Norway is a market with a steady flow of North American visitors drawn by cruise port calls and northern lights and fjord travel, and Oslo also has a sizable foreign expatriate community tied to the energy and shipping industries. For customers among them who use a US-issued Discover or Diners Club card as their primary card, whether that network is accepted can be the deciding factor in whether a sale goes through. On the other hand, the impact on local Norwegian consumers is limited, so expected demand should be assessed separately for each group.

Korean merchants running Norway travel product and activity bookings, services with a high share of English-speaking visitors, or sales aimed at expatriates can reduce drop-off from declined authorizations by adding the Discover network alongside Visa and Mastercard.

When a consumer enters their card details, the transaction is routed through the Discover international network to the issuer for approval, and the result is passed to the merchant via Hecto Financial. PSD2 Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) principles apply to EEA merchant transactions, but so-called one-leg-out transactions, where the issuer is outside the region (such as in the US), may follow a different authentication flow, so 3DS support should be confirmed during integration.

Accepting the Discover/Diners Club network can in some cases be reviewed within Hecto Financial's card acceptance framework without a local Norwegian contract. The actual scope of supported networks and the fees and settlement terms vary by industry and transaction volume, so advance confirmation is required.

• Business registration country

  Confirm whether a contract is possible on the basis of a Korea-registered business

• Sales channels

  The integration method and priority vary depending on your online sales channel mix, such as your own storefront, open marketplaces, or mobile apps

• Product categories handled

  Advance confirmation is needed on whether your business falls under a category restricted by Discover's operator merchant policy

• Norway's regulatory specifics

  As an EEA country rather than an EU member, Norway applies EU payment rules (such as PSD2) through the EEA route. Cross-border contracts should check the applicable regulations in advance (see official sources below)

Proceeds from sales in Norway arise in NOK, and after receipt and conversion by Hecto Financial, are paid out to the Korean merchant in whichever of USD, KRW, or JPY was set in the contract. Because of the nature of foreign-issued cards, chargeback dispute handling periods can run longer, making it important to keep supporting evidence, and if you sell to consumers in Norway, you should also reflect in your policies the possibility of refund requests arising from the EEA's 14-day right of withdrawal.

• Norges Bank (Central Bank of Norway)The official source for operation and oversight of Norway's payment system and payment trend reports.
• Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway (Finanstilsynet)The supervisory authority for payment service and e-money providers. Where this page differs from actual regulations, the official source takes precedence.