What is difference between Authorize.Net AIM line item and description - authorize.net

Question

I'm not sure what the difference between description and lineitem. Is line item a comma separated list of the products bought? I would like to know the variables max length and data type. Also, like to know what field appears in users credit card statement, description or lineitem. Cant find any good documentation.

Answer 1

The description is your description of the transaction. It can be something like, "First subscription payment" or, "Refund for transaction #123456". It may be up to 255 characters (no symbols). See page 24 of the AIM guide for more information,.
Line items are for adding each item or service the user purchased. This includes name, price, quantity, etc. It's basically so you have a record of what the purchase was for. Line items have the following format:
x_line_item
Optional
Value: Any string
Format: Line item values must be delimited by a bracketed pipe <|>
Itemized order information
Item ID<|>
The ID assigned to an item.
Format: Up to 31 characters
<|>item name<|>
A short description of an item.
Format: Up to 31 characters
<|>item description<|>
A detailed description of an item.
Format: Up to 255 characters
<|>itemX quantity<|>
The quantity of an item.
Format: Up to two decimal places
Must be a positive number
<|>item price (unit cost)<|>
Cost of an item per unit, excluding tax, freight, and duty.
Format: Up to two decimal places
Must be a positive number
The dollar sign ($) is not allowed when submitting delimited information.
<|>itemX
taxable
Indicates whether the item is subject to tax.
Format: TRUE, FALSE, T, F, YES, NO, Y, N, 1, 0
Neither are required for a transaction to be processed or appear on your customers' credit card statements. Both exist to allow you to keep your transaction better organized in your Authorize.Net account.