Payments Basics
3-D Secure: What It Does in a Card Payment
3-D Secure is an extra identity check, run by the card's issuing bank, that confirms the person paying online is the cardholder. Learn how it works and what to test.
Payment Integration Testing: Five Checks Before Going Live
Before going live with online payments, test a full successful payment, declines, refunds, webhooks and monitoring. This checklist explains each check in plain words.
How Card Refunds Work for Merchants: Refund vs Void
A card refund is a new transaction that returns money to the customer's card after a sale. Learn how it differs from a void and a chargeback, and why it appears late on a statement.
What Is a Chargeback? How the Process Works
A chargeback is a payment dispute a cardholder raises with their own bank. Learn why they happen, how the process moves from dispute to decision, and how merchants prepare.
Authorization, Capture and Settlement Explained
Authorization reserves a card payment, capture requests the funds and settlement pays them out. Learn what each stage does, why capture may come later, and how voids differ from refunds.
How a Card Payment Moves: Checkout to Settlement
A card payment moves from checkout through a gateway and card network to the issuing bank, which approves or declines it. Funds settle to the merchant later.