AVS and CVV Code Reference

AVS (Address Verification Service) and CVV (Card Verification Value) are fraud checks used mainly for card-not-present payments. They do not approve or decline a transaction by themselves. They return verification results from the card issuer that help you judge risk.

AVS compares the billing street address and ZIP/postal code entered at checkout to what the card issuer has on file. The issuer returns an AVS code showing match, partial match, or no match.

CVV checks the card’s security code (3 digits on most cards, 4 on Amex). The issuer returns a CVV code showing whether the code matched.

These results are used to:

• Spot higher-risk transactions

• Support fraud rules and reviews

• Add context when a transaction declines

The chart below lists the AVS and CVV codes and what each one means.