Configuring and Troubleshooting with Authorize.net

Initial Setup Video Instructions

Detailed Instructions

To get started, navigate to the Settings menu in MemberPress and select payments.

1. Click the (+) button and select a new gateway, "Authorize.net"
2. You can name it whatever you like. However, this is the name your users will see when they select how to pay. Therefore, we recommend something like, "Pay with Credit Card".
3. Go to your Authorize.net dashboard to obtain the necessary keys: API Login ID, Transaction Key, and Signature Key.
4. In Authorize.net Account settings, select API Credentials & Keys under Security Settings.
5. Copy and paste your API Login ID into the MemberPress settings.
6. Copy and paste the Transaction Key into the MemberPress settings.
7. Copy and paste the Signature Key into the MemberPress settings.
8. Copy the Webhook URL from MemberPress, and paste it into Authorize.net > Account > Business Settings > Webhooks. Make sure its status is set to "Active" and that it's configured to send for All Events. You can name it whatever you'd like, but we recommend "MemberPress Webhook".
9. Note: The Usernames field shown in the video above has been removed and is no longer needed as of MemberPress version 1.3.51.
10. Run tests for both Recurring (ARB) subscriptions and Non-Recurring (AIM) subscriptions to ensure everything is working properly.

Use Sandbox mode only if you have a sandbox.authorize.net account. This will allow you to make sure everything works without charging any real cards. To get a Sandbox account, you'll first need to sign up at developer.authorize.net. If you've been using Sandbox mode and you're going live, be sure to update your API Login ID, Transaction Key, Signature Key, and Webhook URL for your live account as mentioned above.

Use Force SSL if your site can be viewed in both http and https. Doing so will automatically switch to https when a user is going to pay so that the transaction is secure.

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Authorize.net Gateway Capabilities

• Process One-Time Payments
• Process Recurring Payments
• Process Refunds
• Change credit card for Recurring Subscription
• Process Free/Paid Trial Periods
• Credit card Expiring Reminders Supported

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Once you connected Authorize.net to MemberPress, you're ready to receive live payments from your members. You can find more details on how to manage subscriptions and transactions with Authorize.net in our related document.

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Troubleshooting Common Issues

Error "Email Required"

If you get an error that the Email field is required, edit your Payment Form settings in your Authorize.net account, and make sure "Email" is not a required field.

If you've done that, and you still get the error, your processor may require an email address. This custom snippet of code will help: https://gist.github.com/cartpauj/220884f8a69704b30c685e2ef3a5166c

The above code can be pasted into a plugin like the WPCode plugin (please check this article for details: How to add custom code snippets in WPCode).

Error "The merchant login ID or password is invalid or the account is inactive"

If your customers are getting that error while trying to pay for a membership, and if the login ID and password are entered correctly, you'll need to check whether your Authorize.net account is in the Test (Sandbox) Mode. If it is, make it live.

Please refer to this tutorial or contact Authorize.net support.

Transaction Not Being Received After Recurring Subscription Signup

Recurring Subscriptions are billed through ARB at around 2 AM PST. As long as you've configured your integration as outlined in the setup instructions above, your transactions should come through sometime around or just after 2 AM PST. MemberPress validates the user's credit card before setting up the subscription, so payment failures are uncommon, though still possible.

Verify that your gateway is set up properly, then contact support if you continue to have trouble.

$1 Transaction Being VOIDed Immediately

When a user signs up for a Recurring membership, MemberPress does a $1 AUTH_ONLY transaction through AIM to verify that the credit card is good. The $1 AUTH_ONLY transaction is then voided, and the ARB subscription is created. The actual subscription payment should come through around 2 AM PST after ARB has processed it.

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