Guide
The address check and the three-digit code are simple tools that catch a surprising amount of fraud on card-not-present sales.
✓ Installed by our team and supported by phone. Rates and equipment are quoted to your business.
Merchant Fund Express explains payments in plain English so owners can make better decisions about equipment and processing.
The address check and the three-digit code are simple tools that catch a surprising amount of fraud on card-not-present sales.
AVS compares the billing address numbers the customer gives you to what the card issuer has on file. CVV is the security code on the card, which is not stored by merchants and is hard for a thief with only a number to guess.
Neither is perfect, but together they make a stolen number much less useful.
Compares the billing address to the issuer's record.
Confirms the customer has the physical card.
They stop many casual attempts.
A match is not a guarantee.
A florist sees a large online order with a mismatched zip code. She calls the customer, confirms the details and sends the order; the same check on another order catches a stolen card.
If a term on your paperwork does not match what is written here, ask for it to be explained in writing. A good provider will happily walk through it, and a free statement review is an easy place to start.
If this is new to you, treat it as a vocabulary lesson, not a decision. The decisions come later, with a statement in front of you and a person who can explain the lines, and the words on this page are enough to follow that conversation.
Most owners only need to understand this once, at the moment a number on a statement or a clause in an agreement stops making sense. Having the idea clear in advance turns a stressful call into a routine one.
If you would rather hear it from us, call (305) 384-8391. We will walk through the decision with you, quote the equipment and processing for your business and look at your statement while we are at it.
These checks work best as signals, not verdicts. A mismatched zip on a small repeat order from a known customer is usually a typo; the same mismatch on a large first-time order shipped to a different address deserves a call. Decide in advance which combinations you will approve, which you will question and which you will decline, so staff are not improvising on a busy afternoon.
As explained by Merchant Fund Express. Updated 2026.
It depends on your risk tolerance and the order; use judgment.
Yes, typos and address changes happen.
Not usually.
Your virtual terminal or online checkout settings; we help configure it.
There is no published price list because the right number depends on your volume, card mix and devices. Call for a personal quote and a free rate review.
Call (305) 384-8391 and describe how you sell. We will recommend the lightest setup that does the job and tell you honestly if something you were considering is not needed.
Call Merchant Fund Express. We install it, train your staff and stay on the line after launch. Ask for a free rate review while you are at it.
