Understanding Credit Card Authorization and Payment Flow in NetSuite

NetSuite's credit card processing involves distinct steps for authorization and payment. When NetSuite requests a credit card authorization, the request is transmitted through a payment gateway (e.g., CyberSource) to the credit card processor. If funds are available, the authorized amount is frozen for a period, typically around 30 days, though this can vary by credit card issuer. This ensures funds remain available when the actual payment is processed. It is important to note that multiple authorization requests for the same transaction can incur additional fees from credit card companies and may lead to customer dissatisfaction due to locked funds.When a credit card is authorized, the following fields are updated on the record:

ccapproved: This checkbox is marked to indicate approval.

authcode: An authorization number is stored here.

These fields can also be managed manually. When transforming a sales order into an invoice, administrators can monitor or manually manage these fields to confirm that payment for the invoice has been authorized.

The Payment subtab, which displays payment event activity, is visible on the Billing subtab of a sales order. Information regarding the last payment request is stored in various payment* fields on the record. The paymenteventresult field specifically contains the response from the payment gateway for the credit card request, detailing outcomes such as authorization or payment.