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Authenticate before you charge, not after a chargeback.

3D Secure 2 runs the issuer challenge as part of checkout. On eligible transactions liability for fraudulent chargebacks moves to the card issuer, and most low risk payments pass without the buyer seeing anything at all.

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Included in Pro and above. Requires 3DS to be enabled on your gateway account.

What you get

Authentication handled inside the checkout flow, with sensible fallbacks.

Frictionless where possible

Most transactions are authenticated in the background using device and order data, with no challenge shown to the buyer.

Challenge flow when required

When the issuer wants a check, it renders in the checkout rather than redirecting the buyer away from your site.

Liability shift recorded

The authentication result is stored with the order, so you can prove the shift if a chargeback is filed.

Rules for when to run it

Apply authentication to everything, or only above an amount threshold, or only for regions where it is required.

How it works

Authentication happens between tokenization and the sale.

  • Order data is sent for assessmentAmount, card token and browser data go to the issuer through the gateway, which decides whether a challenge is needed.
  • Frictionless or challengeMost orders come back authenticated immediately. Where a challenge is required the buyer completes it inside the checkout.
  • The sale carries the resultThe authentication reference is included with the authorization, which is what establishes the liability shift.
Order #10428, authenticationLiability shifted
3DS version2.2.0
ResultAuthenticated
FlowFrictionless
ECI05
Reference3ds_a91f4c
Challenge shownNo
View full responseOpen order

Worth knowing

Authentication trades a little friction for a lot of chargeback protection.

Ask support

Liability shift is not fraud prevention

3D Secure moves responsibility for fraudulent chargebacks. It does not stop a friendly fraud dispute, and it does not catch a buyer using their own card dishonestly. Pair it with AVS rules and velocity limits for that.

Will this add friction for my customers?
Usually not. The majority of transactions authenticate without any visible step. Challenges are the exception rather than the rule.
Is 3D Secure required?
In Europe and several other regions strong customer authentication is mandated. In the United States it is optional and used for high risk orders.
Does it apply to subscription renewals?
Renewals are merchant initiated and usually exempt, because the first transaction carried the authentication.
What if the issuer is unavailable?
You choose the fallback: proceed without the shift, or decline. The setting is per store and the outcome is logged either way.

Related

Other parts of the plugin people read next.

Fraud rules

AVS, CVV and velocity limits alongside authentication.

Wallets

Why wallet payments already carry authentication.

Security

How card data is handled end to end.

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