Getting Started With Visa Secure: Why You Should Do it Sooner Rather Than Later
Let’s go back a few years. To the early days of eCommerce. Like, 1999.
At that time, eCommerce was still in its very early days. The Pets.com Super Bowl ad was still several months away. But, the threat posed by eCommerce fraud was already a leading concern for the burgeoning new market.
If you’re a merchant, you’ve got to verify you buyer. But, how do you do that if you never meet that person face to face?
In response, Visa collaborated with other payment brands to create the 3-D Secure protocol. Hitting the market in 2001 under the name Verified by Visa, the technology offered a second authentication factor for online checkout.
Recommended reading
- What are Velocity Checks? How Do They Stop Fraud Attacks?
- Card Security Codes: How They Protect Consumers & Merchants
- ECI Indicators: How to Understand 3DS Response Codes
- What is 3D Secure 2.0? How it Works & Why It’s Necessary
- V-Bucks Vanishing From Accounts Due to Triangulation Scam
- Managing Your Digital Footprint Can Stop Identity Theft
What is Visa Secure?
- Visa Secure
Visa Secure is a security protocol and technology deployed by Visa to enhance the security of online transactions. It is the Visa-branded version of 3-D Secure 2.0 technology.
[noun]/vē • zə • sə • kyo͝or/The latest version of 3-D Secure technology — called 3DS2 — promises to further simplify the authentication process. It is supposed to make it more convenient for buyers, while being more effective than ever at thwarting card-not-present fraud.
Visa Secure is the Visa-branded version of 3DS2 technology. Visa aims to make online shopping safer by using this technology to verify your identity.
The program works by verifying a customer's identity at the checkout stage, ensuring that transactions come only from authorized Visa card users. It’s effectively the same technology used by other card networks like JCB, American Express, and Discover, just under different names. Mastercard, for instance, refers to their 3DS product as Identity Check.
Learn more about 3-D Secure technologyWhat's the Difference Between Visa Secure and Verified by Visa?
Verified by Visa (VbV) was an earlier security protocol. It was still meant to enhance the safety of online transactions, but it was built on 3DS Version 1.0 technology. So, it required cardholders to create a personal password or code known only to them, and this code was used as an additional layer of authentication during online purchases.
When you made an online transaction with a merchant that supported VbV, you would be prompted to enter a code to confirm your identity. It was a valuable security measure to prevent unauthorized card usage.
In a lot of ways, Visa Secure is an updated and more sophisticated successor to Verified by Visa. One of the most significant differences is in how it verifies customers’ identities. Instead of relying solely on a specific code, Visa Secure employs a broader set of data points and advanced algorithms to authenticate transactions:
Authentication Method
Verified by Visa primarily relied on the cardholder's specific code or password. In contrast, Visa Secure uses a range of information, including device data, transaction history, and other behavioral patterns, to identify customers. This means that Visa Secure can often authenticate the cardholder on the backend without requiring them to manually enter a code.
Seamless Experience
Visa Secure aims to provide a smoother and more seamless online shopping experience. Many times, cardholders won't even notice the authentication process because it occurs behind the scenes. This reduces friction during online purchases while maintaining high levels of security.
Enhanced Security
Visa Secure's multifaceted approach to authentication enhances security. It can adapt to different risk levels, requesting additional authentication only when necessary. This flexibility makes it harder for fraudsters to bypass the security measures.
Visa Secure takes a more comprehensive and adaptive approach to verifying cardholders. It's like an upgraded and smarter version of the security measures previously used that makes online shopping safer and more convenient for everyone.
How Does Visa Secure Work?
Visa Secure operates in pretty much the same way as Mastercard Identity Check. The system deploys a series of authentication steps to protect transactions from unauthorized access. The goal is basically to authenticate the buyer’s identity with as little interruption during the checkout process as possible.
Here’s how it works:
Phase #1 | Initiating the Transaction
The Visa Secure process begins with an online purchase using a Visa card. The customer selects their items, proceeds to checkout, and enters their card details, just like any other online transaction.
Phase #2 | Risk Assessment
Visa Secure assesses the risk level of the transaction. It considers various factors, such as the type of items being purchased, the merchant's reputation, past transaction history, and device information.
Phase #3 | Additional Authentication (if Needed)
If the system detects a higher level of risk — for instance, in the case of a first-time customer — Visa Secure may request additional authentication. This could involve sending a one-time code to the buyer’s mobile phone or email address. The buyer must enter this code to complete the transaction.
In many cases, Visa Secure can authenticate a transaction without interrupting the purchase flow. 3DS2 technology enables bankend verification. This means the buyer won't need to enter a specific code or take additional steps during the checkout process.
Visa Secure has intelligent risk assessment and multifaceted approach to authentication, both of which enhance the security of online transactions. It adapts to the situation, providing extra security only when necessary, which makes it challenging for unauthorized individuals to misuse your Visa card.
You can think of Visa Secure as plugging along in the background, assessing each transaction for risk and authenticating your identity. It's designed to provide enhanced security while ensuring a smooth and convenient shopping experience for Visa cardholders.
Why Should Merchants Use a 3-D Secure Solution?
Merchants have a lot of good reasons to embrace a 3-D Secure solution like Visa Secure. It helps automate the authentication process in real-time, increasing your overall transaction security while keeping friction to a minimum.
To illustrate, here are the key benefits merchants can expect from Visa Secure:
How to Start Using Visa Secure
Getting set up with Visa Secure is a straightforward process. It's designed to be as user-friendly as possible for both merchants and cardholders.
**These data fields are not required. However, inclusion is considered a best practice in order to maximize the benefits of Visa Secure.
Visa Secure: One Part of an Overall Strategy
Using Visa Secure may lower a merchant's overall number of chargebacks. The technology is by no means “perfect,” though.
The underlying software was not designed to combat chargebacks. It is only aimed at detecting and preventing criminal fraud. So, while it's certainly a step in the right direction, Visa Secure’s chargeback prevention capabilities are limited in several areas:
- It can only be used for online transactions.
- It only prevents chargebacks associated with Visa transactions.
- A transaction can be authenticated, even if it was not authorized.
- It can deter unauthorized transactions, but has no effect on first-party fraud.
That last point is very important. Our research suggests that only a small portion of chargebacks are the product of genuine criminal fraud. Most chargebacks are the result of friendly fraud. Visa Secure has no effect on chargebacks resulting from merchant error or friendly fraud.
Visa Secure authentication does offer valuable protection against fraud. It works best, however, as part of a multi-level fraud and chargeback management strategy.
Merchants need a customized, end-to-end solution that employs the most effective tools where they will do the most good. If you’re interested in learning the role Visa Secure can play in your overall chargeback management strategy, contact Chargebacks911® today.
FAQs
Is Visa Secure the same as Verified by Visa?
Sort of. Visa Secure is technically the evolved and enhanced successor to Verified by Visa, offering improved security measures and a more seamless user experience for online transactions. While the underlying objective of both is similar, enhancing online payment security, Visa Secure represents the latest iteration of this technology.
Question Here
No. Although the Verified by Visa name is no longer in use, a new version of the same technology is in place to help protect you under the rebranded name: Visa Secure.
Is Visa Secure legit?
Yes. Visa Secure is a legitimate and highly effective security protocol and service offered by Visa to enhance the security of online transactions.
Is Visa Secure mandatory?
No. Visa Secure is not mandatory for all merchants, but it is strongly recommended for those who want to enhance transaction security and reduce fraud risk. Merchant acquirers can choose whether to implement Visa Secure based on their specific security needs and preferences.
How does Visa Secure work?
Visa Secure works by adding an extra layer of security to online transactions. It assesses transaction risk factors and may prompt additional authentication, such as sending a one-time code to the cardholder, to verify their identity, ultimately reducing the risk of fraud.
