This article will guide merchants through understanding what and who Authorize.net is.

About Authorize.net

Authorize.net is a company that enables the submission and routing of credit card and checking account payment transactions for merchants to the processing networks, 24/7. We support all types of merchant business models, including:

• Websites
• Retail (physical locations where payment is presented directly to the merchant by the customer at the time of purchase)
• Mail order/telephone order (MOTO) call center and fulfillment centers
• Wireless devices

We provide merchants with business and transaction enhancing products, such as eCheck, Automated Recurring Billing (ARB), and Advance Fraud Detection Suite (AFDS), Customer Information Manager (CIM). For additional merchant information, please view our Merchant Solutions.

Authorize.net provides the technology that enables you to submit and process credit card and electronic check payment transactions in real time, 24/7, over the Internet. Transactions can be submitted to Authorize.net directly from all types of merchant business models, including websites, retail applications such as point-of-sale systems, mail order/telephone (MOTO) call centers, and mobile wireless devices. Transactions can also be manually submitted using the Merchant Interface and Upload Transaction File features. For more information see support article: How to charge a transaction?

Once a transaction is submitted to Authorize.net, we facilitate the complex routing of credit card and electronic check payment transactions to the processing networks and other parties involved in settling transactions. Learn more from our “How it Works” page.

If you were set up for credit card processing services by an Independent Sales Organization (ISO), reseller, or Merchant Service Provider (MSP), they may have automatically set up an Authorize.net Payment Gateway account for you. For more information see support article: What is the difference between Authorize.net, my reseller, processor or MSP and who should I reach out to for transaction issues?

If you need an Authorize.net account please see: How to apply for an Authorize.net Account?

What is my Payment Gateway ID?

A Payment Gateway ID is a unique identifier for a given Authorize.net account and can be up to seven digits in length. It is assigned upon account creation, and we will include it in any email communications we generate for your account, such as merchant transaction receipts, password reset notifications, successful settlement notifications, and billing emails.

Authorize.net Client Services may request your Payment Gateway ID when you contact us, so we can be sure we are helping you with the correct account. While we can also identify accounts by other details such as login IDs, such means may be considered less secure. Payment Gateway IDs cannot be used for any means other than identification. Therefore, Client Services prefers to use Payment Gateway IDs when it is necessary to identify an account.

How to Find Your Payment Gateway ID

To locate your Payment Gateway ID on your Merchant Profile, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to the Merchant Interface.
2. Select Merchant Profile under Account in the main left-side menu.
3. Your Payment Gateway ID is listed under your business name, near the top of the page.

For email notifications, the location and, sometimes, the name of the Payment Gateway ID will vary:

• For the majority of email notifications, the topmost line of the email will say, "Your Payment Gateway ID", followed by your Payment Gateway ID.
• On Merchant Email Receipts, the Payment Gateway is listed to the right of the merchant's name in the General Information section.
• Some postal correspondence from Authorize.net may refer to an "Authorize.net ID" or "Merchant ID", followed by the Payment Gateway ID.