Statement Descriptors

Statement descriptors clarify payments on customer statements. By using clear, accurate descriptors, businesses can help customers recognize transactions, reducing the likelihood of disputes.

Statement Descriptor Requirements

A complete statement descriptor must meet the following requirements:

• Reflects the merchant’s Doing Business As (DBA) name
• Contains only Latin characters
• Contains between 1 and 20 characters:
  • Descriptors for card payments have a 20-character limit, including any prefixes
  • Descriptors for bank-to-bank payments have a 12-character limit
• Doesn’t contain any of the following special characters: <, >, \, ', ", *
• Contains more than a single common term or common website URL; a website URL is acceptable only if it provides a clear and accurate description of a transaction on a customer’s statement

Manage Statement Descriptors

Configure statement descriptor

The merchant will be prompted to configure their default statement descriptor when completing their merchant application.

A dynamic descriptor can also be configured by setting a statement_descriptor_suffix in the Payment IntentsAPI. When provided, this dynamic descriptor overrides the merchant’s default descriptor.

For North merchants, dynamic descriptors must be enabled at the account level. To enable dynamic descriptors for a North merchant, email support@paydude.io.

View statement descriptor

To view a merchant’s statement descriptor in the Dashboard:

1. Navigate to Merchants
2. Select the respective merchant
3. Select the Processing Details tab
4. Locate the General widget for the desired payment method

If a dynamic statement descriptor is being used, the descriptor can be viewed within the Payment Details page.

Update statement descriptor

To update a merchant’s statement descriptor, email support@paydude.io with the new descriptor.