APPROVAL RATE OPTIMIZATION
A declined payment isn’t always a lost customer. We analyze authorization patterns to uncover avoidable declines and protect legitimate revenue.
Not all declines are fraud.
Insufficient funds
Issuer response
Do not honor
Issuer response
AVS mismatch
Address verification result
Find patterns. Investigate the reason.
A response is a starting point—not a diagnosis.
The goal is not to approve every transaction. The goal is to understand avoidable declines.
PAYMENT INSIGHTS
Look beneath your overall approval rate to see where payments break down.
Compare segments to find where to investigate next.
OVERALL APPROVAL RATE
68.32%
The average is only the starting point.
ILLUSTRATIVE SAMPLE
Compare by transaction type
In this sample, recurring payments have a lower approval rate.
Review them separately before drawing conclusions.
Compare by processor / MID
In this sample, approval rates differ by merchant ID.
Review transaction mix and setup before drawing conclusions.
Compare by issuer
In this sample, approval rates differ by issuer.
Review issuer patterns alongside transaction context.
Sample data only—not customer results.
Choose a segment above to compare.
Transaction type, processor or merchant ID, and issuer can reveal differences hidden by the overall average. These patterns guide investigation; they do not establish the cause of a decline.
Segmentation creates context.
Start with the pattern. Investigate the reason.
All values are illustrative sample data, not customer results or benchmarks. Transaction type, processor or merchant ID (MID), and issuer are independent slices, not a combined breakdown.
Without segment volumes, an overall approval rate cannot be derived from the displayed rates. The overall figure stays constant for context; no paired comparison is presented as calculating it.
Differences identify where to investigate, not the cause of a decline. Compare initial and recurring payments separately, review transaction mix and setup for merchant IDs, and consider issuer patterns alongside transaction context. BIN, country, decline reason, and time period can add further context.
UNDERSTANDING DECLINES
Understanding the reason helps you choose a better next step.
Review the response before deciding how to proceed.
01 / REVIEW THE RESPONSE
Potentially recoverable
A temporary issue may have a path forward.
Review before retrying.
Follow issuer guidance and applicable retry rules. A retry is not guaranteed to be approved.
02 / CHANGE THE APPROACH
A different method may be needed
Repeating the same payment may not help.
Stop blind retries.
Request a new payment method when the response calls for it.
Examples only. Next steps depend on the specific issuer response and applicable rules.
Different reasons. Different next steps.
THE WHOLE PAYMENT ENVIRONMENT
Approvals are shaped by more than one provider or setting. We review the setup, the controls, and what happens after the first payment.
01 / THE FOUNDATION
What is configured—and what is sent.
02 / THE CONTROLS
How risk and identity are evaluated.
03 / THE LIFECYCLE
How saved payment relationships are maintained.
EXAMPLE REVIEW QUESTION
Are the right payment details reaching the next provider?
A gap in one area can create questions elsewhere. Review the connections before choosing a change.
Find the weak link. Review the whole system.
The available options depend on your providers, integrations and payment environment.
Conceptual review framework—not a literal sequence for every transaction.
SUBSCRIPTIONS & RECURRING BILLING
Winning the first payment is one challenge. Keeping future payments flowing means adapting as cards expire, balances change and credentials evolve.
THE START
The customer starts the subscription. Record the initial payment separately from later billing.
A LATER BILLING CYCLE
Cards expire, credentials change, and funds may be unavailable. A previous approval does not guarantee the next one.
THE RESPONSE
Review the decline reason, available credential updates and permitted retry options. Some payments need customer action or a new payment method.
Review again at the next billing cycle
Recovery depends on the response and available tools. It is not guaranteed.
Measure initial and recurring approvals separately.
A strong first-payment result can hide friction in later billing cycles.
Protect the relationship beyond checkout.
From transactions to patterns
Patterns help reveal where performance differs—and which questions deserve a closer look.
Illustrative sample data
01 / Compare accounts
Share of attempts approved.
| Merchant ID | Approval rate |
|---|---|
| MID A | 88% |
| MID B | 82% |
| MID CReview the difference. | 74% |
What to investigate
Does transaction mix or setup differ across these accounts?
02 / Read the responses
Share of declined attempts.
| Decline reason | Share |
|---|---|
| Insufficient funds | 34% |
| Do not honor | 26% |
| Invalid account | 14% |
| Authentication | 11% |
| Other | 15% |
What to investigate
Which responses recur—and what context sits behind them?
03 / Separate the lifecycle
Approval rates by payment type.
What to investigate
Are later billing cycles facing different friction?
A pattern points to a question. It does not prove the cause.
Use the data to decidewhere to investigate.
Review differences alongside transaction context before testing a change.
Illustrative sample data for explanation only—not customer results or benchmarks. Each comparison is a separate view.
From insight to next steps
For businesses using multiple processors or merchant accounts, analysis can help identify whether routing deserves further investigation.
Compare the fit before changing the path.
Available options depend on your technology, agreements and underwriting.
Illustrative routing review
Payment context
Review the business and transaction requirements.
Path A
ComparePath B
Review the fitPath C
CompareA path worth reviewing is not automatically the right path.
Illustrative options—not a live routing recommendation.
Understand the difference before changing the path.
Routing must respect issuer, network, underwriting and risk controls.
Fraud controls & customer experience
Align protection with the way your customers pay.
Review customer friction and fraud exposure together before changing a rule.
Friction affects real purchases.
The aim is to protect legitimate transactions while keeping risk in view.
More friction
The objective
More exposure
What to review
Which rules trigger, which customers are affected, and what happens to fraud and disputes?
Improve approvals while keeping risk in view.
Review approvals, fraud and disputes together.
Conceptual comparison—not customer results or a universal rule setting.
Test. Measure. Decide.
Establish a baseline. Test one controlled change. Compare the whole result.
Illustrative comparison
One controlled change
| Metric | Baseline | Test variation | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approval rate | 68.3% | 72.1% | +3.8 pp |
| Chargeback rate | 0.72% | 0.70% | −0.02 pp |
| Effective cost | 2.84% | 2.86% | +0.02 pp |
pp = percentage points
Approvals increased in this example, while effective cost also rose. Review all three measures before deciding.
Change should earn its place through evidence.
Measure approvals, risk and cost together.
Illustrative figures, not customer results. Testing depends on your technology and payment environment.
From payment data to direction
Start with the records you already have. Connect the details, uncover patterns, and identify what deserves a closer look.
01The inputs
02The review
03What you learn
A clearer review brief
A pattern is a starting point for investigation—not a diagnosis.
Use the data you have. Find the questions that matter.
The scope depends on available records. Issuer-level or BIN-level detail may not be accessible.
The exact analysis depends on what data sources are available. Issuer-level or BIN-level detail is not always accessible.
Illustrative review process. Insights depend on data availability and quality.
Merchant Hub — Being Built
Merchant Hub is being built to help businesses examine authorization performance and identify patterns that may deserve further investigation.
Explore Merchant Hub →
Gather available authorization data, reports and information about the current payment environment.
Identify patterns, potential causes and changes that may be worth testing.
Coordinate approved changes with processors, gateways, billing platforms or other providers when needed.
Measure the results and continue evaluating performance as transaction behavior changes.
Start with the data.
Tell us how you accept payments, what your approval performance looks like and what has changed. We'll help determine where to investigate.
No guaranteed approval-rate claims
Just better visibility and better questions.