How to Troubleshoot Payment Gateways: Making Sense of the Test Screen

Step 1:  Navigate to the payment gateway you are having issue with.

                                Settings > Payments & Taxes > Payment Gateways    

Click the edit Icon in the action menu for the gateway you need to test.  While we will be using Authoirize.net in this KB the same steps will apply regardless of the payment gateway.

 From the Payment Gateway screen, the click path to the test screen is More Actions > Test

Step 2:  Setting up the test.

From here scroll down to the option ‘Transaction Type’. The option in this drop down will let you run tests for different types of transactions.  In the KB we will be testing the ability to CaptureSale which is what a customer will be doing when they make a purchase.

Step 3 :  Running the Test

Once this has been it is time to run the test. Click the orange ‘Test’ button in the upper right hand corner.

 Step 4 : Making sense of the test results.

                *****THIS TEST WILL RETURN APROVED: FALSE unless the test is ran with valid credit card information *****

As expected, the Approved field is false, but the two values that tell us there is an issue with communicating with the gateway if the ‘Transaction ID : 0 ‘ and the ‘Response Text: "The merchant login ID or password is invalid or the account is inactive." This is where the payment gateway test is saying where the issue is.

Other Errors:

If you see a AVS "Address Mismatch" this typically means that you will need to contact your payment gateway as this is a type of restriction in place with the gateway service you have with your account having precautions set up for fraud detection. There is not a way due to PCI compliancy for Spark Pay online stores to access this or change this.

If you have tested your payment gateway and you get multiple orders with the same AVS error, this is a sign that you need to contact your gateway and see what is causing these cards to not go through. Spark Pay online stores does not actually charge the cards, but sends the order information to your payment processor.

You can also further test what the response code for Authorize.net means here: http://developer.authorize.net/tools/responsereasoncode/

In this case below, another issue is that there is no ‘API Login Key’ or ‘API Transaction Key".

Step 5: Now what do I with this information to make my gateway work

            If you click the test button and you see anything other than the ‘test result screen’ such a as an error message, you will need to contact the Spark Pay online stores support team so we can help with getting that fixed. However if you do get the  ‘test result screen’, you will need to copy the ‘response code’ and the ‘response text’ and contact  your payment gateway, and have them help you with resolving the issue of why the payment gateway is not doing what you expect it to do. While Spark Pay online stores technical support can help with the settings inside of you Payment Gateway account, you may need to change settings in the Merchant Services panel of the web site you logged into to create your payment gateway; in this case it would be Authorize. Net web site. If you need any assistance making the recommended adjustments to the Spark Pay online stores Payment Gateway edit screen, technical support will be able to help assist you with making these changes.

Note: Specific payment processors and gateways require different login information when setting up the gateway. For example, if you are using eProcessing for your payment gateway you will need to have the Restrict Key taken out as well as the Alternate URL. The only thing that will need to be entered is the password and Login Information.

Payment Gateway Needs Further Troubleshooting, What's Next?

Spark Pay online stores is the platform for which your store resides. If your online store was a stand-alone physical shop, we would be the structure and the building and the software you take orders with. However, just as a store needs a bank to handle their finances – you need a payment gateway to handle your online credit card payments. We handle the products, email templates, sales reports, online storefront, but not the finances and the money. We help you get your money, but we are not able to manage it. We give you the tools to do that, and that is why you need a payment gateway.

Make sure your gateway is set up to apply to your store. Many times, merchants are curious why payments didn't process - it's usually because of setting configuration.

If a card is declined, we can help guide you what steps to take to determine the cause. For refunds, balances, and custom payments we can provide answers and solutions to make sure your customers’ accounts with your store are balanced correctly and help point you in the right direction on where and how to change it, but we are not responsible for these changes and will not be making them for you.

It must be noted that Spark Pay online stores does not control the funds coming and going from your store with your payment gateway and your bank. If a gateway fails to process payments, we have ways to test to see what is causing it. You can also test your gateway at any time with the instructions above.

If you see these errors, or any errors that seem unclear, it is important that you contact them to see what other steps need to be taken as Spark Pay online stores cannot access this due to PCI Compliancy.

You will be prompted to give them your account credentials, which Spark Pay online stores does not have access to.

Here are a list of support numbers you can call in case you of an issue regarding your payment gateway:

Authorize.net:  1-866-682-4131

Paypal : 1-888-221-1161

Sage Payment Solutions:  1- 877-470-4001

You will need to provide them with the AVS Code or any errors you see on the test, or on any orders that have declined.

We do not have the capability to view credit card numbers, or void transactions and refund them for you as this affects your business and your security. For this we are credited as being PCI Compliant and an ecommerce solution you can trust.

Common Errors

Q. I can't issue a refund and got this error: " Declined: The referenced transaction does not meet the criteria for issuing a credit."

A. If you are using Authorize.net it could be because of this:

Authorize.Net settles transactions in your account once every 24 hours. In general, this means that most of your transactions settle in under 24 hours. However, the settlement sometimes takes an hour or two to complete after your designated transaction cut-off time

 Source: Authorize.net Developer Center