Address Verification Settings (AVS Rules)

Address Verification Settings let you control whether transactions are approved or rejected based on the AVS response returned by the card issuer. AVS compares the billing street address and ZIP/postal code entered by the customer to what the issuer has on file.

These rules help reduce fraud by blocking transactions where address information does not meet your requirements.

How Address Verification Works

  • Rules can be set per processor
  • Separate rules can be applied for US and non-US transactions
  • Each checkbox represents an AVS response code
  • Any response you select will reject the transaction

Important:
These are block rules, not allow rules. Selecting a checkbox means the transaction will be rejected if that AVS response is returned.

Understanding the AVS Rule Sections

General AVS Responses

These cover uncommon cases such as:

  • AVS system unavailable
  • AVS not supported by the issuer
  • Error responses

You can choose to reject transactions for these responses if you want stricter controls.

Street Address Matches

These rules apply when the street address matches, but ZIP code results vary.

Important note:
Rejecting a full address and ZIP match will block legitimate transactions and is rarely recommended.

More commonly used:

  • Reject when street matches but ZIP does not match

Street Address Does Not Match

These rules apply when the street address fails, regardless of ZIP result.

Common approach:

  • Reject any transaction where the street address does not match
  • Optionally require ZIP to match as well

This enforces a stricter AVS policy and can reduce fraud risk.

Optional Setting: First Transaction Only

You can choose to:

  • Require AVS matching only on the first transaction
  • If the first transaction passes, future transactions for that card will not be checked against AVS rules

This is useful for repeat customers while still validating new cards.

Save and Review Changes

  1. Select the AVS response codes you want to reject
  2. Click Save
  3. Use Show History to view:
    • What rules were changed
    • When the change occurred
    • Which user made the change

Note:
Address Verification Settings apply only to eCommerce and MOTO transactions. They do not apply to card-present retail transactions.

Video Walkthrough

Watch the video below for a full walkthrough of configuring Address Verification rules and reviewing AVS history in the EPD Gateway: