Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) and 3-D Secure
If your customers are sometimes asked to confirm a payment in their banking app, that is Strong Customer Authentication at work. It is a European requirement designed to cut fraud on online payments.
This article explains what SCA is, how 3-D Secure delivers it, and how to keep the extra friction to a minimum.
What SCA Requires
SCA asks for two independent factors before a payment is approved: something the customer knows, has or is. In practice this is usually a password plus a phone or biometric confirmation.
How 3-D Secure Delivers It
3-D Secure is the technology that adds the extra step. The latest version is smart: low-risk payments often pass without any challenge at all, while riskier ones prompt the customer.
- Trusted, low-value payments may sail through frictionlessly.
- Higher-risk payments trigger a challenge in the banking app.
- Certain payments, such as fixed subscriptions, can be exempt.
Keeping Friction Low
Good integration passes rich data to the bank so more payments qualify as low-risk. We configure this for you so customers are challenged only when genuinely necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does SCA apply to my business?
It applies to most online card payments where both the customer and the business are in the UK or EEA.
Will it hurt my conversion rate?
Done well, the impact is small. Frictionless flow handles the majority of payments without any extra step.
If you need a hand with any of this, your Progressive Robot delivery team is ready to help. Raise a ticket from the Support area of your client portal or speak to your account manager and we will guide you through the next steps.