# Payment Routing

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

> **Payment Connection**: your acquiring/gateway connection used to process a payment.

## [Why It Matters](#why-it-matters)

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th align="center"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="center"><mark style="background-color:green;"><strong>Higher success</strong></mark></td><td>Routes to the best-performing connection.</td></tr><tr><td align="center"><mark style="background-color:blue;"><strong>Cost Efficiency</strong></mark> </td><td><em>Steers to lower-fee connections to cut processing costs.</em></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><mark style="background-color:orange;"><strong>Enhanced Customer Satisfaction</strong></mark></td><td><em>Faster, more successful checkouts improve the experience.</em></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><mark style="background-color:purple;"><strong>Scalability and Flexibility</strong></mark></td><td><em>Adapts to volume spikes and new markets without manual tuning.</em></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><mark style="background-color:red;"><strong>Risk Mitigation</strong></mark></td><td><em>Avoids single-point dependence by switching based on real-time health.</em></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><mark style="background-color:blue;"><strong>Market Expansion</strong></mark></td><td><em>Prefer local connections to improve cross-border approvals.</em></td></tr></tbody></table>

## [How it works](#how-it-works)

Ottu Router runs each payment through four clear stages

> **Routing Sequence:**\
> \&#xNAN;*Payment →* [*Blockers*](#blocker-rules) *→* [*Routing Rules*](#routing-rules) *→* [*Routing Strategies*](#routing-strategies) *→ (Chosen Payment Connection |* [*Fallback*](#fallback)*) → Processor.*

* [Blockers](#blocker-rules)**:** Guardrails that can stop a payment outright&#x20;
  * Blocks or allows transactions by card BIN range ([BIN](#bin-access-control)).
  * Controls transactions by issuing country ([country](#geographic-restriction)).&#x20;
  * Filters by card network (e.g., Visa, Mastercard) ([scheme guardrails](#card-scheme-restriction)).
* [Routing Rules](#routing-rules)**:** Decide which payment connections to rout the payment through.
  * Routes by BIN match ([BIN-Based Routing](#bin-based-routing)).
  * Routes by issuing country ([Country-Based Routing](#country-based-routing)).
  * Routes by card type (Visa, Mastercard) ([Supported Schemes](#supported-schemes))**.**&#x20;
  * Backup route if no match ([Fallback Routing](#fallback-routing)).
* [Routing Strategies](#routing-strategies)**:** Pick the best Payment Connection from that eligible set.
* [Fallback](#fallback): If no payment  connection qualifies, route to the default payment connection.

{% hint style="warning" %}
The Router always logs its decision: which blockers applied, which connections were eligible, which strategy was used, and why the final connection was chosen.
{% endhint %}

The below diagram shows how Ottu Router handles a transaction  from the moment it starts, through rule checks and decision logic, to the final payment sent to the bank.

<figure><img src="https://2847651520-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FiUKrMb9zLt5ZzGPUYDsK%2Fuploads%2FmjIkPIUTLYQzx0P3xKcW%2FUntitled%20diagram%20_%20Mermaid%20Chart-2025-09-02-084927.png?alt=media&#x26;token=cd81bdb9-6919-4cee-a463-ec112c88ae3b" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## [**Blocker Rules**](#blocker-rules)

These rules filter transactions before routing begins.

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="BIN Access Control" %}
Allows or blocks transactions based on the card's BIN range.
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Geographic Restriction" %}
Restricts or permits transactions based on card-issuing countries.
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Card Scheme Restriction" %}
Filters transactions by supported card networks such as Visa or Mastercard.
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

## [**Routing Rules**](#routing-rules)

These rules assign valid transactions to the correct payment connection.

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="BIN-Based Routing" %}
Routes a transaction to a specific payment connection based on BIN match.
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Country-Based Routing" %}
Directs transactions to payment connections depending on the card's issuing country.
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Supported Schemes" %}
Routes based on card type like Visa or Mastercard.
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Fallback Routing" %}
Acts as a backup route when no other rule matches.
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

## [Routing Strategies](#ro-strategies)

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

#### **Strategy Types:**

* **Multi-Selection**: Considers several payment connections and selects based on rule logic.

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Exclude Unavailable" %}

* Removes payment connections with too many recent errors.
* Can blacklist for hours or until midnight.
* Automatically expires after a set time.
  {% endtab %}

{% tab title="Transaction Size" %}

* Routes based on transaction value.
* Each payment connection can have a minimum and maximum amount.
  {% endtab %}

{% tab title="Country Based" %}
Route payments based on card country issuer/acquirer
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Currency Based" %}
Route payments based on acquirer payment connection vs card currency
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

* **Single-Selection**: Narrows immediately to one best payment connection.

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Distribution " %}
Distribute traffic by fixed percentages across connections.\
Example: `KNET1` 20% • `KNET2` 50% • `KNET3` 30%.
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Success Rate " %}
Pick the payment connection with the highest recent approval rate.
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Cost-Optimized " %}
Pick the payment connection with the lowest effective fee.
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Round Robin" %}

* Distributes transactions evenly across payment connections.
* Balances load by cycling through gateways.
  {% endtab %}

{% tab title="Fallback" %}

* Acts as a safety net.
* Sends to a default payment connection if no other options are available.
  {% endtab %}
  {% endtabs %}

## [FAQ](#faq)

#### :digit\_one:[**What happens when a transaction exceeds the set maximum amount?**](#what-happens-when-a-transaction-exceeds-the-set-maximum-amount)

If a transaction exceeds the maximum amount set for the payment connection, it will be rerouted according to the configured routing rules or fallback option.

#### :digit\_two:[**How does the Round Robin method distribute transactions?**](#how-does-the-round-robin-method-distribute-transactions)

The Round Robin method distributes transactions evenly across multiple payment connections, ensuring balanced load by sequentially cycling through available gateways.

#### :digit\_three:[**What is the purpose of a Fallback option?**](#what-is-the-purpose-of-a-fallback-option)

The Fallback option serves as a safety mechanism to ensure transactions still get processed by sending them to a default payment connection if no other payment connections are available.

#### :digit\_four:[**How does BIN-Based Routing work?**](#how-does-bin-based-routing-work)

BIN-Based Routing directs a transaction to a specific payment connection based on the card’s BIN (Bank Identification Number). If a match is found, the transaction is routed accordingly.

#### :digit\_five:[**How does Country-Based Routing work?**](#how-does-country-based-routing-work)

Country-Based Routing uses the issuing country of the card to determine the payment connection. Transactions are routed to gateways configured for that specific country.

#### :digit\_six:[**How does Supported Scheme Routing work?**](#how-does-supported-scheme-routing-work)

Supported Scheme Routing filters transactions by card type (e.g., Visa, Mastercard). Each scheme can be mapped to one or more payment connections.

#### :digit\_seven:[**What happens if no routing rule matches?**](#what-happens-if-no-routing-rule-matches)

If no routing rule applies, the system triggers the Fallback Routing option to ensure the transaction is processed by a default connection.