Payment Method Verification
Verify payment methods before you charge or pay out — to confirm ownership, reduce declines, and prevent fraud.
Verification confirms that a payment method is valid and belongs to the person using it. Every
payment method carries a verification_status, and how a method is verified depends on its
type: cards use security-code and address checks, while bank accounts use Plaid or Payload's
built-in verification.
Verification Status
Every payment method has a verification_status field with one of three values:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
not_verified | Verification was not performed or is not available. |
verified | The payment method details were confirmed. |
owner_verified | The details were confirmed and matched to the account owner. |
By Payment Method Type
Cards
Cards are verified with CVV (the security code) and AVS (Address Verification) — the billing address and security code are checked against the card issuer's records at creation time. See Card AVS.
Bank Accounts
Bank accounts are verified through Plaid or Payload's built-in verification, confirming the account details and, where possible, ownership. See Bank Account Verification.
Synthetic accounts need no external verification — their balances exist entirely within Payload.
Why Verify
- Reduce declines — catch invalid details before charging.
- Prevent fraud — confirm the payer owns the payment method (
owner_verified). - Reduce rejects — verified bank accounts are less likely to return. See Bank Rejects.
Related Topics
- Card AVS - Address and security-code verification for cards
- Bank Account Verification - Plaid and built-in verification for bank accounts
- Payment Method Types - The payment method object and its shared fields