Whose account is it?
In the ICS/B2B agent context covered here, IRCTC’s RDS account is in the Principal Service Provider’s name. The principal, or PSP, works with registered Retail Service Providers, or RSPs. The individual shop’s account with a provider is a separate record. IRCTC integration policy, definitions and section VII.
RDS also appears in other IRCTC policies. The B2C policy’s automated-RDS annexure names direct-agent and payment-provider arrangements as well. The relevant scheme determines whose account is being discussed. B2C policy, Annexure I.
Ask which account a funding instruction concerns. A principal-level deposit requirement is not automatically the amount an individual shop must pay. Our PSP and scheme explanation helps identify the arrangement.
What does the deposit do?
The principal deposits booking funds in advance into the relevant RDS account. Booking activity then has to be matched to that account’s transactions and balance. This is the basic funding flow; it is separate from paying a registration charge to establish an agency appointment.
Keep three questions separate when reviewing an offer:
| Question | Record to examine |
|---|---|
| What establishes my agency appointment? | The appointment and authorisation documents |
| What funds bookings through the principal? | The relevant principal-level payment arrangement |
| What balance does my own service account show? | The provider’s retailer account and transaction records |
This table is a practical reading aid, not a description of every provider’s software. A wallet screen may have its own terminology. Ask the provider to explain how its records relate to the booking process instead of assuming they are a direct view of IRCTC’s RDS account.
A debit and a booking are separate things to reconcile
IRCTC’s agent-report guidance distinguishes booking amounts, failed transactions, refunds, deposits and closing balances. It also distinguishes a cancellation-related report from the report showing a refund actually credited. AgentInterface report guidance.
The useful lesson is to match records. A balance changed, a reservation was created, and a refund was credited are different statements. Each needs the appropriate transaction entry. Do not treat one screenshot as proof of all three.
The report document is an explanation of accounting fields. This page does not use its older operational instructions as a current refund timetable or assume that a retailer has access to all the reports it names.
An example at a railway counter
Illustrative example: A retailer sees a debit after a booking attempt, but cannot find the expected ticket. The immediate task is to identify the attempt, check the booking result and preserve the relevant payment reference.
The retailer sends support the booking date, the displayed result and the actual reference from the relevant account. They do not tell the customer that a seat exists merely because the balance reduced. They also avoid calling every platform reference an “RDS number”.
This is a record-checking example, not a promise about where the money is held or when it will return. Our PNR explanation covers the reservation record, while UTR concerns a bank-transfer reference.
Is SiOnline’s retailer wallet the same as RDS?
Do not infer that from the glossary term. This page explains IRCTC’s policy terminology; it does not verify SiOnline’s internal settlement arrangement.
For a SiOnline balance update, follow the published funding instructions. Ask support about the specific account and transaction if you need to understand a discrepancy. Avoid transferring funds using bank details copied from an unrelated RDS explanation.
Does an RDS deposit make someone an authorised agent?
A funding record and an agency appointment answer different questions. Check the principal, the agent ID and the appointment documents separately. A payment receipt by itself should not be presented as an authorisation certificate.