Mastercard TLID

The Transaction Link Identifier (TLID) is a unique identifier generated by Mastercard for each card-not-present authorization. Acquirers, issuers, and merchants use it to trace and link related transactions across the payment lifecycle.

TLID is globally unique across all Mastercard systems and acceptance brands, generated and validated by Mastercard end-to-end. It provides consistent transaction identification across payment platforms and reduces the need to rely on PAN or other sensitive identifiers when researching transaction history.

The transaction lifecycle covers all transactions tied to a single original authorization, from the initial authorization through every subsequent related operation, including settlement, void, incremental authorization, and refund. Mastercard assigns the TLID to the initial authorization and requires the same value in every subsequent transaction within that lifecycle.

Economically related transactions are independent transactions that relate to a single original purchase decision or payment agreement between the merchant and the cardholder. Examples include subscription renewals, refunds, and unscheduled merchant-initiated transactions tied to the same original purchase. Each economically related transaction starts its own lifecycle and receives a new TLID from Mastercard, while the original TLID is carried as a reference to establish the link between them.

• October 17, 2025
  Acquirers must send the TLID from the original authorization in all subsequent transactions within the same lifecycle, including settlement, void, and incremental authorization. Solidgate accepts and stores TLIDs for all qualifying transactions from this date.
• June 2, 2026
  Mastercard requires sending the TLID in all economically related transactions, including Guide
  Subscription-based merchant-initiated transaction. recurring payments, refunds, and unscheduled MITs. The scheme_transaction_id continues to run in parallel with TLID until further notice.

TLID and Scheme transaction ID

If you already use Scheme transaction ID, also known as Mastercard trace ID, note that both identifiers are scheme-generated but serve different roles. TLID is designed to eventually replace legacy identifiers as adoption reaches full coverage.

• Scheme Transaction ID scheme_transaction_id is a transaction-level reference.
  Each authorization, CIT or MIT, receives its own value. It chains authorization, settlement, and void operations for the same transaction and supports credential-on-file MIT rules. Passing the scheme transaction ID from a prior transaction indicates a stored-credential relationship, but that reference can point to any step in a chain rather than the original cardholder agreement, without a standardized path back to the authenticated CIT.
• TLID transaction_link_id is an agreement-level reference.
  Mastercard generates it once on the original CIT or zero-amount authorization where the cardholder agreed to store the credential, then carries it unchanged into subsequent related MITs. Issuers receive a direct pointer to the transaction that established consent, regardless of how many MITs follow.

Scheme transaction ID relates a MIT to a prior transaction. Transaction Link ID ties the MIT to the original cardholder agreement that authorizes it.

Both fields currently appear in the card payments API , scheme_transaction_id continues to run in parallel with transaction_link_id in the transaction object. As TLID adoption grows, Mastercard plans to discontinue support for the Trace ID and other legacy identifiers, making transaction_link_id the primary mechanism for transaction linking.

Linking MITs to the original CIT through the TLID supports:

• Higher approval rates when issuers can verify the original credential-on-file agreement, reducing unwarranted declines on recurring and similar MITs.
• Fewer fraud-related chargebacks when the TLID supports evidence that the cardholder authorized the original transaction.
• Stronger dispute protection when a properly authenticated CIT’s TLID is present on a related MIT.
• Stricter operational tracing of related activity without relying on PAN or other sensitive identifiers.

TLID retention

Solidgate retains and propagates TLIDs across its infrastructure, including payment service providers in the Guide
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• CIT
  Initial transaction
  When Mastercard returns a TLID in the authorization response, Solidgate stores it with the credential-on-file record. The value is returned as transaction_link_id inside the transaction object in card payment API responses and related webhooks.
• MIT
  Subsequent transaction
  For recurring, retry, rebill, and other MITs processed through Solidgate, the platform supplies the retained TLID from the original CIT in the Mastercard authorization request when you use Solidgate-managed credentials. No extra parameters are required on the recurring API request in that setup.
• Fallback for legacy transactions
  Transactions before June 2026 and fallback
  For CITs that occurred before June 2, 2026 or when the original CIT TLID is unavailable, Mastercard expects the TLID from a prior MIT that has not been disputed instead. Solidgate applies this fallback when a qualifying prior MIT exists.

Token management

If you use Solidgate Guide
Tokens are a secure way to store and process customer card data. tokenization, no action is required. Credentials stored through Solidgate vault, VTS, or SCOF on behalf of Guide
Visa and Mastercard tokenization to streamline payments and boost security. merchant are managed entirely by Solidgate. The platform retains the TLID from the original CIT and automatically includes it in every subsequent MIT, regardless of which Connector in the Orchestration portfolio processes the transaction.

If you use your own vault or a third-party token provider outside Solidgate, retain the TLID and pass it according to the mandate

• CIT with another provider, MITs through Solidgate
  Capture the TLID from the other provider’s CIT authorization response. Send it as transaction_link_id on the Solidgate charge API or recurring API request for the MIT.
• CIT through Solidgate, MITs elsewhere
  Read transaction_link_id from the updated card order Webhook or check order status API response, store it with your credential, and supply it to the other provider for subsequent MITs.

The TLID mandate applies globally to Mastercard card-not-present MITs, including recurring (subscriptions, standing orders) and unscheduled credential-on-file payments. It covers Mastercard, Debit Mastercard, and Maestro.