3D Secure for online payments

Know it's really your customer before you get paid.

3D Secure checks with the cardholder's bank that the person paying on your website is the real owner of the card. Most customers never see an extra step, and fraud chargebacks on verified payments move off your books.

Fraud liability shiftVisa, Mastercard, Amex, DiscoverBuilt on EMV 3DS2
Checkout
Luna Coffee RoastersVisa •••• 4242$84.50
Verified by the card's bankNo extra step for the customer
Checked in the background
Known deviceBilling address matchNormal spend patternTrusted location
Fraud chargeback liabilityShifted to issuer
What is 3D Secure

An identity check between your checkout and the cardholder's bank

When someone pays with a card online, you can't see the card or the person holding it. 3D Secure (3DS) closes that gap. Before the payment is authorized, the card's issuing bank confirms the shopper is the real cardholder.

Today's version, EMV 3DS2, shares device and transaction data with the bank so most payments are approved instantly in the background. Only higher-risk payments ask the customer to confirm with a one-time code, fingerprint, or their banking app.

The "3D" stands for three domains that work together:
1Acquirer domainYour side: your website and your payment processor, which send the authentication request.
2Issuer domainThe cardholder's bank, which decides whether the shopper is who they say they are.
3Interoperability domainThe card network (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover) that connects the two securely.
How it works

From "Pay" to approved in seconds

STEP 1Customer paysYour customer enters their card on your checkout page and taps Pay.
STEP 2Data goes to the bankDevice, location, and order details are sent securely to the card issuer.
STEP 3Bank assesses riskLow-risk payments are approved instantly. Higher-risk ones get a quick check.
STEP 4Payment is authorizedThe verified payment goes through, with fraud liability shifted to the issuer.
Most payments

Frictionless flow

The bank reviews the data, sees a low-risk payment, and approves it on the spot. Your customer finishes checkout without noticing anything changed.

Higher-risk payments

Challenge flow

The bank asks for one quick confirmation: a one-time code by text, a fingerprint or face scan, or an approval in their banking app. If it doesn't check out, the payment stops before it becomes a chargeback.

How it benefits you

Less fraud, fewer chargebacks, more confident sales

Fraud liability shiftWhen a payment is authenticated with 3D Secure, fraud-related chargebacks generally become the issuing bank's responsibility, not yours.
Fewer chargebacksStolen cards are stopped before they're charged, so fewer disputes reach your account and fewer fees follow them.
Smooth checkoutWith 3DS2, most customers are approved in the background with no extra screen or code.
Higher approval ratesBanks see more data about each payment, so they're less likely to decline good customers out of caution.
Customer trustShoppers recognize the bank's verification step and feel safer paying on your site.
Works on any deviceBuilt for desktop, mobile browsers, and in-app checkout, with biometric and banking-app approval.
Supported card brands

One standard, every major network

Each card brand runs 3D Secure under its own name. Your customers may recognize these from checkout pages they already use.

VisaVisa Secure
MastercardMastercard Identity Check
American ExpressAmerican Express SafeKey
DiscoverDiscover ProtectBuy
For developers

Add 3D Secure to your integration

If you connect through our API, the .NET package, or the WooCommerce plugin, our documentation covers the authentication request, the challenge window, and how to read the result on each transaction.

Read the docs
Gateway APIRequest authentication before authorization and pass the result with the sale.
.NET Nuget packageUse the BmsPayClient library to add 3DS to your existing integration.
WooCommerce pluginOnline stores on WooCommerce can use the plugin with 3D Secure enabled on the account.
FAQ

Questions merchants ask

Add 3D Secure to your online checkout

Talk with our team about turning it on for your account and what it means for your chargebacks.

Contact sales
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