Help & Resource Center

Authorize.Net

Overview

Retailers who are new to e-commerce are often confused by payment processing and Authorize.Net.  They don't understand the role Authorize.Net plays in processing online credit cards.

Authorize.Net is connected to your Magento, Shopify, or WooCommerce website.  The easiest way to think of Authorize.Net's role is to think of it as a set of "pipes" that connects your e-commerce website to your credit card processor, called a Merchant Service Provider.  Authorize.net is doing nothing more than shuttling funds around, hence, the "plumbing" analogy.

Here's how funds are typically transferred from your website into your bank account:

  1. Consumers place orders on your website using their credit card, which is immediately sent to Authorize.Net.
  2. Authorize.Net takes these funds and passes it off to your Merchant Service Provider.
  3. Your Merchant Service Provider is actually the one who processes the transaction and deposits the funds into your bank account.

Of course, when you issue a refund to a consumer for a return, the arrows flow in the opposite direction.

Authorize.Net Account

The easiest way to create an Authorize.Net account is to simply ask your current credit card processing company.  Seems like every credit card processor on the planet can create an Authorize.Net account on your behalf.  All you need to tell them is you're building a website, need to process credit cards online, and that you want to work with Authorize.Net.  That's probably all they need to know to establish your account with Authorize.Net.

As a brick and mortar retailer, you already have a credit card processing company.  This is the company you need to call to establish your Authorize.Net.  Leveraging your in-store and online transactions will also help you to get the very best possible rate.

Verifying Authorize.Net

Once you have your Authorize.Net account created, Modern Retail will ask you for the following 3 pieces of information to verify your account:

  1. Username
  2. Password
  3. Answer to Secret Question

We'll use this information to log into your Authorize.Net account to make sure everything is configured correctly.

If you have any questions about Authorize.Net, please don't hesitate to submit a Support Request.  Thank you.