What an Authorize.net Test Card Is

An Authorize.net test card is a card number that the Authorize.net sandbox accepts in place of a real card. Authorize.net publishes these numbers for developers. They work only against a sandbox account and the test API endpoint. They carry no balance, cannot be charged in production, and buy nothing.

Use them to confirm that your integration builds a valid request, handles approvals and declines, and routes error codes to the right screen before you take live traffic.

Prerequisites

• A sandbox account created in the Authorize.net developer portal.
• The sandbox API Login ID and Transaction Key for that account.
• An integration pointed at the test endpoint, apitest.authorize.net, not the live one.
• The account switched to Test Mode in the sandbox Merchant Interface.

Test Card Numbers

• Visa: 4007000000027
• Visa, used by many published lists to return a decline: 4222222222222
• Mastercard: 5424000000000015
• American Express: 370000000000002
• Discover: 6011000000000012
• JCB: 3088000000000017

Supply any expiration date in the future. Supply any three-digit CVV, or any four-digit code for American Express. The sandbox does not check a CVV against an issuer; it returns the result you have configured for the value you send.

Run a Test Transaction

1. Sign in to the sandbox Merchant Interface.
2. Confirm the account sits in Test Mode.
3. Open your checkout page or send a test API request to the sandbox endpoint.
4. Enter one card number from the list above.
5. Enter a future expiration date.
6. Enter a CVV.
7. Submit the transaction.
8. Open the Transaction Detail report in the sandbox.
9. Compare the response code, AVS result, and CVV result against what your code expects.

Testing AVS and CVV Responses

The sandbox returns scripted AVS and CVV responses based on the address and code you submit, which lets you exercise decline paths without a real issuer. The exact value mapping is updated from time to time, so read the current test transaction page in the developer documentation and use the values listed there rather than hardcoding assumptions. Assert on the response code your code receives, not on the input you typed.

Common Problems

• Duplicate transaction error: the sandbox rejects a repeat of the same amount, card, and invoice number inside a short window. Change the amount or the invoice number.
• Card rejected outright: the request is hitting the live endpoint or using live credentials.
• No transaction in the report: the account is not in Test Mode, or the request was sent to production.
• Fields rejected: test cards still require a valid expiration format, a billing ZIP, and a numeric amount.

Limits and Legal Notes

Test card numbers have no value and fail outside the sandbox. Real card data belongs only in a PCI DSS compliant environment with encryption in transit and at rest. Using another person's card details without permission is a federal crime in the United States under 18 U.S.C. 1029, and possession of card data with intent to use it carries the same exposure. Never paste live card numbers into a sandbox account, and never enable Test Mode on a production account that is handling real orders.