This article will guide merchants through updating the descriptor that appears on the customers statement.

What is a Descriptor?

A descriptor is the text that appears on a customer's billing statement, indicating which company charged the customer's credit card or bank account if using ACH(eCheck) for bank transfers. Details below depending on the method on how the descriptor can be changed or updated.

Credit Card Statement Descriptor

For Credit Card processing each merchant account may contain only one descriptor, to change this descriptor you must contact your Merchant Service Provider (MSP). Your MSP is the company that acts as your financial institution. They deposit funds into your bank account and maintain your merchant account with Visa and MasterCard. Please contact your Merchant Service Provider (MSP) to change or update your descriptor for credit card processing.

If TSYS or EVO are the processor for your Merchant Account for these specific processors, you should contact Authorize.net support to request an update to the business name for your account that is sent during settlement. An additional option for TSYS and EVO merchants is via API using createTransactionRequest to include merchantDescriptor field within the Authorize.net API request.

In the case of Global Payments as the processor for your Merchant Account, please contact Authorize.net support to inquire about changing or updating the descriptor. 

Additionally if you process American Express and Discover transactions, please contact these card networks as well to ensure all of your customers receive the correct descriptor. Incorrect or unclear descriptors can lead to increased chargebacks.

ACH (eCheck) Statement Descriptor

Authorize.net performs the processing and settlement of eCheck ACH transactions and manages the descriptor

When signing up eCheck, you will encounter a field on the application form that requests a 10-character abbreviation of your company name. This abbreviation will appear on your customers' bank statements for each ACH(eCheck) transaction and is a 10-character descriptor. If you need to change the descriptor after your eCheck application has been approved, follow these steps:

• New Experience (2.0):
  1. Sign into the Merchant Interface.
  2. Click Help (top right corner).
  3. Click Contact Us.
  4. You are redirected to the authenticated Support Center view with the Support Cases option at the top.
  5. Click Support Cases at the top of the Support Center.
  6. Then click General support. enter "eCheck descriptor" in the Subject field.
  7. Request a new eCheck descriptor in the Description field.
  8. Click Submit.
• Classic Experience (1.0):
  1. Sign into the Merchant Interface.
  2. Click Contact Us (top right).
  3. Click Support Center under Contact Support.
  4. You are redirected to the authenticated Support Center view with the Support Cases option at the top.
  5. Click Support Cases at the top of the Support Center.
  6. Then click General support. enter "eCheck descriptor" in the Subject field.
  7. Request a new eCheck descriptor in the Description field.
  8. Click Submit.

You will receive a reply when the descriptor has been updated or if the risk team needs further documentation to validate the request. 

Additionally when you receive an eCheck deposit, the descriptor will appear on your bank statement as follows: eCheck FUNDING XXXXX[last 4 of bank account] [Name on Bank Account]

For example: eCheck FUNDING XXXXX1234 JOES WIDGET STORE