In order to use Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode you will first need to register your cards online. This process is easy and will only take a few moments of your time. Remember each card you hold needs to be registered individually, however you only need to register a card once. When an enrolled card expires there is no need to register again when you receive the replacement.
In general you can register your cards by visiting the website of your bank or card issuer, however a few banks are still in the process of launching this service. Go to the useful links section of this site to learn more about which banks have already introduced these services. All banks that switched on the service will have a secure section of the website that allows you to enrol.
You may also be offered the opportunity to sign-up when shopping at a participating online retailer.
Regardless of how you choose to sign-up, always be suspicious of any emails asking for sensitive details – fraudsters frequently try to obtain your card information by impersonating banks,
The precise sign-up process may differ slightly depending on your bank. The first step normally involves entering some personal information. This is typically:
- Your name as it appears on your card
- The card number
- The expiry date
- The card security number (that is the last 3 digits on the back of the card)
- Your date of birth
You are normally offered the optional to enter your email address during this process. Providing this allows you to receive a confirmation from your bank, letting you know that your enrolment has been successful. This would be emailed to you at the end of the process.
Once you have correctly entered these details you will be asked to enter a personal assurance message. This can be anything you want and will appear each time you pay at a registered retailer. The message you create should not be associated with your password – it is not meant to act as a reminder question for your password.
The personal assurance message demonstrates that you are dealing with card issuing bank. Before you provide a password whilst shopping you should always check to see that this message has been displayed. It helps let you check that the website asking for your password is genuine.
After entering your personal assurance message, the next stage is to select a password. Usually this will need to be at least 8 characters long and contain a mixture of letters and numbers. Like any password you are advised never to write it down nor disclose it to other people. In order to confirm the password, you will be asked to re-enter it.
You should have now completed the registration process and your bank will display a screen telling you that the process has been successful.
