✔️ AVS (Address Verification System)

Learn how AVS checks help protect against card fraud.

About AVS

Address Verification System (AVS) Checks are security measures used during credit card transactions to verify the billing address provided by the customer against the address on file with the card issuer.

Why Are AVS Checks Necessary?

  1. Fraud Prevention:
  • AVS checks help reduce fraud by ensuring that the person making the purchase is the legitimate cardholder.
  1. Chargeback Reduction:
  • By verifying the address, merchants can minimize the risk of chargebacks due to unauthorized transactions.

Who Performs AVS Checks?

AVS checks are done by Coinflow’s payment processors and card networks (e.g., Visa, Mastercard) during the transaction authorization process. Merchants can reach out to the Coinflow team to request to have AVS checks disabled on their merchant account.

When Should I Disable AVS Checks?

  • 888 Error Codes: Merchants who believe they are seeing too many error code 888 on credit card transactions can consider disabling AVS checks.
  • International Transactions: AVS checks can sometimes be less effective for international transactions, where address formats differ, so merchants might disable AVS to avoid unnecessary declines.
  • Customer Experience: In some cases, AVS checks may decline legitimate transactions if there’s a slight mismatch in the billing address, leading to customer frustration.

📘 The address passed to Coinflow must match the billing address for the card being used, otherwise, the payment will fail AVS checks.

🚧 Disabling AVS checks can increase the risk of fraud but may be needed to improve transaction approval rates in specific situations.

Consult with the Coinflow team before requesting to turn off AVS checks.