Library · MIDs · How to run this
Write when the backup MID actually takes traffic
A backup MID is defined by when it takes traffic — not by how many merchant IDs sit in a folder. Cap utilization, chargeback headroom, and named decline families are kick-in. “We have another processor” is not.
Pair: Backup MID kick-in sheet on MIDs. Backup vs hide-the-ratio: backup vs load balance. Primary ratio headroom stays on rate vs threshold.
What to write
Name primary and backup. Write the cap % that flips volume. Write the CB headroom floor that forces a flip. Name which soft decline families may route. Write a never-flip list (hard fraud, pick-up, stop-list). Cap the backup. Name who can flip today.
What not to do
Do not call a spare a backup with no rule. Do not dump hard fraud onto the backup to fake net approval. Do not ignore the backup’s own threshold.
Related: MIDs, orchestration, Chargebacks.
Procedure
- Name primary and backup MID.
- Write the cap % or CB headroom that flips traffic.
- Name decline families that may route — and what never flips.
- Cap the backup and name who owns the flip.
Failure modes
- Calling a spare MID a backup with no flip rule.
- Flipping hard fraud onto the backup.
- Ignoring the backup’s own cap and CB headroom.
Worked example
None on this page yet. When one lands it will be a real case: what broke, the number, and what changed. Not a composite.
Glossary
- Kick-in
- The written condition that moves volume onto the backup MID. Owning a second MID is not a kick-in.
Work with us — We run this job on your accounts. Services
FAQ
- Is having a second MID enough?
- No. Without a written kick-in, you own a spare — traffic still dies on the primary.
- Should hard fraud declines flip to the backup?
- No. Write a never-flip list. Pick-up and confirmed fraud stay dead.
- Does the backup ignore its own cap?
- No. Name the backup’s ceiling. Diluting one dying MID into another is not a plan.