Reviewed October 17, 2026. This operational guide replaces an earlier general overview. The original publication date and URL are retained.
A processor approval, captured sale and funded deposit answer different questions. Trace the references between those stages before treating a missing amount as a pricing problem.
Create a stage-by-stage reference map
Choose one order and record its internal identifier, authorization reference, capture reference and settlement or deposit reference. Ask the provider which references persist across its exports and which change between systems. Mark a field as unavailable rather than using a customer name as an improvised matching key. Keep transaction amounts and currencies attached to each stage.
Test a changed final amount
Use a provider-supported test in which a $100 authorization is followed by an $80 capture. The authorization shows the requested amount, while the capture records the submitted sale. Determine how the unused amount and subsequent status appear in the application. Do not expect the original authorization amount to reconcile directly to the deposit without examining what was actually captured.
Follow the capture into the deposit
Locate the capture in its settlement batch, then trace any refunds, fees or withheld amounts to the net deposit. An $80 capture does not imply an $80 bank credit if the batch contains additional adjustments. Check the source export’s definition and date convention instead of joining two reports solely because their timestamps look similar. Keep unmatched records in an exception list.
Assign each missing join to an owner
Distinguish a missing identifier from a delayed event and an incorrect amount. Ask the gateway owner about authorization-to-capture gaps and the settlement provider about batch-to-bank gaps. Visa’s merchant fee material helps distinguish interchange from the broader merchant discount; it is not a substitute for your account’s transaction trace. The finished output should be a reference map and a named owner for each unresolved connection.
Sources and related reading
Primary reference: Visa’s merchant fee information. Examples and worksheets are illustrative operational analysis, not reported client results.
Continue with the AMS Florida merchant reading path and merchant technology decision worksheet.
