# Unleashing the Power of the ABU API to Reduce CNP Declines and Involuntary Churn
source: https://developer.mastercard.com/blog/unleashing-the-power-of-the-abu-api-to-reduce-cnp-declines-and-involuntary-churn/index.md

Authors: Sharon Rosano, Kyle Williams. Once upon a time the Mastercard account updater program known as ABU (Automatic Billing Updater), which provides account number and expiration data updates to reduce preventable declines and churn for card-not-present (CNP) merchants, could only deliver account updates once a day via a batch file. While the ABU batch file update process continues to work exceptionally well, the subscription economy is booming and there are more places for consumers to store their account credentials for quick and seamless payments. Card-Not-Present (CNP) A transaction where the card, the cardholder, and/or the merchant representative is not present at the time of the transaction. Mail order, telephone order, electronic commerce (e-commerce), and recurring payment transactions are examples of CNP transactions. So in this day of real time and instant everything we knew there had to be another way to provide ABU updates. So we asked acquirers and large Card-on-File (COF) merchants their thoughts on making the ABU program better, and the feedback was faster updates! Mastercard has delivered on this market need by developing the ABU API for real time updates. The beauty of the ABU API is that it's very flexible -- it can be used post decline or pre-authorization depending on the merchants need. For entities using both the ABU API and the ABU batch file it's a lot like having a Reese's peanut butter cup -- the chocolate and peanut butter are both good separately but they're even better together. The ABU batch file processes large amounts of account updates in a single file, and the ABU API enables real time account updates. Merchants with stored account credentials are the real winners of this by reducing even more preventable declines and saving even more CNP transactions. All this means lower operating and processing costs for CNP merchants, and also reducing the risk of customer attrition. For all of us consumers storing our cards, it provides a better cardholder experience.