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Accept contactless payments right on your iPhone with the Mollie app
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Embedded payments
Grow your business
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About Mollie
Tap to Pay on iPhone
Accept contactless payments right on your iPhone with the Mollie app
Accept payments
Embedded payments
Grow your business
Technical resources
About Mollie
Understanding Payment Rates: Your Complete Guide
Understanding Payment Rates: Your Complete Guide
Understanding Payment Rates: Your Complete Guide
Authorization, acceptance, conversion... Understanding the differences can be a real challenge. This guide demystifies these concepts with simple and quick explanations.
Authorization, acceptance, conversion... Understanding the differences can be a real challenge. This guide demystifies these concepts with simple and quick explanations.
Jan 16, 2024
The Authentication Rate
In the online payment universe, the authentication rate acts like a goalkeeper. It ensures that those attempting to pay are really who they claim to be. This is where the famous 3DS comes into play.
3D Secure (3DS) adds an extra layer of security, usually through additional verification (or double authentication), like validating the transaction through a banking app. It's a crucial step to ensure that the person using the credit card is the legitimate owner.
3DS identification is a primary source of payment failure, so it's essential to minimize its impact while limiting fraud. The authentication rate measures the effectiveness of this process: the higher it is, the more confident you can be that the transactions on your site are legitimate. A good authentication rate stops fraudulent attempts while allowing secure payments.
For the examples in this guide, we assume that 100% face a 3DS request. You can learn more about 3DS exemption later in the section “How to Improve My Conversion Rate”.
The authentication rate is calculated by dividing the number of successfully authenticated payments by the total payments that required authentication.
For instance, the fictional e-merchant ABC notices that out of 100 payment attempts, 95 pass authentication. Therefore, its authentication rate is 95%.
In the online payment universe, the authentication rate acts like a goalkeeper. It ensures that those attempting to pay are really who they claim to be. This is where the famous 3DS comes into play.
3D Secure (3DS) adds an extra layer of security, usually through additional verification (or double authentication), like validating the transaction through a banking app. It's a crucial step to ensure that the person using the credit card is the legitimate owner.
3DS identification is a primary source of payment failure, so it's essential to minimize its impact while limiting fraud. The authentication rate measures the effectiveness of this process: the higher it is, the more confident you can be that the transactions on your site are legitimate. A good authentication rate stops fraudulent attempts while allowing secure payments.
For the examples in this guide, we assume that 100% face a 3DS request. You can learn more about 3DS exemption later in the section “How to Improve My Conversion Rate”.
The authentication rate is calculated by dividing the number of successfully authenticated payments by the total payments that required authentication.
For instance, the fictional e-merchant ABC notices that out of 100 payment attempts, 95 pass authentication. Therefore, its authentication rate is 95%.
In the online payment universe, the authentication rate acts like a goalkeeper. It ensures that those attempting to pay are really who they claim to be. This is where the famous 3DS comes into play.
3D Secure (3DS) adds an extra layer of security, usually through additional verification (or double authentication), like validating the transaction through a banking app. It's a crucial step to ensure that the person using the credit card is the legitimate owner.
3DS identification is a primary source of payment failure, so it's essential to minimize its impact while limiting fraud. The authentication rate measures the effectiveness of this process: the higher it is, the more confident you can be that the transactions on your site are legitimate. A good authentication rate stops fraudulent attempts while allowing secure payments.
For the examples in this guide, we assume that 100% face a 3DS request. You can learn more about 3DS exemption later in the section “How to Improve My Conversion Rate”.
The authentication rate is calculated by dividing the number of successfully authenticated payments by the total payments that required authentication.
For instance, the fictional e-merchant ABC notices that out of 100 payment attempts, 95 pass authentication. Therefore, its authentication rate is 95%.
In the online payment universe, the authentication rate acts like a goalkeeper. It ensures that those attempting to pay are really who they claim to be. This is where the famous 3DS comes into play.
3D Secure (3DS) adds an extra layer of security, usually through additional verification (or double authentication), like validating the transaction through a banking app. It's a crucial step to ensure that the person using the credit card is the legitimate owner.
3DS identification is a primary source of payment failure, so it's essential to minimize its impact while limiting fraud. The authentication rate measures the effectiveness of this process: the higher it is, the more confident you can be that the transactions on your site are legitimate. A good authentication rate stops fraudulent attempts while allowing secure payments.
For the examples in this guide, we assume that 100% face a 3DS request. You can learn more about 3DS exemption later in the section “How to Improve My Conversion Rate”.
The authentication rate is calculated by dividing the number of successfully authenticated payments by the total payments that required authentication.
For instance, the fictional e-merchant ABC notices that out of 100 payment attempts, 95 pass authentication. Therefore, its authentication rate is 95%.
The Authorization Rate
This rate represents the proportion of transactions that are not only successfully authenticated but also approved by card networks (e.g., Visa, Mastercard, or Carte Bancaire). Your payment service provider (PSP) acts as a middleman between you and the consumer's card. It transfers payment information to the appropriate card network and returns to you to confirm or deny the payment.
A payment can be refused by card networks for several reasons, such as insufficient funds, incorrect card information, expired card, credit limit exceeded, suspicious activity or fraud, or technical issues.
A high authorization rate is a positive sign. It indicates that most transactions are not only secured by 3DS but also accepted by card networks, leading to successful transactions and a smooth user experience. It's crucial for customer trust and the efficiency of online payment operations.
To calculate this rate, start by examining the total number of transactions given the green light after the 3DS authentication step. This number is then divided by the total number of transactions submitted to the card networks after authentication.
For example, let's take the fictional e-merchant ABC again. Out of its 95 authenticated transactions, 92 are approved, resulting in an authorization rate of 96.8%.
This rate represents the proportion of transactions that are not only successfully authenticated but also approved by card networks (e.g., Visa, Mastercard, or Carte Bancaire). Your payment service provider (PSP) acts as a middleman between you and the consumer's card. It transfers payment information to the appropriate card network and returns to you to confirm or deny the payment.
A payment can be refused by card networks for several reasons, such as insufficient funds, incorrect card information, expired card, credit limit exceeded, suspicious activity or fraud, or technical issues.
A high authorization rate is a positive sign. It indicates that most transactions are not only secured by 3DS but also accepted by card networks, leading to successful transactions and a smooth user experience. It's crucial for customer trust and the efficiency of online payment operations.
To calculate this rate, start by examining the total number of transactions given the green light after the 3DS authentication step. This number is then divided by the total number of transactions submitted to the card networks after authentication.
For example, let's take the fictional e-merchant ABC again. Out of its 95 authenticated transactions, 92 are approved, resulting in an authorization rate of 96.8%.
This rate represents the proportion of transactions that are not only successfully authenticated but also approved by card networks (e.g., Visa, Mastercard, or Carte Bancaire). Your payment service provider (PSP) acts as a middleman between you and the consumer's card. It transfers payment information to the appropriate card network and returns to you to confirm or deny the payment.
A payment can be refused by card networks for several reasons, such as insufficient funds, incorrect card information, expired card, credit limit exceeded, suspicious activity or fraud, or technical issues.
A high authorization rate is a positive sign. It indicates that most transactions are not only secured by 3DS but also accepted by card networks, leading to successful transactions and a smooth user experience. It's crucial for customer trust and the efficiency of online payment operations.
To calculate this rate, start by examining the total number of transactions given the green light after the 3DS authentication step. This number is then divided by the total number of transactions submitted to the card networks after authentication.
For example, let's take the fictional e-merchant ABC again. Out of its 95 authenticated transactions, 92 are approved, resulting in an authorization rate of 96.8%.
This rate represents the proportion of transactions that are not only successfully authenticated but also approved by card networks (e.g., Visa, Mastercard, or Carte Bancaire). Your payment service provider (PSP) acts as a middleman between you and the consumer's card. It transfers payment information to the appropriate card network and returns to you to confirm or deny the payment.
A payment can be refused by card networks for several reasons, such as insufficient funds, incorrect card information, expired card, credit limit exceeded, suspicious activity or fraud, or technical issues.
A high authorization rate is a positive sign. It indicates that most transactions are not only secured by 3DS but also accepted by card networks, leading to successful transactions and a smooth user experience. It's crucial for customer trust and the efficiency of online payment operations.
To calculate this rate, start by examining the total number of transactions given the green light after the 3DS authentication step. This number is then divided by the total number of transactions submitted to the card networks after authentication.
For example, let's take the fictional e-merchant ABC again. Out of its 95 authenticated transactions, 92 are approved, resulting in an authorization rate of 96.8%.
The Conversion Rate
The conversion rate represents the payment attempts that end in success. It's perhaps the most important and representative indicator of your performance. It reflects the proportion of successful payments compared to the total number of payment attempts.This rate takes EVERYTHING into account: 3DS identification, blocked/erroneous transactions, and even expired payments, where the customer may have just hesitated a bit too long. And to keep things simple and clear, we don't apply user deduplication – each payment attempt counts, to give you a complete and clear picture of your customers' journey.To calculate this rate, take the total number of successful payments
and divide it by the total number of payment requests. The result is a percentage indicating how effective you are at converting attempts into successes.A high conversion rate is like defeating the final boss in a game: it means you've mastered the art of turning visitors into satisfied buyers. In the e-commerce game, this is one of the keys to winning.For instance, the fictional e-merchant ABC, out of the 100 payment transaction, 94 are converted after authorisation and authentification, yielding a conversion rate of 94%.
The conversion rate represents the payment attempts that end in success. It's perhaps the most important and representative indicator of your performance. It reflects the proportion of successful payments compared to the total number of payment attempts.This rate takes EVERYTHING into account: 3DS identification, blocked/erroneous transactions, and even expired payments, where the customer may have just hesitated a bit too long. And to keep things simple and clear, we don't apply user deduplication – each payment attempt counts, to give you a complete and clear picture of your customers' journey.To calculate this rate, take the total number of successful payments
and divide it by the total number of payment requests. The result is a percentage indicating how effective you are at converting attempts into successes.A high conversion rate is like defeating the final boss in a game: it means you've mastered the art of turning visitors into satisfied buyers. In the e-commerce game, this is one of the keys to winning.For instance, the fictional e-merchant ABC, out of the 100 payment transaction, 94 are converted after authorisation and authentification, yielding a conversion rate of 94%.
The conversion rate represents the payment attempts that end in success. It's perhaps the most important and representative indicator of your performance. It reflects the proportion of successful payments compared to the total number of payment attempts.This rate takes EVERYTHING into account: 3DS identification, blocked/erroneous transactions, and even expired payments, where the customer may have just hesitated a bit too long. And to keep things simple and clear, we don't apply user deduplication – each payment attempt counts, to give you a complete and clear picture of your customers' journey.To calculate this rate, take the total number of successful payments
and divide it by the total number of payment requests. The result is a percentage indicating how effective you are at converting attempts into successes.A high conversion rate is like defeating the final boss in a game: it means you've mastered the art of turning visitors into satisfied buyers. In the e-commerce game, this is one of the keys to winning.For instance, the fictional e-merchant ABC, out of the 100 payment transaction, 94 are converted after authorisation and authentification, yielding a conversion rate of 94%.
The conversion rate represents the payment attempts that end in success. It's perhaps the most important and representative indicator of your performance. It reflects the proportion of successful payments compared to the total number of payment attempts.This rate takes EVERYTHING into account: 3DS identification, blocked/erroneous transactions, and even expired payments, where the customer may have just hesitated a bit too long. And to keep things simple and clear, we don't apply user deduplication – each payment attempt counts, to give you a complete and clear picture of your customers' journey.To calculate this rate, take the total number of successful payments
and divide it by the total number of payment requests. The result is a percentage indicating how effective you are at converting attempts into successes.A high conversion rate is like defeating the final boss in a game: it means you've mastered the art of turning visitors into satisfied buyers. In the e-commerce game, this is one of the keys to winning.For instance, the fictional e-merchant ABC, out of the 100 payment transaction, 94 are converted after authorisation and authentification, yielding a conversion rate of 94%.
The Acceptance Rate
This rate is similar to the conversion rate but with an important distinction: it includes user deduplication, meaning it only considers the final outcome for each unique customer, not every individual attempt.
This metric offers an overview of the overall success of payments but doesn't provide a detailed picture of individual challenges or obstacles customers face during each payment attempt. Therefore, while useful, the acceptance rate doesn't always give complete visibility into the customer journey, unlike the conversion rate.
For example, continuing with the fictional e-merchant ABC, imagine that 3 out of the 92 authorized customers couldn't complete their purchase initially due to insufficient funds. They then decide to use Klarna to pay in three installments without fees, and the purchases are completed. The acceptance rate will record 97.8%, reflecting the final success of the customer in making a payment. However, the conversion rate in this case would be 94.6%, as it considers the customers' two attempts separately. The result is the same, but the conversion rate gives a better understanding of your customers' experience and journey.
This rate is similar to the conversion rate but with an important distinction: it includes user deduplication, meaning it only considers the final outcome for each unique customer, not every individual attempt.
This metric offers an overview of the overall success of payments but doesn't provide a detailed picture of individual challenges or obstacles customers face during each payment attempt. Therefore, while useful, the acceptance rate doesn't always give complete visibility into the customer journey, unlike the conversion rate.
For example, continuing with the fictional e-merchant ABC, imagine that 3 out of the 92 authorized customers couldn't complete their purchase initially due to insufficient funds. They then decide to use Klarna to pay in three installments without fees, and the purchases are completed. The acceptance rate will record 97.8%, reflecting the final success of the customer in making a payment. However, the conversion rate in this case would be 94.6%, as it considers the customers' two attempts separately. The result is the same, but the conversion rate gives a better understanding of your customers' experience and journey.
This rate is similar to the conversion rate but with an important distinction: it includes user deduplication, meaning it only considers the final outcome for each unique customer, not every individual attempt.
This metric offers an overview of the overall success of payments but doesn't provide a detailed picture of individual challenges or obstacles customers face during each payment attempt. Therefore, while useful, the acceptance rate doesn't always give complete visibility into the customer journey, unlike the conversion rate.
For example, continuing with the fictional e-merchant ABC, imagine that 3 out of the 92 authorized customers couldn't complete their purchase initially due to insufficient funds. They then decide to use Klarna to pay in three installments without fees, and the purchases are completed. The acceptance rate will record 97.8%, reflecting the final success of the customer in making a payment. However, the conversion rate in this case would be 94.6%, as it considers the customers' two attempts separately. The result is the same, but the conversion rate gives a better understanding of your customers' experience and journey.
This rate is similar to the conversion rate but with an important distinction: it includes user deduplication, meaning it only considers the final outcome for each unique customer, not every individual attempt.
This metric offers an overview of the overall success of payments but doesn't provide a detailed picture of individual challenges or obstacles customers face during each payment attempt. Therefore, while useful, the acceptance rate doesn't always give complete visibility into the customer journey, unlike the conversion rate.
For example, continuing with the fictional e-merchant ABC, imagine that 3 out of the 92 authorized customers couldn't complete their purchase initially due to insufficient funds. They then decide to use Klarna to pay in three installments without fees, and the purchases are completed. The acceptance rate will record 97.8%, reflecting the final success of the customer in making a payment. However, the conversion rate in this case would be 94.6%, as it considers the customers' two attempts separately. The result is the same, but the conversion rate gives a better understanding of your customers' experience and journey.
Better Differentiating the 'Fab Four'
The authentication, authorization, and conversion rates all represent key moments in the customer journey. It's easy to confuse or not distinguish between the conversion rate and the acceptance rate. The acceptance rate will always be higher as it doesn't show each client's attempt. The conversion rate gives you better visibility into your consumers' payment journey.
If you are looking for a payment partner to help improve your performance, choose one that is transparent and will support you in your growth and in analyzing your performance.
The authentication, authorization, and conversion rates all represent key moments in the customer journey. It's easy to confuse or not distinguish between the conversion rate and the acceptance rate. The acceptance rate will always be higher as it doesn't show each client's attempt. The conversion rate gives you better visibility into your consumers' payment journey.
If you are looking for a payment partner to help improve your performance, choose one that is transparent and will support you in your growth and in analyzing your performance.
The authentication, authorization, and conversion rates all represent key moments in the customer journey. It's easy to confuse or not distinguish between the conversion rate and the acceptance rate. The acceptance rate will always be higher as it doesn't show each client's attempt. The conversion rate gives you better visibility into your consumers' payment journey.
If you are looking for a payment partner to help improve your performance, choose one that is transparent and will support you in your growth and in analyzing your performance.
The authentication, authorization, and conversion rates all represent key moments in the customer journey. It's easy to confuse or not distinguish between the conversion rate and the acceptance rate. The acceptance rate will always be higher as it doesn't show each client's attempt. The conversion rate gives you better visibility into your consumers' payment journey.
If you are looking for a payment partner to help improve your performance, choose one that is transparent and will support you in your growth and in analyzing your performance.
How to Improve My Conversion Rate?
The most important thing to improve your conversion rate is to offer a quick and smooth checkout for your clients, with the most used payment methods by your target audience. If, for instance, many of your transactions fail due to insufficient funds, then offering Buy Now, Pay Later solutions like Klarna or Alma can be beneficial.Another way to improve the purchase journey is by optimizing 3DS authentication. Mollie's Acceptance and Risk tool works by refining the analysis of your transactions. It uses advanced algorithms to assess the risk of each payment, allowing customization of authentication and authorization settings. This customization helps minimize unnecessary interruptions during the payment process while maintaining high security levels.Cosmetics company Respire chose Mollie as a payment partner and uses the Acceptance & Risk tool to optimize 3DS authentication. Over the last 12 months, Respire has seen its payment conversion rate increase by 14.5% and its number of failed transactions decrease by 3%."Alice Lafont, Finance Manager at Respire, says, 'Mollie has simplified managing different payment methods. We offer all the solutions we need and
benefit from personalized support and reporting."With Mollie, you not only have tools to improve your performance but also gain transparency, support, and reliability that make a difference.
Contact the Mollie team to learn more.
The most important thing to improve your conversion rate is to offer a quick and smooth checkout for your clients, with the most used payment methods by your target audience. If, for instance, many of your transactions fail due to insufficient funds, then offering Buy Now, Pay Later solutions like Klarna or Alma can be beneficial.Another way to improve the purchase journey is by optimizing 3DS authentication. Mollie's Acceptance and Risk tool works by refining the analysis of your transactions. It uses advanced algorithms to assess the risk of each payment, allowing customization of authentication and authorization settings. This customization helps minimize unnecessary interruptions during the payment process while maintaining high security levels.Cosmetics company Respire chose Mollie as a payment partner and uses the Acceptance & Risk tool to optimize 3DS authentication. Over the last 12 months, Respire has seen its payment conversion rate increase by 14.5% and its number of failed transactions decrease by 3%."Alice Lafont, Finance Manager at Respire, says, 'Mollie has simplified managing different payment methods. We offer all the solutions we need and
benefit from personalized support and reporting."With Mollie, you not only have tools to improve your performance but also gain transparency, support, and reliability that make a difference.
Contact the Mollie team to learn more.
The most important thing to improve your conversion rate is to offer a quick and smooth checkout for your clients, with the most used payment methods by your target audience. If, for instance, many of your transactions fail due to insufficient funds, then offering Buy Now, Pay Later solutions like Klarna or Alma can be beneficial.Another way to improve the purchase journey is by optimizing 3DS authentication. Mollie's Acceptance and Risk tool works by refining the analysis of your transactions. It uses advanced algorithms to assess the risk of each payment, allowing customization of authentication and authorization settings. This customization helps minimize unnecessary interruptions during the payment process while maintaining high security levels.Cosmetics company Respire chose Mollie as a payment partner and uses the Acceptance & Risk tool to optimize 3DS authentication. Over the last 12 months, Respire has seen its payment conversion rate increase by 14.5% and its number of failed transactions decrease by 3%."Alice Lafont, Finance Manager at Respire, says, 'Mollie has simplified managing different payment methods. We offer all the solutions we need and
benefit from personalized support and reporting."With Mollie, you not only have tools to improve your performance but also gain transparency, support, and reliability that make a difference.
Contact the Mollie team to learn more.
The most important thing to improve your conversion rate is to offer a quick and smooth checkout for your clients, with the most used payment methods by your target audience. If, for instance, many of your transactions fail due to insufficient funds, then offering Buy Now, Pay Later solutions like Klarna or Alma can be beneficial.Another way to improve the purchase journey is by optimizing 3DS authentication. Mollie's Acceptance and Risk tool works by refining the analysis of your transactions. It uses advanced algorithms to assess the risk of each payment, allowing customization of authentication and authorization settings. This customization helps minimize unnecessary interruptions during the payment process while maintaining high security levels.Cosmetics company Respire chose Mollie as a payment partner and uses the Acceptance & Risk tool to optimize 3DS authentication. Over the last 12 months, Respire has seen its payment conversion rate increase by 14.5% and its number of failed transactions decrease by 3%."Alice Lafont, Finance Manager at Respire, says, 'Mollie has simplified managing different payment methods. We offer all the solutions we need and
benefit from personalized support and reporting."With Mollie, you not only have tools to improve your performance but also gain transparency, support, and reliability that make a difference.
Contact the Mollie team to learn more.
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Discover how vertical SaaS platforms are driving growth and unlocking new revenue streams with embedded finance.
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Simplify payments and money management
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Simplify payments and money management
Whether you want to grow internationally or focus on a specific market, everything is possible. Mollie supports all known payment methods, so you can grow your business regardless of location.
Simplify payments and money management
Drive revenue, reduce costs, and manage funds with Mollie.