--- title: Self-Service Merchant Onboarding for Account Updater and Network Tokens description: Onboard merchants for Account Updater and Network Tokens through an API instead of manual forms. Track status per service, per network. image: https://blog.basistheory.com/hubfs/NetworkTokenAccountUpdaterOnboarding.webp --- [Skip to content](https://blog.basistheory.com/onboarding-network-tokens-account-updater#main-content) ![Basis Theory logo](https://blog.basistheory.com/hs-fs/hubfs/BTLogo%20(1).png?width=365&height=122&name=BTLogo%20(1).png) - [Use Cases](https://basistheory.com/) Show submenu for Use Cases - [Creator Economy](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/creator-economy) - [Digital Health](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/health) - [E-Commerce](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/ecommerce) - [Fintech](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/fintech) - [Gaming](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/gaming) - [Subscription Merchants](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/subscriptions) - [Travel](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/travel) - [VSaaS](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/vsaas) - Solutions Show submenu for Solutions - [Agentic Commerce](https://basistheory.com/solution/agentic-commerce) - [Data Consolidation](https://basistheory.com/solution/data-consolidation) - [Monetize Payments](https://basistheory.com/solution/monetize-payments) - [Multi PSP](https://basistheory.com/solution/multi-psp) - [Payment Method Discovery](https://basistheory.com/solution/payment-method-discovery) - [Payment Vault](https://basistheory.com/solution/payment-vault) - [Platform](https://basistheory.com/platform) Show submenu for Platform - [Enrichments & Add-Ons](https://basistheory.com/add-ons) - [Partners](https://basistheory.com/partnerships) - [Why Basis Theory](https://basistheory.com/why-basis-theory) - [Pricing](https://basistheory.com/pricing) - Resources Show submenu for Resources - [Blog](https://blog.basistheory.com) - [Case Studies](https://blog.basistheory.com/case-studies) - [Docs](https://developers.basistheory.com/) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Use Cases](https://basistheory.com/) Show submenu for Use Cases - [Creator Economy](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/creator-economy) - [Digital Health](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/health) - [E-Commerce](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/ecommerce) - [Fintech](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/fintech) - [Gaming](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/gaming) - [Subscription Merchants](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/subscriptions) - [Travel](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/travel) - [VSaaS](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/vsaas) - Solutions Show submenu for Solutions - [Agentic Commerce](https://basistheory.com/solution/agentic-commerce) - [Data Consolidation](https://basistheory.com/solution/data-consolidation) - [Monetize Payments](https://basistheory.com/solution/monetize-payments) - [Multi PSP](https://basistheory.com/solution/multi-psp) - [Payment Method Discovery](https://basistheory.com/solution/payment-method-discovery) - [Payment Vault](https://basistheory.com/solution/payment-vault) - [Platform](https://basistheory.com/platform) Show submenu for Platform - [Enrichments & Add-Ons](https://basistheory.com/add-ons) - [Partners](https://basistheory.com/partnerships) - [Why Basis Theory](https://basistheory.com/why-basis-theory) - [Pricing](https://basistheory.com/pricing) - Resources Show submenu for Resources - [Blog](https://blog.basistheory.com) - [Case Studies](https://blog.basistheory.com/case-studies) - [Docs](https://developers.basistheory.com/) - [Get a demo](https://basistheory.com/contact) [Login](https://portal.basistheory.com/) [Get a demo](https://basistheory.com/contact) September 15, 2026 ![Picture of Basis Theory](https://blog.basistheory.com/hs-fs/hubfs/bt-favicon-new.png?width=50&name=bt-favicon-new.png) [Basis Theory](https://blog.basistheory.com/author/basis-theory-team) · [Product](https://blog.basistheory.com/tag/product) [Payments](https://blog.basistheory.com/tag/payments) # Self-Service Merchant Onboarding for Account Updater and Network Tokens ![Onboarding for Account Updater and Network Tokens](https://blog.basistheory.com/hubfs/NetworkTokenAccountUpdaterOnboarding.webp) ## Table of Contents - [What's new with network token and account updater onboarding?](https://blog.basistheory.com/onboarding-network-tokens-account-updater#New) - [How does automated onboarding work for network tokens and account updater?](https://blog.basistheory.com/onboarding-network-tokens-account-updater#Work) - [Follow the Documentation to Get Started](https://blog.basistheory.com/onboarding-network-tokens-account-updater#Start) When a platform is managing dozens, or hundreds of other merchants, the gap between the enrichment service and how you get onboarded can become a bottleneck. Card enrichment services like account updater or network tokens exist to keep stored payment data current. But enrolling a [merchant](https://developers.basistheory.com/docs/guides/merchants/onboarding) or another platform in these services hasn’t matched the “programmable” promise of the actual service. It’s still a form, an email, and a lot of waiting. Today, there’s an API for enrichment onboarding and we’ve made it available through the portal as well. The portal adds enriched validation and a visual aspect to be sure you’re entering the right information on the first try. The process of getting onboarded can happen without forms and email threads. It’s a status you can track yourself. ## What’s New? Basis Theory is introducing the [Merchant](https://developers.basistheory.com/docs/guides/merchants/onboarding) concept to enable multiple [account updater](https://developers.basistheory.com/docs/guides/account-updater/overview) and [network token](https://developers.basistheory.com/docs/guides/network-tokens/overview) configurations within a single [Tenant](https://developers.basistheory.com/docs/concepts/access-controls#what-are-tenants). - Configuration settings stay separate. Onboarding or updating one merchant's account updater or network token setup never touches another merchant's configuration. - Structure matches your business. Each sub-organization or business unit can get its own clean configuration. - Built for scale. With more controls being added over time, the Merchant entity is the foundation to build on. Automated onboarding is what makes this practical. Without it, every new Merchant a customer creates would still require manual support to get onboarded, which defeats the point of giving platforms their own configuration per merchant in the first place. [Return to Top](https://blog.basistheory.com/onboarding-network-tokens-account-updater#TOC) ## How does merchant onboarding work? [Onboarding a merchant](https://developers.basistheory.com/docs/guides/merchants/onboarding) for [account updater](https://basistheory.com/platform/account-updater) or [network tokens](https://basistheory.com/platform/network-tokens) can happen through the API or [customer portal](https://auth.basistheory.com/u/login/identifier?state=hKFo2SBNdjZxVnBtOHVHM1phTUE4eDdJV3pNbWZ0X3NwYlBYZ6Fur3VuaXZlcnNhbC1sb2dpbqN0aWTZIGRKYlNUQUZUMjNSM3BKcVhxYlc1cV9MUktTcUdrc1JUo2NpZNkgRjUzNkY3QjdwSHZvV2ZuU0RPY3dSQWxZcDlxR3habEs). 1. Create a Merchant. Each merchant is its own entity, holding business details, and separately, the enrichment services configured for it. A platform managing multiple merchants can create one per merchant it onboards, rather than managing everything at the tenant level. This is something Basis Theory will enable, and advise during customer integrations. 2. Submit onboarding configuration. Once the merchant exists, enrichment details go in per service, and per network. Account Updater and network tokens are configured separately, and each supports its own network-specific fields (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover). 3. Track status. Every service and network has its own status: pending, onboarding, active, or failed. Instead of waiting on a reply, a merchant's onboarding progress is visible directly. Updates to the status can be available through webhooks, Portal, and API. 4. Start using the merchant. Once a service is active, the merchant's ID is ready to use in account updater or network token API calls. [Return to Top](https://blog.basistheory.com/onboarding-network-tokens-account-updater#TOC) ## Get Started with the Documentation This is the first step toward a fully automated onboarding experience. A few things are already in motion: - Direct API integration with Pagos, replacing today's provider relay once Pagos ships their own onboarding API. - Just-in-time card updates for account updater, applying updates right before a transaction runs instead of on a batch cycle. [Onboarding a merchant](https://developers.basistheory.com/docs/guides/merchants/onboarding) for account updater or network tokens now starts with the Merchants API. [This guide walks through](https://developers.basistheory.com/docs/guides/merchants/onboarding) the end-to-end process of onboarding a customer’s merchant for account updater or network token services. [Return to Top](https://blog.basistheory.com/onboarding-network-tokens-account-updater#TOC) [![View an Interactive Demo   See how the Basis Theory platform secures payment data and significantly reduces PCI compliance burden from day 1.  ](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/22332934/interactive-171495116167.png)](https://blog.basistheory.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLIrqVkFcXfk35ulw%2FWQRBsXvgyjndCWwlZavcfbMa%2FTH%2FyNBGP%2BWqDVizWHqIosmThTQnLgfk9g4sQCtnrPgF7SUNjBGkpdwqn%2Bn03QU8EYKHMEL9n7tBe0qGLIiLIpsM50PKzCVpWQn1z5%2F2rm2R66v%2BYvVqzwwEPGyEKFqmTeU98%2BfM48PFrCIEAlWEdo8CQ35pvjSA71FZEogXJ0Besotq1%2F%2F6BAomGr34CMZy79u%2F%2FctBlLLg%3D%3D&webInteractiveContentId=171495116167&portalId=22332934) ## Related posts [![Network tokens](https://blog.basistheory.com/hubfs/Making%20Dollars%20and%20Cents%20of%20Network%20Tokens.png)](https://blog.basistheory.com/network-token-deep-dive) [Data Tokenization](https://blog.basistheory.com/tag/data-tokenization) ### [Making Dollars and Cents of Network Tokens](https://blog.basistheory.com/network-token-deep-dive) ![Picture of Basis Theory](https://blog.basistheory.com/hs-fs/hubfs/bt-favicon-new.png?width=50&name=bt-favicon-new.png) [Basis Theory](https://blog.basistheory.com/author/basis-theory-team) September 25, 2025 [Read more](https://blog.basistheory.com/network-token-deep-dive) [![Network token types](https://blog.basistheory.com/hubfs/network%20tokens.png)](https://blog.basistheory.com/network-tokens-power-agentic-commerce) [Payments](https://blog.basistheory.com/tag/payments) ### [How Network Tokens Can Power Agentic Commerce](https://blog.basistheory.com/network-tokens-power-agentic-commerce) ![Picture of Basis Theory](https://blog.basistheory.com/hs-fs/hubfs/bt-favicon-new.png?width=50&name=bt-favicon-new.png) [Basis Theory](https://blog.basistheory.com/author/basis-theory-team) September 23, 2025 [Read more](https://blog.basistheory.com/network-tokens-power-agentic-commerce) [![Explaining features at the vault level](https://blog.basistheory.com/hubfs/Stablecoins%20Narrowbanks.webp)](https://blog.basistheory.com/enrichments-native-to-vault) [Payments](https://blog.basistheory.com/tag/payments) ### [Stop Paying for the Same Features Twice](https://blog.basistheory.com/enrichments-native-to-vault) ![Picture of Basis Theory](https://blog.basistheory.com/hs-fs/hubfs/bt-favicon-new.png?width=50&name=bt-favicon-new.png) [Basis Theory](https://blog.basistheory.com/author/basis-theory-team) April 21, 2026 [Read more](https://blog.basistheory.com/enrichments-native-to-vault) ## Stay Connected ### Receive the latest updates straight to your inbox ### Follow on Social [![BTLogo (1)](https://blog.basistheory.com/hs-fs/hubfs/BTLogo%20(1).png?width=138&height=46&name=BTLogo%20(1).png "BTLogo (1)")](https://basistheory.com) - Use Cases - [Creator Economy](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/creator-economy) - [Digital Health](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/health) - [E-Commerce](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/ecommerce) - [Fintech](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/fintech) - [Gaming](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/gaming) - [Remittance](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/remittance) - [Subscription Platforms](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/subscriptions) - [Online Travel Agencies](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/travel) - [Vertical SaaS](https://basistheory.com/use-cases/vsaas) - Developers - [Quickstart](https://developers.basistheory.com/getting-started) - [Elements](https://developers.basistheory.com/docs/sdks/web/javascript) - [Documentation](https://developers.basistheory.com/) - Basis Theory - [Pricing](https://basistheory.com/pricing) - [Add-Ons](https://basistheory.com/add-ons) - [ROI Calculator](https://go.basistheory.com/roi) - [Case Studies](https://blog.basistheory.com/case-studies) - [Blog](https://blog.basistheory.com) - [Contact](https://basistheory.com/contact) - Other - [Terms and Conditions](https://basistheory.com/resources/terms-of-service) - [Privacy Policy](https://basistheory.com/resources/privacy-policy) - [Cookie Policy](https://basistheory.com/resources/cookie-policy) - [Security](https://basistheory.com/security) - [System Status](https://status.basistheory.com/) - Compare - [Basis Theory Vs. Evervault](https://go.basistheory.com/evervault-alternative) - [Basis Theory Vs. IXOPAY](https://go.basistheory.com/alternative-to-ixopay) - [Basis Theory Vs. VGS](https://go.basistheory.com/compare/very-good-security) --- ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Basis Theory", "url" : "https://blog.basistheory.com/author/basis-theory-team" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-21T20:01:34.791Z", "datePublished" : "2026-09-15T13:21:02.000Z", "headline" : "Self-Service Merchant Onboarding for Account Updater and Network Tokens", "image" : [ "https://blog.basistheory.com/hubfs/NetworkTokenAccountUpdaterOnboarding.webp" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.basistheory.com/onboarding-network-tokens-account-updater", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.basistheory.com/hubfs/BTLogo%20(1).png" }, "name" : "Basis Theory" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "VideoObject", "contentUrl" : "https://22332934.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/22332934/video_assets/221905895574/inherited/web_optimized.mp4", "dateModified" : "2026-09-15T00:25:02.342Z", "duration" : "PT1M28S", "height" : 1840, "name" : "OnboardingNetworkTokenAccountUpdater", "thumbnailUrl" : "https://go.basistheory.com/hubfs/OnboardingNetworkTokenAccountUpdater.mov/medium.jpg", "uploadDate" : "2026-09-15T00:25:02.340Z", "width" : 3068 } ```