Best Practices For Accepting Online and International Sales

It's essential to stay alert with your credit card transactions. Just as you safeguard your cash, ensure your credit card sales are equally protected. Review transactions regularly, avoid suspicious deals, and guard sensitive information.

Online Best Practices

Use AVS (Address Verification System):

Always use AVS for eCommerce or manual transactions. AVS checks the billing address given with the address on record at the card-issuing bank and provides a match or mismatch. Automatically reject mismatch responses. Authorize.net settings handle this by default. Accepting a mismatch impacts your rate. Note that AVS may not function for international transactions involving alpha-numeric zip codes.

Use CVV (Card Verification Code):

Always ask for the 3-digit security code on the back of Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and JCB cards or the 4-digit code on the front of American Express cards. If the CVV doesn’t match the bank’s records, reject the transaction. With Allied Payments, NMI.com, and Authorize.net, you can enable this on your account.

Review Your Daily Transactions:

Watch for unauthorized refunds, duplicate transactions, and large orders from unknown customers—report anomalies immediately via the customer support number on your statement.

Set Your Gateway’s Daily Velocity Filter:

You can limit transaction tests by fraudsters using your website. This minimizes authorization charges for fraudulent attempts. In Authorize.net, find this setting under “Account” and click “Daily Velocity” in Security Settings. Contact us to enable additional fraud screening features in other gateways.

Additional Red Flags:

• “Rush” orders

• Shipping to a non-billing address

• Large orders

• Orders shipping outside the U.S.

• Multiple rapid orders appear indiscriminate.

International Orders Best Practices

International orders can boost sales and donations but come with higher risks. Ship products outside the U.S. only after vetting the cardholder and verifying the address. Follow these practices when handling international transactions:

Use AVS (Address Verification System) if Possible:

Use AVS for eCommerce or manual transactions if available. With Authorize.net, default AVS settings reject transactions on non-U.S. cards. If changing these settings, carefully vet customers before fulfilling large orders.

Require Customer Identification:

Ask for copies of the customer’s passport and the front and back of the credit card. Fraudsters often don’t respond. If they do, verify the charge's legitimacy with the card-issuing bank using the contact number on the card.

Call the Phone Number Provided:

Verify the number given with the order. Ask the cardholder for the card expiration date and order details. Fraudsters typically forget specifics, while legitimate customers can repeat their orders precisely.

Trust Your Instincts:

If a transaction feels suspicious, rely on your judgment. If you need more clarification, ask the customer for more information. If your business can’t afford a loss plus inventory, consider declining the order or requesting a wire transfer. Legitimate customers will verify their identity or agree to an alternate payment method.