This article covers the new Authorize.net experience (2.0) and using Account Updater for the new Merchant Interface. For the classic experience (1.0) please see the support article: What is Account Updater and how to use and configure it? - Classic Experience (1.0).

For information on how to identify what version of Authorize.net you are on, please see: How to identify what version of Authorize.net you are on and switching between them? - Classic (1.0) and New Experience (2.0)

What is Account Updater (AU)?

AU automatically updates account numbers and expiration dates for cards on file with your Automated Recurring Billing (ARB) subscriptions and Customer Information Manager (CIM) profiles. This helps avoid interruptions to recurring payments and unnecessary declines due to outdated card details.

Automatic Updates with AU

AU runs on a monthly schedule and cannot be manually triggered. All Visa and MasterCard stored payments within your account are submitted for updates unless excluded.

Supported Card Types

Only Visa and MasterCard are supported by AU.

AU Results

AU can return a new account number, new expiration date, advise to contact the cardholder, a notice that the account has been closed, or no response if no changes were reported.

Possible responses:

• New Account Number (NAN)
• New Expiration Date (NED)
• Account Closed (ACL)
• Contact Card Holder (CCH)

How to view AU reports?

1. Sign in to the Merchant Interface.
2. Be on or switched into the New Merchant Interface (2.0)
3. Click Reports in the lev navigation.
4. Click Account Updater Report.
5. Select the month to view and click Run Report.
6. To view more than the first 100 records, use the Download to File option.

AU Reports via API

You can use getAUJobSummary and getAUJobDetails API calls to retrieve AU reports.

Charging an Updated Card

AU updates the original Payment Profile ID, allowing your website to continue using it. If you use Automatic Recurring Billing, the Payment Profile associated with any Active Subscriptions will also be updated.

AU Service Schedule & Updates

AU starts on the 4th of every month and runs in batches till month-end. If you enable AU before the 3rd, you will get updates for the current month. If enabled after the 3rd, updates start from the following month. AU reports are available the following month.

Unchanging Customer Payment Information

AU uses data supplied by the card networks, which are provided by card issuers. If a customer's payment data seems to continually update without changes, the cardholder should contact their issuer for clarification. Cardholders can opt-out of AU service with their issuer, impacting the information AU has on file.

Automated Recurring Billing (ARB) Subscription Statuses & Updates

Only Active or Suspended subscriptions get updated by AU. If an active subscription receives an Account Closed (ACL) or Contact Card Holder (CCH) response, the subscription is suspended.

ACL Responses & Suspended Subscriptions

Subscriptions that received an ACL response and are now suspended will be terminated if not updated with current payment information before the next payment. The one exception to this is if they have Automatic-Retry enabled. If they have Automatic-Retry enabled, the suspended subscription will stay suspended indefinitely until action is taken on the subscription. Once action is taken and the subscription is reactivated, Automatic-retry will attempt to charge the stored payment once a day until the subscription is caught up to the scheduled payments. For more information on Automatic-Retry see support article What is the Automatic Retry system for Automated Recurring Billing. 

ACL Response & CIM Payment Profiles

Payment profiles associated with a Customer Profile that receive an ACL response will be deleted. To reference previous transactions, use the Transaction Search feature.

Developer and Integration Resources:

• API Reference Guide

Using Account Updater FAQs

• When does the Account Updater service run and when are the reports available?
• Can the Account Updater service update card information automatically or does it require customer action?