# Test Cards
source: https://developer.mastercard.com/mastercard-gateway/documentation/test-cards/index.md

When testing your Mastercard Gateway integration for card payments, you can trigger specific responses and results for your transaction operations using various test cards. When accessing a card emulator, use your test merchant profile with the "TEST" prefix that your payment service provider supplies.

### Testing your integration {#testing-your-integration}

Before you start accepting real payments, Mastercard wants you to test your setup to make sure everything works properly. This includes:

* **Connectivity Testing**: You can verify if your system can connect to the gateway and receive an OPERATING status.
* **Use test card numbers** to simulate different payment scenarios (successful, declined, errors.)
* **Test security features** like 3-D Secure (3DS) authentication or tokenization, if you're using them
* **Authentication Methods**: Supports both SSL certificates and API passwords.
* **Try different transaction types** like purchases, authorization, capture, refunds, and voids.
* **Hosted Payment Pages**: Test how payer-facing forms interact with the gateway.
* **Session Management**: Use JavaScript libraries to test session creation and secure data collection.

### How to use test cards {#how-to-use-test-cards}

When a merchant ID is created on the gateway there is duplicate merchant ID with the `TEST` prefix. if you are using a card emulator, use your test merchant profile with the `TEST` prefix that your payment service provider supplies.

### 3D Secure Test Cards {#3d-secure-test-cards}

Note that "3-D Secure Enrolled" means 3DS can be tested with these cards using the PAYER_BROWSER channel in the [INITIATE_AUTHENTICATION](https://network.gateway.mastercard.com/api/documentation/apiDocumentation/rest-json/version/100/operation/Authentication%3a%20%20Initiate%20Authentication.html?locale=en_US) API operation, but not with other channels.

To test the 3D Secure authentication functionality in more detail and using the 3DS emulator, see [testing your 3DS integration](https://developer.mastercard.com/mastercard-gateway/documentation/security-and-fraud/authentication/3d-secure-auth/test-3ds-int/index.md).

### Gift cards {#gift-cards}

To test your integration using test gift card numbers and response codes, contact your payment service provider for test data.