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How do I fix the “Could not authorize card: User authentication failed. The account or API user is inactive” error in Acctivate?

Learn how to resolve the “User authentication failed” error in Acctivate caused by an inactive or invalid payment gateway API user account.

When processing a credit card transaction in Acctivate, you may see the following error message:

Could not authorize card: User authentication failed. The account or API user is inactive.

This error occurs when Acctivate cannot connect to your payment processor (for example, QuickBooks Payments or Authorize.Net) because the API user account is inactive, disabled, or has invalid credentials.

Common Causes

  • The payment gateway account or API user is inactive, suspended, or disabled.

  • The API login ID, Transaction Key, or Password in Acctivate is incorrect or outdated.

  • The payment processor’s API credentials were reset but not updated in Acctivate.

  • Network or firewall settings are blocking communication between Acctivate and the payment processor.

Steps to Resolve

  1. Verify the status of your payment gateway account

    • Log in to your payment processor’s online portal (e.g., Authorize.Net or QuickBooks Payments).

    • Confirm that the account and the API user are active.

    • If the account or API user is inactive, contact your payment processor’s support team to reactivate it.

  2. Check and update API credentials in Acctivate

    • In Acctivate, go to:
      File → Configuration Management → Payment Processing → Gateways

    • Select your configured payment gateway.

    • Verify the API Login ID, Transaction Key, and any other required credentials.

    • Re-enter or update these credentials using the correct values from your payment processor’s portal.

    • Click Save when done.

  3. Test the connection

    • After updating the credentials, process a $0.01 test transaction or perform an authorization only transaction to verify successful communication.

    • If the transaction is authorized successfully, normal card processing should resume.

  4. Check firewall or antivirus settings (if the issue persists)

    • Ensure Acctivate and the payment gateway’s API URLs are not being blocked by your firewall or antivirus software.

    • You may need to add exceptions for Acctivate or the payment gateway’s domain.

  5. Restart Acctivate and retry the transaction

    • Close and reopen Acctivate, then try processing a card payment again to confirm the issue is resolved.

Expected Result

Acctivate successfully authorizes and processes credit card transactions without displaying the authentication error.

Actual Result (Before Fix)

Acctivate displays the message:

“Could not authorize card: User authentication failed. The account or API user is inactive.”

Additional Notes

If your payment processor recently changed security requirements or rotated API keys, you’ll need to update those credentials in Acctivate immediately to restore functionality.

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