If you’ve ever used your credit or cheque card to shop online, you’ll be familiar with the process of having to confirm your payment through a one-time pin via email, cellphone or banking app on your smartphone. This process is called 3D Secure, or specifically Visa Secure and Mastercard Identity Check if you’re using a Visa or Mastercard cheque or credit card.  

While 3D Secure is necessary to prevent fraudulent use of your and your customers’ credit cards, it adds an extra step in completing an online transaction, which can lead to abandoned cards, especially if the card’s issuing bank is having connectivity issues resulting in a delayed authentication notification.   

An updated security protocol called 3D Secure version 2 (or 3DS2 for short) has been slowly rolling out and is set to replace 3D Secure completely by mid-October 2022. In the video below, Levi Pillay, our Product Marketing Manager explains what 3D Secure 2 is, how it compares to the first version of 3D Secure, why it’s suitable for modern-day online shoppers and how PayFast has enabled 3D Secure 2 so you can receive fast Visa and Mastercard card payments online.  

What is 3D Secure 2? 

• An updated security protocol that enables frictionless authentication by verifying cardholders without any input from them.  
• It uses risk-based authentication, which involves sending data about the cardholder and the transaction to the issuing bank who compares it to the cardholder’s historical transactional data to determine fraud risk.  
• If no risk is identified the payment goes through. 
• If risk is identified, the cardholder needs to verify the payment via their banking app using facial recognition or a fingerprint.  

If you have any more questions about 3D Secure 2, check out our Knowledge Base.  

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