We use (among other options), two basic matrices to weigh whether your order should be accepted or canceled.
Card Verification Code Check (CVC)
The CVC (also referred to as CVV) is the three- or four-digit number printed directly on your credit/debit card, usually either on the signature strip or the front of the card.
Our system includes a built-in rule to block any payments that fail the CVC verification check.
In general, only cardholders in physical possession of the card should have access to the CVC number.
As a business, beyond the fact that every data that passes through our servers are encrypted, we do not (and we are not even permitted) to store the CVC number.
So it’s unlikely that anyone can obtain this information via our systems and making sure that you entered this correctly is very important to get your order provisioned.
Address Verification (AVS)
AVS is comprised of two checks: one based on the postal code and another based on the billing street address. AVS checks determine whether these pieces of information match the billing address on file with the card issuer.
While we understand that support for both AVS checks varies by country and card issuer (e.g., certain countries do not use a postal code or some card issuers do not support street address verification), our systems include a default rule to block any payments that fail postal code verification.
However, we know that there are situations where these address checks can fail on legitimate payments.
For example, a customer entered their address incorrectly, or has recently moved and not yet updated their address with their card issuer.
In that case, please do contact our billing team for manual assistance.
Phone Verification
There are times we may need to contact a customer by phone or e-mail to confirm their details before fulfilling an order.
Yes, we know that even phone or email responses cannot guarantee that the person responding is the true card-holder.
But it helps us put things in perspective and also for our records.
