Definitions for "Address Verification System"
Checks to see that the billing address given by the customer matches the credit card. If you opt not to use AVS, VISA and MasterCard will not support your transactions and will charge you an additional 1.25% on those sales. Most merchant accounts come with AVS at no extra charge.
A service supported by Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express that verifies the cardholder's billing address against the one on file with the issuer. The street address and postal code of the billing address are compared to the billing address on file for the credit card. If the address does not match then the transaction is declined. AVS is designed to help combat fraud in non face-to-face transactions.
Process used by a credit card processor or other party to verify that a customer's billing address matches that of their credit card statement.