Making Online Shopping Safer – You need an extra password
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has mandated that from 1st Aug 2009 all online credit card transactions require an extra level of verification. Your credit card issuing banks are therefore, implementing a "Verified by VISA" or "MasterCard SecureCode" password.
You will need this password to continue transacting online from 1st Aug 2009.
What is the "Verified by VISA"/"MasterCard SecureCode" password?
This is the password that your credit card issuing Bank provides. For example – ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Citibank, HSBC Bank, Axis Bank, SBI etc. This password is the additional layer of security for all your online transactions.
Benefits of "Verified by VISA"/"MasterCard SecureCode" password.
Even if you lose / misplace your credit card it cannot be misused online as the password is not present on the card.
How do I get this ‘extra password’?
All you have to do is log on to your bank’s website, register your card for Verified by Visa (or MasterCard SecureCode) and get your password. Each bank has its own process for card registration. So, hop on to your bank’s website and register now:
HDFC Bank
ICICI Bank
Citibank
HSBC Bank
Standard Chartered
State Bank of India
Axis Bank
ABN Amro
Deutsche Bank
Karur Vysya Bank
What if my bank does not support Verified by Visa / MasterCard SecureCode?
The RBI notification concerns cards issued within India only. If your card is issued outside India, your online transactions will go through even without this extra authentication step (unless your Card Issuer requires SecureCode/VbV authenrtication). If your card is issued in India, we suggest you look for a new bank!
What about American Express cards?
For Amex cards the ‘extra level of authentication’ will work slightly differently. On the payment step at Cleartrip, you will be asked to enter you billing address, which will be passed on to the bank. This will be checked against your billing address the bank has on its records. If the addresses don’t match your payment will be rejected. This technology is called AVS – Address Verification System. Please check your credit card statement if you don’t remember your exact billing address.
It surprises me that India, the world’s technical resource, would copy the errors made by Banks elsewhere in the world that tried introducing VBV or UCAF/SPA. It is relatively simple for anyone to do a google search on Verified by VISA and realize that it has not been successful in other parts of the world. At least banks in other parts of the world and online merchants were not mandated to implement these systems. Be wary of mandated systems. A good security system never needs to be mandated.