# Support
source: https://developer.mastercard.com/carbon-calculator-china/documentation/support/index.md

## FAQs {#faqs}

### General {#general}

The **Carbon Calculator** is the product offered by Mastercard to enable the issuers to help their environmentally conscious consumers to understand how their spending behavior impacts carbon emissions. Transaction Footprint is a block of information that contains the following data after transaction scoring is done on a payment transaction:

1. Carbon emission expressed in both grams and ounces
2. Category information which includes the main-category, sub-category, and sector associated with the transaction:
   * **Main Category**: A broad, high‑level grouping that captures the primary type of activity associated with the merchant. For example: Shopping, travel, food and beverage.
   * **Sub‑Category**: A more specific classification under the main category that explains the merchant activity in greater detail. For example: Departmental Store
   * **Sector**: An even more granular descriptor that provides additional segmentation useful for analytics, sustainability reporting, and consumer‑facing insights. For example, shopping, travel, food and beverage.
Carbon Scoring or Transaction Scoring is the process to calculate transaction footprints for one or more payment transactions. Merchant Category Code (MCC) or the Acceptor Business Code is an assigned four-digit number that identifies a merchant's primary business based on annual sales volume. Customers must include a valid MCC in all transaction requests for successful carbon scoring. Bank Identification Number (BIN) is the first 6-digits or 8-digits of the Primary Account Number (PAN), an industry standard that is used to identify the issuer during payment transaction routing. During issuer onboarding on the Carbon Calculator application by Mastercard, we make sure that only valid BINs are assigned to the issuer. These BINs are assigned only after receiving consent from the issuer. If you do not have a Mastercard representative, send a request to [carboncalculator@mastercard.com](mailto:carboncalculator@mastercard.com) for further help.

### Onboarding {#onboarding}

Carbon Calculator uses file-based processing methods to calculate transaction footprints for transactions that are not processed by Mastercard. For more information, refer to the [Overview](https://developer.mastercard.com/carbon-calculator-china/documentation/index.md) section. Yes. China issuers are required to onboard through Mastercard Developers as part of the Carbon Calculator integration process.  
Mastercard Developers is used to manage onboarding artifacts such as project creation and logical identifiers for file‑based integration. Onboarding and testing involve coordination between:

* Customer Implementation Service (CIS) / delivery teams
* Technical Account Manager (TAM)  

Specific support engagement depends on the chosen integration model.

### Integration {#integration}

Mastercard is in the process of modernizing its file transfer platform. As part of this transition, NGFT (Next Generation File Transfer) and GFT (Global File Transfer) currently co‑exist.

Depending on the choice of integration, Carbon Calculator workflow provides use cases for both NGFT and GFT.
NGFT is used as the modern entry and handoff point for CSV files with the carbon scores. Files are identified using a customer logical name (logical address) rather than a legacy endpoint After processing, the Carbon Calculator uploads the scored file to an NGFT logical name. GFT is the legacy but still active delivery platform used by many customers today. Many customers and downstream systems are still configured to receive files through GFT endpoints, which is why GFT remains part of the flow.  

In the Carbon Calculator flow for China issuers, scored files move from NGFT to a GFT endpoint if an issuer is using the GFT workflow. GFT performs the final transmission to the issuer. Not all customers and applications have fully migrated to NGFT yet.
Mastercard therefore supports hybrid transfer patterns, where:

* NGFT is used for modern onboarding and logical addressing
* GFT is used for compatibility with existing customer integrations
No. Both NGFT and GFT are file transfer services only:

* They move files
* They do not process file contents or perform calculations  

All carbon scoring logic is handled by the Carbon Calculator application itself, outside of NGFT and GFT.
Mastercard has identified NGFT as the strategic, modernized platform, while GFT is considered legacy.
However, GFT is still required for certain customer delivery patterns.

Both platforms continue to operate together today. Customers should follow the integration approach specified for their onboarding model.
Using both NGFT and GFT allows Mastercard to:

* Support existing customer setups without forcing immediate migration
* Introduce modern capabilities through NGFT
* Ensure consistent and reliable file delivery during the transition period

### Pricing {#pricing}

Contact your TAM / Mastercard representative to open an Implementation Project with Mastercard and to understand the cost as it may differ from region to region.

### Troubleshooting {#troubleshooting}

Issuers should raise a ticket with the customer support.

* For urgent inquiries, [click here](https://customercare-mastercard.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#1I000001YKuj/a/3u0000019R1s/BZciPNhwdJR4.UPuIf82cWgRyFwDP1du08uPtixUXi4) to call us.
* For non-urgent inquiries, create a case in [Support Case Management](https://www.mastercardconnect.com/case-mgmt/) on Mastercard Connect.

## Get Help {#get-help}

### Contact us for technical support. {#contact-us-for-technical-support}