> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.verifone.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.verifone.com/api-reference/open-api-references/customer/faqs.md).

# faqs

<details>

<summary>What is a Customer and why do I need it?</summary>

The Customer API stores a shopper's personal, shipping, and billing details so they can be reused across payment requests. A customer record is not always required — some payment scenarios work without one — but in most cases at least some shopper data must be provided. Creating a customer record up front makes it easy to attach that data to any future request by passing a single UUID.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Where do I use the customer UUID obtained from the Customer API?</summary>

The customer UUID (returned as `id` in the Create Customer response) can be passed to:

* **Checkout API** — when offering PayPal, Klarna, and other APMs
* **Ecom API** — when APMs or 3DS are involved
* **3D Secure API** — to supply cardholder details for authentication

</details>

<details>

<summary>How does customer information impact fraud scoring?</summary>

Verifone's fraud screening uses the customer record to build as accurate a risk profile as possible. Without a customer record, fraud analysis is limited to transaction-level signals only, reducing the quality and coverage of the fraud score.

</details>

<details>

<summary>How does customer information impact blocking rulesets?</summary>

Certain blocking rulesets rely on customer attributes (e.g. email, billing country, phone) to make decisions. Without a customer record attached to the transaction, those rulesets cannot apply and will not trigger — even if you have them configured.

</details>

<details>

<summary>How does customer information impact reporting?</summary>

Without a customer record, the merchant will have no customer detail visible in [Verifone Central](https://docs.verifone.com/verifone-central-getting-started/verifone-central/commerce/reporting/orders-transactions-reports) reporting. Orders and transactions will appear without any associated shopper identity, making reconciliation and customer-level analysis difficult.

</details>


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