How do payments by card transactions work?

Lemonway provides its partners with a complete card payment processing solution.

👉 How does a card payment work?
👉 Accepted card networks and supported currencies
👉 Available features and card registration
👉 Transaction statuses
👉 Card pre-authorisation
👉 Payment optimisation
👉 Test cards
👉 Error codes
👉 Refunds
👉 Payment disputes

👉 How does a card payment work?

A card payment works in 4 key steps:

1. Once the cart is confirmed, your customer clicks the payment button on your website or application.
2. A card transaction with a "Pending" status is created on your Dashboard (Type = Inbound / Method = Card / Status = Pending).
3. This click triggers the opening of the payment page, where your customer enters their card details (network, number, expiry date, CVV code) and finalises the payment.
4. The transaction is then updated with the card information (first 4 and last 2 digits, country of issuance, etc.). The status is updated and Lemonway deducts its commission.

👉 Accepted card networks and supported currencies

👉 Available features and card registration

Depending on your contractual configuration, the following features are available:

The one-click and MIT features rely on secure card tokenisation: Lemonway stores card details in a manner compliant with PCI DSS standards and returns a unique identifier (card_id) upon the first payment with registration. This identifier is then used for subsequent transactions, without the customer needing to re-enter their details.

👉 Transaction statuses

❓ My customer claims to have been charged, but the transaction does not show "Success"

In very rare cases (bug during information transmission between your site and our system), a transaction may be debited on the customer's side without showing "Success" on the Dashboard.

In this case, follow these steps:

1. Check the transaction status on your Dashboard — it may still be "Pending" if the update has not yet occurred.
2. If the status remains "Cancelled" or "Error" while the customer has been charged, contact our support team providing: the transaction ID, the amount, the date, and the first 4 / last 2 digits of the card.
3. Our teams carry out an investigation. If the debit is confirmed, the transaction is regularised or a refund is initiated.

👉 Card pre-authorisation

Pre-authorisation is useful when the final transaction amount is unknown at the time of booking (e.g. rental company requiring a deposit, consumption-based billing).

It allows you to:

• Verify the validity of the customer's card
• ❄️ Hold the amount on the card for a maximum period of 6 days (144 hours)

How it works depending on card type:

• Credit card: the amount is blocked against the card's credit limit during the pre-authorisation period
• Debit card: the amount is deducted from the bank account linked to the card

The pre-authorisation appears as a Pay In "Pending" transaction on your Dashboard.

You then have two options:

1. Charge the card (in full or partially) before the deadline expires → the status changes from "Pending" to "Success". If the charged amount is less than the pre-authorised amount, the blocked balance is automatically released.
2. Do nothing → the hold is cancelled at the end of the pre-authorisation period (credit card) or the debit is reversed (debit card).

👉 Payment optimisation

Lemonway has strengthened its card payment processing infrastructure to improve performance for all its partners. These improvements deliver the following benefits:

👉 Test cards (sandbox environment)

In the sandbox environment, use the card numbers below to simulate different payment behaviours. For all test cards, use:

• Expiry date: any future date (e.g. 12/26)
• CVC: any 3-digit code (e.g. 123)

• Successful payments

• Successful payments by country of issuance

• Specific 3D Secure behaviours

• Special authorisation behaviours

• Special behaviours

👉 Error codes

When a card transaction is declined, an error code is visible in the Lemonway Dashboard. This table helps you identify the cause of the refusal and the corrective action to take.

🛡️ Fraud & Security

💳 Card validation errors

🏦 Issuer / Acquirer errors

🔄 Generic declines

⚙️ Gateway errors

🪫 Card status & limits

🔐 Authentication & 3DS

🔑 CVC verification

🎭 Special card states

🔒 Compliance & special situations

👉 Refunds

How do I refund a card transaction?

Lemonway allows you to refund card transactions made by your customers at any time, in full or in part, directly from your Dashboard.

1. In the Dashboard, click on Transactions then All operations.
2. Search for the transaction ID.
3. Click on the ID in the results list.
4. On the Operation details page, click Refund.
5. Enter the full or partial amount to refund, enter your password and click Send.

Once confirmed, the request is submitted. The transaction appears 💬 Pending on your Dashboard, then changes to ✅ Success once processed. It may change to 🚫 PSP Error if the refund cannot be executed (expired card, reported stolen, etc.).

How do I identify a refund in my Dashboard?

1. In the Dashboard, click on Transactions then All operations.
2. Click the filter icon in the Category column.
3. Select Refund and click OK.

👉 Payment disputes

A chargeback occurs when a cardholder disputes a transaction directly with their issuing bank. Unlike a refund initiated by your platform, it is triggered by the customer and may result in a review of the transaction by Lemonway.

👉 See our dedicated article: Chargebacks and disputes

Related articles

• What payment methods and currencies does Lemonway accept?
• What are the transaction statuses?
• What are Pay In and Pay Out?