Why does a Purchase Authorization Record matter?

It gives merchants a clearer pre-payment evidence trail than relying on post-sale messages, screenshots, or delivery proof alone.

What does a PAR usually include?

A PAR usually includes merchant context, transaction context, approval timing, device and session evidence, and a record identifier that can be shared in dispute review.

Pre-Payment Evidence

What is a Purchase Authorization Record?

Q: What is a Purchase Authorization Record?

A Purchase Authorization Record is a structured record showing that a buyer approved a specific purchase before payment was taken.

A Purchase Authorization Record, or PAR, is a structured record showing that a buyer approved a specific purchase before payment was taken. It is meant to give merchants a clearer evidence trail than trying to reconstruct intent later from screenshots, messages, or delivery updates.

View example PAR Start using Onfinga

Why Purchase Authorization Records matter

Many merchants only discover the evidence gap after a transaction is challenged. By then, they may have messages, order notes, delivery proof, or screenshots, but not a standardized approval record created at the moment the buyer committed to the purchase.

A Purchase Authorization Record is valuable because it is created at the point of approval, not assembled after the fact.

What a PAR usually includes

Merchant and order context
Amount, currency, and timestamps
Buyer approval event details
Device or session-linked evidence
A record ID that can be referenced later

When a Purchase Authorization Record should be created

The useful moment is before payment is captured. If approval is only inferred later, the merchant is left arguing from fragments. A PAR works best when it sits between the buyer’s intent to continue and the payment authorization step that follows.

The buyer reviews the purchase.
The buyer approves the purchase.
The Purchase Authorization Record is created.
The payment flow continues.

How Onfinga uses Purchase Authorization Records

Onfinga places a buyer approval step before payment, records the authorization event, and produces a Purchase Authorization Record that merchants can retrieve later. The goal is not to replace the payment processor. The goal is to make sure approval exists as a first-class record before payment is completed.

That means merchants can share a clearer evidence package when a bank, PSP, or review team asks what proves the buyer actually approved the purchase.

Purchase Authorization Record vs screenshots and chats

Screenshots, chat logs, and email threads can still help with context, but they are usually secondary evidence. A Purchase Authorization Record is stronger because it is designed around the transaction itself and the buyer approval event that happened before payment.

That is why a PAR is not just another screenshot. It is a structured pre-payment record.

Common questions about Purchase Authorization Records

Is a Purchase Authorization Record the same as proof of delivery?

No. Delivery proof shows what happened after payment and fulfillment. A Purchase Authorization Record is about the buyer approval that happened before payment.

Does a PAR guarantee a dispute outcome?

No single record can guarantee an outcome, but a PAR gives merchants a clearer approval record than relying only on post-sale evidence.

Can a PAR work with an existing checkout?

Yes. Onfinga is designed to sit in front of an existing payment flow so the merchant can keep the current checkout path while adding a pre-payment approval record.