You are on NMI already, through a translation layer.
The Authorize.Net emulator lets a generic AuthNet plugin talk to an NMI account. It works, and it costs you the vault, the full response data and several features that have no equivalent in the older API.
Most merchants in this position do not realise they have a choice.
What this means for you
The differences that actually affect setup.
You lose the Customer Vault
Emulated stored profiles are limited. Native vault access is what makes one click reorder and reliable subscription renewals possible.
Errors arrive flattened
The emulator maps rich gateway responses onto a smaller set of legacy codes, so declines become harder to diagnose.
Newer features are unavailable
Level III detail, multiple MIDs and current 3D Secure flows are not expressible through the emulated API.
It is one setting away
Your account already exists. You are requesting native credentials for it, not opening anything new.
Setting it up
Have your gateway portal open in another tab.
- Ask your processor for native API credentialsRequest a security key and the direct API endpoint for your existing merchant account. This is a routine request.
- Install alongside, in sandboxSet the new plugin up in sandbox first and run your real flows. Do not disable the old gateway yet.
- Switch, then watch the first dayEnable the new gateway, disable the old one, and check the first few live orders closely. Keep the old plugin installed but inactive for a week.
Plan the stored card question first
Everything else in this migration is mechanical. The one decision that needs thought is what happens to existing saved cards and active subscriptions, so settle that before you change any settings.
Will my existing saved cards transfer?
What about my existing subscriptions?
Is there any downside to switching?
Can you help with the migration?
Start free, upgrade when the store needs it.
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