Difference between Authorize.Net Gateway Modes?

[ZLA]

For Authorize.Net, I can choose from the following gateway modes:

• Production Gateway, Live Mode - used for processing live transactions with a production merchant account.
• Production Gateway, Test Mode - used for testing transactions with a production merchant account.
• Test Gateway, Live Mode - used to test live transactions with a test merchant account.
• Test Gateway, Test Mode - used for specific test results with a test merchant account.

1. What are the differences between using a test merchant account versus a production merchant account in test mode?
2. What are the differences between Live Mode and Test Mode for the Test Gateway?
3. Are there any negatives with just testing via the production merchant account in test mode rather than using a test merchant account?

Thank you.

[mazhar]

AbleCommerce help topic
http://help.ablecommerce.com/mergedProj ... teways.htm

[ZLA]

Thanks Mazhar. Do you know if the production and test gateways require separate API logins or are they both accessed from the same login? Also, can you answer question 3 I posed? Thanks again.

[Logan Rhodehamel]

They are separate merchant logins. Unless you have arranged for a test account, you can't use that mode. Test accounts are generally given out if you are going to do some kind of integration. For your testing, you almost certainly want to use a production gateway in test mode because that is the kind of account you have. But beware, in test mode the rules for A*net are different - whether you get an approval or a decline depends on the cents amount of the transaction I believe.

[ZLA]

Thanks Mazhar. I'm not too worried about the testing since we haven't customized any gateway logic. As long as we can process a success and a failure, that should validate the account credentials. Based on other posts, I've already configured the receipt conlib with handlefailedpayments="true".

Let me know if I should be testing anything else in regards to the Authorize.Net gateway.