What are extra bank security checks during my online payment?

Although for many of us, buying online can be a seamless and easy experience, for some of you, you may have noticed, or being notified by your bank about extra security checks whilst making your online purchase.

The reason for this is due to the banks trying to combat online fraud which still represents a growing problem across the world, and the banks therefore wanting to make those who would attempt fraud or identity theft have as difficult a time as possible.

So what do these security measures look like to you when you are making your online purchase, and are they normal?

What you will usually experience during the checkout process, is that upon clicking to make your payment, that the page you are on then goes through to a banking page, it may have your bank or credit card logo showing.

This screen then may ask for additional security information, such as a numeric code or a password that you have with your bank, so that there is a much greater chance that it is a genuine transaction and not somebody trying to make a fraudulent purchase.

Other checks may involve the use of a Mobile Banking app, or by entering a code that you've received via text message or generated using a card reader.

Once this information has been provided, the transaction then completes in the usual way and your online transaction is complete, so these security measures are therefore completely normal and are safe for you to use during your purchase.

The more stringent checkout security measures have been brought out to ensure that banks and other financial organisations meet new standards under the Payment Services Regulations.

What can I do if my payment is declined?

In the unlikely event that your payment is declined, please do not worry, as our experienced team are here to help you.

In the first instance, if you DO have an alternative payment method, then you can try this and it will more often than not go through and complete your purchase.

If you don’t have an alternative payment, then please either email us at info@mobilitysmart.co.uk give us a call on 0800 567 7222 and we’ll assist to try to get your payment through.  

If this looks like it’s going to be a problem with your payment method on ours and other online retail sites, then ultimately you may need to contact your bank or credit card provider to see what can be done so that your payments go through.

Although we realise that the extra payment security checks can be an unwanted hassle and adding more stages to your purchase, the fact is that these measures will greatly increase your online security and be a very large obstacle to would-be fraudsters.