The short answer
- It runs through the Brightpearl Payments app. You turn the app on in Brightpearl's App Store, then link Authorize.Net to a payment method.
- You can hold a payment and capture it on shipping. Brightpearl can capture automatically when the first shipment goes out, or staff can capture later in bulk.
- Authorize.Net holds an authorization for 30 days at most. After that it expires and the funds are not collected.
- Staff need permission to take payments. Each person who processes Authorize.Net payments must be added in the app's permissions.
- Plan one Authorize.Net account per currency. If you sell in CAD and USD, check with Brightpearl how a second account would connect.
How a payment travels
A phone order is the clearest case. Your staff key the card into Brightpearl against the order. The Payments app sends it to Authorize.Net. The processor approves it, and the money settles to your bank.
- Order taken
- Card authorized in Brightpearl
- Order ships
- Payment captured
- Journals updated
| Step | Where it happens | Who controls it |
|---|---|---|
| Order created, card entered | Brightpearl back office | You and your staff |
| Card sent for approval | Brightpearl Payments app to Authorize.Net | Brightpearl (the connector) |
| Approval and hold on the card | Authorize.Net and the processor | Authorize.Net, the processor |
| Capture when the order ships | Brightpearl, automatically or in bulk | You, through Brightpearl's settings |
| Settlement and deposit | Processor to your bank | The processor, your merchant account |
| Journals updated | Brightpearl accounting | Brightpearl |
What Brightpearl does with Authorize.Net
| Feature | What Brightpearl's documentation says |
|---|---|
| Payments on orders and accounts | Take payments against sales orders or customer accounts in the back office |
| Phone and mail orders | Back office (MOTO, mail or telephone order) payments are supported |
| Authorize, then capture | Choose authorize only, authorize and capture, or let staff choose each time |
| Capture on shipping | Capture automatically when the first shipment is made, or manually in bulk |
| Refunds | Refund a payment taken through the app, against returns, credits or customer accounts |
| Pay now links | Customers pay quotes, orders and invoices from a link in the emailed document |
| Saved cards | Optional, stored in the payment provider's vault |
| Card checks | Require a billing address (AVS) and require the CVC again on saved cards |
| Accounting | Journals update when an order is paid or refunded, if a bank account is set on the payment method |
| Staff controls | Permissions per staff member and per transaction type |
| Not documented | In-person card payments through Authorize.Net, Level 2 or Level 3 data, and connecting more than one Authorize.Net account |
Canada and Canadian dollars
Brightpearl's Authorize.Net page and help articles do not mention Canada. Authorize.Net itself works for Canadian businesses. It needs a merchant account from a Canadian or US provider, and it lists four processors that settle in CAD. See Authorize.Net in Canada.
Each Authorize.Net account is set to one currency. Brightpearl handles currency at the order level. Its help centre says the payment currency matches the order, and Brightpearl converts it to your base currency for the books. If the gateway works in a different currency, Brightpearl says the provider converts at its own rate. The two rates may not match, and someone must post the gain or loss by hand. For a Canadian seller, the cleanest set-up is a CAD Authorize.Net account for CAD orders.
CleverPays can open both, a CAD Authorize.Net account and a USD one, and add American Express to them.
Limits to know before you rely on it
- Authorizations expire after 30 days. Authorize.Net holds an authorize-only payment for 30 days at most. A backorder that ships later needs a new authorization.
- The docs disagree on partial capture. Brightpearl's Authorize.Net article says Authorize.Net only supports capturing in full, at the first shipment. Its newer Payments introduction lists auto-capture of partial payments for partial shipments as Authorize.Net only. Confirm with Brightpearl before you split shipments.
- Connect as the account owner. Brightpearl says to log in to Authorize.Net as the account owner when you authenticate. Another user role lands on the dashboard instead. If you reconnect, use the same account.
- No bank account, no accounting. If the payment method has no bank account set, Brightpearl creates no accounting for the payments.
- The ACH option is a US bank payment. Brightpearl can switch on Authorize.Net's ACH. That runs on the US ACH network, not Canadian pre-authorized debit. See eCheck is not Canadian PAD.
- The PayPal toggle is not recommended. Brightpearl advises against enabling PayPal through Authorize.Net and points to its own PayPal Commerce connection.
Who this fits
These are example business types, not customers.
A multichannel retailer shipping from one warehouse
A Canadian home-goods seller lists on its own store and on marketplaces, and takes phone orders too. Staff authorize the card when the order is placed. Brightpearl captures it when the warehouse ships. Refunds post against the return, and the journals follow.
A wholesaler billing trade accounts
A distributor of café supplies in Ontario sells to restaurants on terms. Accounts staff take on-account payments by phone and email pay now links on invoices. Permissions keep refunds with the controller.
Changing the processor behind Brightpearl
Authorize.Net says a processor change does not affect your website or API connection. So the Brightpearl Payments link to that same Authorize.Net account should stay in place. Cards saved in that account's vault stay too. Plan for the rest. Refunds on old sales go to the new processor. Capture or void open authorizations before the switch, and keep the old merchant account open for late refunds. See Keep Authorize.Net, change the processor.
Where CleverPays fits
Brightpearl owns the Payments app and its Authorize.Net connector. Authorize.Net runs the gateway. The processor approves and settles each payment. CleverPays does not make, certify or support Brightpearl.
We can review your current statement with you. We can open the Authorize.Net account and the Canadian merchant account behind it. We can connect it to Brightpearl with you and test a payment, a capture on shipping, a refund and the first deposit. After launch we can stay your contact, in English and French. We can also open a USD account and add American Express.
Sources
- Brightpearl: Authorize.Net integration, read 6 October 2026
- Brightpearl: Payments app, read 6 October 2026
- Brightpearl help centre: Brightpearl Payments, Authorize.net, last published 13 January 2023, read 6 October 2026
- Brightpearl help centre: Brightpearl Payments, introduction, last published 18 May 2026, read 6 October 2026
- Brightpearl help centre: installing and configuring Brightpearl Payments, read 6 October 2026
- Authorize.Net: transaction types, read 6 October 2026
- Authorize.Net: processors and currencies, read 6 October 2026
- Authorize.Net: what happens when you update your processor, read 6 October 2026
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