• Face-to-face sales

• Recognising valid cards
• Card handling procedures

• Card-not-present sales

• Card-not-present security
• E-commerce
• Mobile commerce
• Mail Order and Telephone Order
• Making payments to Visa cards
• Recurring payments

Card security code

Three little numbers can make a big impact on fraud losses if you accept Visa but do not see the card – for example in e-commerce or Mail Order and Telephone Order (MOTO) transactions.

The card security code is the three-digit code printed on the back of Visa cards – either on, or directly to the right of, the signature panel.

When the card security code is included in the transaction authorisation message, it can be checked by the card issuing bank. This indicates that the person making the transaction has access to the genuine card.

Many card fraudsters will either have gained illicit access to the card number or expiry date, or they will have used a random-card-number generator. Neither of these methods provides fraudsters with the card security code.

Visa Europe estimates that checking the card security code can cut your fraud losses by up to 70 percent.

Visa’s technical term for the card security code is Card Verification Code 2 (CVV2)

More information

For more information about the card security code, please contact your acquiring bank.