Description

Where can I find the approval code for a transaction in Paya Exchange?

Resolution

Every successful authorization has an approval code (also known as an authorization code). Paya Exchange stores and displays these codes.

To find the code for a particular transaction, you must first find the transaction. To find the code, go to the Virtual Terminal app, located in the 'Quick Links', then use the 'Quick Search' in the top right-hand corner of the screen.  

After finding the transaction, press 'View' on the right-hand side. This will show you the available information about that transaction then scroll down to find the 'Transaction Message' (the number in this field is your approval code):

Usually, the authorization code from the ‘Transaction Message’ field will match the number in the ‘Transaction Code’ field, directly above it - but this will not always be the case.

For instance, imagine that you have your ‘Risk Controls’ set to require an ‘Exact Match’ for AVS. When this happens, the transaction is technically approved; the system then voids the transaction automatically as a function of the AVS response and ‘Risk Controls’ settings. You process a transaction that is approved but returns a ‘No Match’ for AVS (it is therefore voided automatically by the gateway):

In this case, ‘000001’ is the actual approval code; ‘650103’ is the gateway error code:

This is where the difference between the ‘Transaction Message’ and ‘Transaction Code’ is especially important. Merchants who offline (Force) transactions with an incorrect authorization code run a very high risk of Chargeback.