What is its Main Function?
In order to answer ” Is authorize.net safe? “, you’ll need to understand why it should be. Authorize.net is commonly thought of as a payment processor or a merchant account provider. Its main function, however, is its payment gateway services. A simple way to explain payment gateways would be to describe them as the boxes your customers input their information when making an online payment. A more accurate definition is the software that transports credit card payments from the POS (point of sale) to the credit card processor.
Authorize.net is a third-party payment gateway used by credit card processors who do not have their own gateway software, or whose customers prefer a third-party option. Many of these customers ask “Is Authorize.net safe?” and if so, “Are they the right fit for me?”
Is Authorize.net Safe or Shady?
Authorize.net is owned by CyberSource who is in turn owned by Visa, so most people would agree that they are safe to use. Authorize.net has a portion of its website dedicated to educating its customers about internet safety and phishing scams.
They have a list of things to avoid and remedies to use if you believe your customer’s information has been compromised. Additionally, Authorize.net offers a unique tool called the Advanced Fraud Detection Suite. It allows you to customize filters that detect fraud to your type of business. With it, you can block transactions from certain websites, verify addresses to deliver packages to as valid, and limit the total amount of transactions per hour.
Is it Reliable?
In the past 9 years, we have only been aware of the Authorize.net service being down once. The service was down for about a day and merchants nationwide were unable to process credit cards.
Safety is the most important, but should not be the only factor to keep in mind when choosing a payment gateway. Customer service is a huge deal in the payment processing industry because there are important contracts that need to be understood fully by you. If your sales representative only answers your calls during the signing process, you’ll be left to fend for yourself if extra fees are tacked on to your account. Many users of Authorize have had this exact problem because they do not fully understand the process. You should avoid signing up for Authorize.net individually, and instead ask your payment processor to aid you in the setup process. PayFrog is a certified reseller of Authorize.net. This means we can better troubleshoot issues if they arise because we can see data from both the merchant account and the Authorize.net gateway.
Want More Information?
Even though you can now confidently answer the question “ Is Authorize.net safe? ”, you may still be curious about its strong fraud protection and confusing customer service strategy. Speak to a representative that supports the payment gateway, but will honestly tell you if it’s right for you. Our chat feature can connect you with the right answers quickly, and our mission statement will tell you why we want what’s best for you.
