Authorize.Net

Activating the Authorize.Net add-on

The Authorize.Net add-on is available starting with an Agency or Pro license.

After purchasing a paid version of Paid Member Subscriptions, you can check the following guide on how to install Paid Member Subscriptions.

Initial Setup

Go to Paid Member Subscriptions → Add-ons, activate Authorize.Net, then Settings → Payments → Gateways and enable the Authorize.Net gateway.

When enabled, the Authorize.Net settings section appears.

API credentials

Enter credentials for the mode PMS is using (Test or Live). Test and Live are stored separately.

To obtain the API Credentials, you will need to log in to your Authorize.Net account, after which go to Merchant Interface → Account → Settings → Security Settings → API Credentials & Keys. From there, you will need to:

1. Copy the API Login ID
2. Generate the Transaction Key. Copy and store it securely — it may be shown only once.
3. Generate the Signature Key. Copy and store it securely — it may be shown only once.

After obtaining all the credentials, you will need to go to your site → Paid Member Subscriptions → Settings → Payments → Gateways and add the API Keys to their respective fields.

Save payment settings after entering credentials. Transaction Key and Signature Key stay masked once saved—leave the placeholder unless you’re replacing them. Saving also fetches your Public Client Key for checkout.

Connection status

• Connected — Public Client Key retrieved; checkout works.
• Not verified — Check credentials and save again.

Status reflects TEST or LIVE per Settings → Payments → Test Mode.

Webhooks setup

Configure webhooks in your Authorize.Net account → Account → Settings → Webhooks:

1. Copy Webhooks URL from plugin settings.
2. Add that URL as the endpoint (use the pretty URL, e.g., yoursiteyoursite.com/authorize-net-webhooks).
3. Enable these events:
   • net.authorize.payment.authcapture.created
   • net.authorize.payment.refund.created
   • net.authorize.payment.fraud.approved
   • net.authorize.payment.fraud.declined
   • net.authorize.payment.fraud.held
4. Use the same Signature Key in plugin settings as in Authorize.Net.

Webhooks complete held transactions, sync dashboard refunds, and handle fraud events. If webhooks stop arriving, confirm the endpoint still exists in Authorize.Net and save Settings → Permalinks once.

Webhooks status

• Waiting for data — None received yet.
• Connected — Recent webhook received (timestamp shown).
• Unknown — Nothing in 14+ days; verify the endpoint in Authorize.Net.

Accepted Payment Types

To select which payment types can be processed through Authorize.Net, log in to your Authorize.Net account and navigate to Account → Settings → Processor. From there, you can choose the payment types you would like to accept.

Front-end

With the gateway enabled and connected, members see Credit / Debit Card at checkout and a Payment Details block: card number, expiration (MM / YY), and CVV. Submit tokenizes the card via Accept.js; the plugin creates or updates a Customer Profile and charges when due. Zero-amount checkouts (e.g. free trial) still create a profile for later renewals.

Update credit card details

Your customers can update the payment details for a recurring subscription at any time using the account page. They can see which credit card they are using for a specific subscription and are able to update it in case it expires, or they just want to change it.
When the next recurring payment for the customer is triggered, the new card will automatically be charged.

The credit card update is done very easily by the customer; he is only asked to provide the details for his new card. New details are tokenized, and the Authorize.Net payment profile is updated; the next renewal uses the new card.

How to process a refund

When processing refunds, you can choose between two options:

Automatic refunds

To issue a refund, navigate to the Payments page, hover over the desired payment, and select Refund. For detailed instructions, please refer to the full documentation here.

Refunds need the original transaction ID and the last four digits of the card stored on the subscription. If that’s missing, refund from the Authorize.Net dashboard.

Manual refunds

Refunds in the Authorize.Net dashboard sync via payment.refund.created. The payment is marked refunded; subscription handling follows your gateway refund behavior setting.

Transactions held for review

Authorize.Net may hold a charge for review. The payment stays pending until a webhook approves or captures it; declined fraud events can fail or expire the subscription per your settings.

Test mode

Since the Sandbox environment is completely separate from the live production environment, it requires its own set of credentials. For testing purposes, you will need to create a Sandbox account here:https://developer.authorize.net/hello_world/sandbox/

If you are connected in Test mode, you can test the integration using test credit cards that Authoirze.Net provides:

Card Brand	Test Card Number
American Express	370000000000002
China UnionPay	6221499053360818
Discover	6011000000000012
JCB	3088000000000017
Diners Club / Carte Blanche	38000000000006
Visa	44012888818888
Mastercard	5424000000000015

The following test credit card numbers can only be used in the Sandbox environment. When testing, use any expiration date in the future.

If a card security code (CVV/CVC) is required, you may use any 3-digit number for Visa, Mastercard, China UnionPay, Discover, Diners Club, and JCB cards. For American Express cards, please use any 4-digit number.

You can learn more about doing Test payments with Stripe on their website.