Address Verification: Common Response Codes/Suggested Actions

(MOTO AVS users only)

 

The actions described in this topic are suggestions only.

Epicor Software Corporation™ is not responsible for the outcome of transactions run through the Address Verification program.

This topic describes the various response codes that may be returned in response to Address Verification Service (AVS) requests, as well as suggested actions for the clerk to take in each case. As a general rule, if you receive a Partial Match or No Match response when performing AVS, simply asking for another credit card will not reduce your risk if the card is being used fraudulently. You should always take steps to ensure that the customer is legitimate. For example, contact the customer to verify the details and resubmit the AVS request if they give you different information, or contact your merchant bank to get the issuing bank’s phone number to call and verify the details.

AVS Response Codes and Suggested Actions

The following table lists some common AVS response codes. The codes are listed in the Definition column, with the cards they apply to denoted by initial (V=VISA, M=MasterCard, A=American Express, and D=Discover). Note that the response codes vary by processor as well as card type, and the definitions in the table may not apply to certain processors.  

Code

Definition

Explanation

Suggested Action to Take

Y

Exact match (V/M/A)

Street address and ZIP code match.

In general, it is safe to proceed with a transaction on which you have received an authorization approval and AVS exact match.

 Y

Partial match (D)

Match on street address only, ZIP code does NOT match.

You should follow up before shipping any merchandise even if you have received an authorization approval. The card issuer may have the wrong ZIP code on file, the ZIP code may have been entered incorrectly, or this response may indicate a fraudulent transaction. In any case it is much safer to follow up than to risk a chargeback on the transaction.

A

 

Exact match (D)

Street address and ZIP code match.

In general, it is safe to proceed with a transaction on which you have received an authorization approval and AVS exact match.

A

Partial match (V/M/A)

Match on street address only, ZIP code does NOT match.

You should follow up before shipping any merchandise even if you have received an authorization approval. The card issuer may have the wrong ZIP code on file, the ZIP code may have been entered incorrectly, or this response may indicate a fraudulent transaction. In any case it is much safer to follow up than to risk a charge-back on the transaction.

X

Exact match (M)

All information matches (MasterCard only).

In general, it is safe to proceed with a transaction on which you have received an authorization approval and AVS exact match.

N

No match (V/M/A/D)

NO information matches.

You should clearly follow up before shipping any merchandise. The cardholder may have recently moved and has not yet notified the card issuer, the shipping address may have been entered instead of the billing address, or the person may be attempting to execute a fraudulent transaction. This response should always stop a transaction until further investigation and verification of both the purchase and card holder identity can be performed.

U

Unavailable (V/M/A/D)

Address information is unavailable for the given account number, or the card issuer does not support AVS.

 

R

Retry (V/M)

 Issuer authorization system is unavailable, try again later.

Try again later.

S  

Unavailable (V/M/A)

AVS is unavailable, address cannot be verified, or card issuer does not support AVS.

 

W  

Partial match (M)

ZIP code matches, street address does NOT match.

You should follow up before shipping any merchandise, even if you have received an authorization approval.  The card issuer may have the wrong street address on file, the address may have been entered incorrectly, or this response may indicate a fraudulent transaction. It is much safer to follow up than to risk a chargeback on the transaction.

W  

Unavailable (D)

Cardholder record not found.

 

Z  

Partial match (V/M/A/D)

ZIP code matches, street address does NOT match.

You should follow up before shipping any merchandise, even if you have received an authorization approval. The card issuer may have the wrong street address on file, the address may have been entered incorrectly, or this response may indicate a fraudulent transaction. It is much safer to follow up than to risk a chargeback on the transaction.

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