Transaction SizeRoutes based on transaction value. Each connection can have a minimum and maximum amount
Country BasedRoutes payments based on card country issuer/acquirer
Currency BasedRoutes payments based on acquirer payment connection vs card currency

Single-Selection Strategies​

These narrow immediately to one best payment connection.

StrategyDescription
DistributionDistributes traffic by fixed percentages across connections. Example: KNET1 20%, KNET2 50%, KNET3 30%
Success RatePicks the connection with the highest recent approval rate
Cost-OptimizedPicks the connection with the lowest effective fee
Round RobinDistributes transactions evenly across connections by cycling through gateways
FallbackActs as a safety net — sends to a default connection if no other options are available

FAQ​

What's Next?​