Address Verification System (AVS)

What is Address Verification System (AVS)?

The Address Verification System is a tool used by merchants to prevent credit card fraud by verifying the billing address provided by the customer against the address on file with the card issuer. The system returns a code indicating whether the numeric portions of the street address and zip code match.

Why It Matters

• It serves as a primary layer of defense against fraudulent transactions where the attacker has card details but not the billing address.

• Matching AVS results can lower the risk of chargebacks and help merchants qualify for lower transaction processing rates.

• It provides an automated way to flag suspicious orders for manual review before they are processed.