Card verification checks (CVC)

The CVC, also known as the CVV, is a three or four digit number printed on a debit or credit card to provide additional protection for the cardholder. The CVC is required when completing a card-not-present (online) purchase. Only the cardholder in possession of the card should have access to the CVC number.

PCI-DSS compliance require that businesses (including payment providers) are not permitted to store the CVC number in any way, to reduce the opportunity for fraudulent use of the card.

Submitting a payment with CVC

When submitting a card payment, we will automatically include the CVC number except when charging a stored card (due to PCI-DSS requirements).

If you store a card and submit a payment within 5 minutes, the CVC will be included in the payment request.

Payments without CVC

The CVC is not required for recurring payments or payments using a stored card. An indicator is included with these transactions so the card issuing bank is aware it’s a recurring or card-on-file transaction, and the CVC isn’t required.