Error E00009 - generated for payment request issued on the Production Host while in Test Mode

[EddieLascu88CNP]

We are very close to switching our newly developed system on. That means reconfiguring all our applications to point to the Authorize.Net Production host, using the Production credentials (API Login ID and Transaction Key) provided and redirecting to the Production Hosted Page for payment profile creation.

Our client still has the Merchant Account in Test Mode and they have asked us to run a couple of transactions, just so that we confirm the credentials we were provided do work. The Client was told (while setting up the Merchant Account) that the account will stay in Test Mode until they decide to switch it on to Live. The client was told that any transactions issued while the Merchant Account is still in Test Mode will not involve any money, but the transactions will be "approved" as long as the payment profile was created correctly and the peyment request is valid.

I went ahead and purchased some pre-paid gift credit cards (MasterCard and VISA) and created a customer profile for one of the accounts we have setup in the system. I went ahead and added a payment profile using one of the gift credit cards I had and then I issued a payment request from our system. The payment request was issued for the customer profile and the payment profile I just created. The response I got was Error code E00009 - The payment gateway account is in Test Mode. The request cannot be processed. This contradicts the thing the client was told while setting up the Merchant Account and also contradicts what I have read on this forum, regarding the behavior of a merchant account while in Test Mode. If none of the transactions are "approved" in Test Mode, what is the meaning of having a Test Mode all together?

Am I missing something?

TIA,

Eddie

[RaynorC1emen7]

Not sure who told your client

but here

https://community.developer.authorize.net/t5/The-Authorize-Net-Developer-Blog/Sandbox-Accounts-vs-Li...

"We also offer a Test Mode option on all live accounts which allows you to test connecting to the production environment."

"Transactions that are run in the production environment in Test Mode are not stored anywhere and will return a transaction ID of zero. "

[EddieLascu88CNP]

Right, thanks for the link. It clarifies somehow the differences between the Live mode and the Test mode. What we are getting is a resultCode = Error and I thought I would get an OK.

The only thing the client wanted to verify is that the credentials they have will work. I suppose that by being able to create payment profiles, we have proved that the credentials do work.

One last question, once the Merchant Account is swithced to Live mode, can it be switched back to Test mode?

[EddieLascu88CNP]

Re: "Transactions that are run in the production environment in Test Mode are not stored anywhere and will return a transaction ID of zero."

I am not seeing this. In the response I am getting back, the resultCode is "Error" and the directResponse field (which normally contains the Transaction ID" is null. So more discrepancies between what the documentation is saying and what the reality is.

[RaynorC1emen7]

There are different level of error, one from a transactions, another is from authorize.net

the resultCode is "Error" and the directResponse field (which normally contains the Transaction ID" is null.

That from authorize.net because it caught it at the CIM before sending it to the processor.

One last question, once the Merchant Account is swithced to Live mode, can it be switched back to Test mode?

as far as I know, yes.