Administrators - E-Commerce Verification Settings
This article will discuss various options for configuring E-Commerce verification settings.
Deciding How to Verify Online Transactions
When setting up an E-Commerce account within Certain, Certain provides the following options for payment verification.
Billing address and address checks
- Collect Billing Address – Select this option to collect a separate billing address for the payor.
This billing address can be used with credit card transactions to perform AVS validation ("Address Verification Service").
- Match Zip Code – Require that the billing zip code entered on the form match the billing zip code for the credit card.
- "123 Main St." and "123 Howard Ave." will return the same result since the street number is the same in both instances.
- Match Street Number – Require that the billing street address entered on the form match the billing street address for the credit card.
AVS requirement and AVS responses
- Require AVS "Yes" Response – Address Verification Service (AVS) is offered by many credit card-issuing institutions.
AVS enables the merchant to compare the street number and/or zip code provided by a cardholder to those on record with the card issuer.
- AVS returns one of three responses: Y, N, or X.
Y means the values match.
N means the values do not match.
X means the credit card issuer does not support AVS.
- NOTE: Whether the above fields are available depends on which Online Processor has been selected.
Not all Online Processor options support AVS.
Card security code checks
- Require CSC "Yes" Response – Require that the CSC entered on the form match the CSC for the credit card.
- CSC (Card Security Code) is also known by other abbreviations, including CVC2, CVV2, and CID.
- Collect CSC Number – Add a field on the form in the Charge my credit card section of the Financial page to collect the Card Security Code (CSC) for the credit card.
How AVS works for authorization and voiding
When AVS is performed, the bank returns advice regarding the match between the billing address provided by the cardholder and that on record with the bank. The bank does not reject transactions based on these values. It is up to the merchant to decide whether to accept or reject the card based on the AVS results.
If the merchant decides to reject the transaction, Certain automatically voids the previous transaction. This voiding prevents funds from withdrawing from the cardholder's account.
The credit card issuer does not release the "hold on funds" from the credit card until the authorization reaches its time-out limit. The time-out limit can last several days or weeks.
Avoiding repeated AVS validation consumption
Because event registration fees are usually big-ticket items (hundreds of USD or more), multiple failed AVS validations can quickly consume a cardholder's credit limit. This can prevent the cardholder from making further purchases on the card until the cardholder calls the issuing bank and obtain a release.
When possible, Certain uses an AVS method that overcomes this potentially annoying and time-consuming problem. Certain first performs an authorization request for $0.01 to receive AVS results based on the provided billing address. Certain then immediately voids this authorization so the charge does not appear on the cardholder's account.
If the AVS results meet the standard set for the processing account, Certain charges the full amount of the sale against the credit card. If the transaction is rejected based on the AVS results, the cardholder receives an error message (error code 112) describing the problem.
Decision trees for accepting or rejecting credit cards based on AVS results
The following tables represent the decision tree that Certain uses to accept or reject credit cards based on AVS results.
Scenario 1: Require AVS Off (not checked)
- Match Zip checked: Accept ZIP=Y or ZIP=X, Reject ZIP=N (Ignore STREET)
- Match Street checked: Accept STREET=Y or STREET=X, Reject STREET=N (Ignore Zip)
- Both Match Zip and Match Street checked:
| | STREET=Y | STREET=N | STREET=X | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | ZIP=Y | Accept | Reject | Accept | | ZIP=N | Reject | Reject | Reject | | ZIP=X | Accept | Reject | Accept |
Scenario 2: Require AVS On (checked)
- Match Zip checked: Accept ZIP=Y, Reject ZIP=N or ZIP=X (Ignore STREET)
- Match Street checked: Accept STREET=Y, Reject STREET=N or STREET=X (Ignore ZIP)
- Both Match Zip and Match Street checked:
| | STREET=Y | STREET=N | STREET=X | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | ZIP=Y | Accept | Reject | Reject | | ZIP=N | Reject | Reject | Reject | | ZIP=X | Reject | Reject | Reject |
Recommended AVS settings when no expertise or external requirements exist
If Certain users want to use AVS but do not have specific expertise or external requirements regarding it, Certain recommends the following settings (see scenario 1.i above):
- Billing Address = checked
- Match Zip = checked
- Match Street = not checked
- Require AVS = not checked