My Merchant Account Blog

Visa Credit Card Security Features

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Earlier I wrote about an electronic payment gateway being the start of the transaction. However, if you really drill down, the consumer is the start of the transaction.  They initiate the transaction before it hits the electronic payment gateway.

When the consumer decides to buy your product in a brick and mortar atmosphere, the consumer will hand you his / her Visa credit card.  This card can be described in four different ways:

• Cards with Visa Mini Dove Design Hologram on Back of Card
• Cards with Visa Holographic Magnetic Stripe on Back of Card
• Cards with Dove Design Hologram on Front of Card
• Visa Flag Cards with Dove Design Hologram on Front of Card

Processing a Visa Transaction

When a consumer gives you his / her Visa credit card to process, you should swipe the credit card and hold on to the credit card.  Every Visa card contains a set of unique design features and security elements developed by Visa to help merchants verify a card's legitimacy.  This will allow you to take a look at the credit card to verify the security features and to compare the signature on the back of the card with the signature on the sales receipt.

Cards with Dove Design Hologram on Front of Card

Front of the Visa Credit Card

On the front, you will see a embossed or printed account number. The account number should be even and straight.  Right underneath the account number, you will see four digits. This four-digit number must match exactly with the first four digits of the account number. Both of these will also begin with a 'four'. You will then see a "Good Thru" or "Valid Thru" date.  This is the expiration date of the card and is usually under the account number.  The Visa Brand Mark appears in blue and gold on a white background. It must appear in either the bottom right, top left, or top right corner. The Flying Dove Hologram should appear to be three-dimensional and appear to move when the card is tilted back and forth.

Back of the Visa Credit Card

The signature panel has a tamper-resistant design.  If someone has tried to erase the signature, the word "VOID" will be displayed.  It may vary in length dependent on card type. There is also the magnetic stripe. The magnetic stripe is encoded with the card’s account number, expiration date, and other identifying information. Card Verification Value (CVV2) is a three-digit code that appears either on the signature panel or on a white box to the right of the signature panel. Portions of the account number may also be present on the signature panel. CVV2 is used primarily in card-not-present transactions to verify that the customer is in possession of a valid Visa card at the time of the sale.

Cards with Visa Mini Dove Design Hologram on Back of Card

Front of the Visa Credit Card

On the front, you will see a embossed or printed account number. The account number should be even and straight.  Right underneath the account number, you will see four digits. This four-digit number must match exactly with the first four digits of the account number. Both of these will also begin with a 'four'. You will then see a "Good Thru" or "Valid Thru" date.  This is the expiration date of the card and is usually under the account number.  The Visa Brand Mark appears in blue and gold on a white background. It must appear in either the bottom right, top left, or top right corner.

Back of the Visa Credit Card

The signature panel has a tamper-resistant design.  If someone has tried to erase the signature, the word "VOID" will be displayed.  It may vary in length dependent on card type. There is also the magnetic stripe. The magnetic stripe is encoded with the card’s account number, expiration date, and other identifying information. Card Verification Value (CVV2) is a three-digit code that appears either on the signature panel or on a white box to the right of the signature panel. Portions of the account number may also be present on the signature panel. CVV2 is used primarily in card-not-present transactions to verify that the customer is in possession of a valid Visa card at the time of the sale.

Cards with Visa Holographic Magnetic Stripe on Back of Card

Front of the Visa Credit Card

On the front, you will see a embossed or printed account number. The account number should be even and straight.  Right underneath the account number, you will see four digits. This four-digit number must match exactly with the first four digits of the account number. Both of these will also begin with a 'four'. You will then see a "Good Thru" or "Valid Thru" date.  This is the expiration date of the card and is usually under the account number.  The Visa Brand Mark appears in blue and gold on a white background. It must appear in either the bottom right, top left, or top right corner.

Back of the Visa Credit Card

The signature panel has a tamper-resistant design.  If someone has tried to erase the signature, the word "VOID" will be displayed.  It may vary in length dependent on card type. There is also the magnetic stripe. The Holographic Magnetic Stripe should have a ring around the sun when the card is moved from side-to-side. The word "VISA" should appear in the center of the sun when the card is tilted.. Card Verification Value (CVV2) is a three-digit code that appears either on the signature panel or on a white box to the right of the signature panel. Portions of the account number may also be present on the signature panel. CVV2 is used primarily in card-not-present transactions to verify that the customer is in possession of a valid Visa card at the time of the sale.

Visa Flag Cards with Dove Design Hologram on Front of Card

Front of the Visa Credit Card

On the front, you will see a embossed or printed account number. The account number should be even and straight.  Right underneath the account number, you will see four digits. This four-digit number must match exactly with the first four digits of the account number. Both of these will also begin with a 'four'. You will then see a "Good Thru" or "Valid Thru" date.  This is the expiration date of the card and is usually under the account number. A Flying “V” is an embossed security character beside the “Good Thru” date. This character is not a required security feature and may or may not appear on the card. Visa Logo should have micro-printing around the border. The fine print is barely readable without magnification. The Flying Dove Hologram should appear to be three-dimensional and appear to move when the card is tilted back and forth. As a general rule of thumb - always check the hologram. It is easier to spot a re-embossed number there.

Back of the Visa Credit Card

The Signature Panel should be white with the word "VISA" repeated in a diagonal pattern in blue and gold print. The card account number should be printed in the panel. The words "Authorized Signature" and "Not Valid Unless Signed" must appear above, below, or beside the signature panel. If someone has tried to erase the signature panel, the word "VOID" will be displayed. There is also the magnetic stripe. The magnetic stripe is encoded with the card’s account number, expiration date, and other identifying information. Card Verification Value (CVV2) is a three-digit code that appears either on the signature panel or on a white box to the right of the signature panel. Portions of the account number may also be present on the signature panel. CVV2 is used primarily in card-not-present transactions to verify that the customer is in possession of a valid Visa card at the time of the sale.

When something does not look right, i.e. the security features look altered or they are missing, keep the card in your possession and make a Code 10 call to your authorization center.  You may be asked to keep the credit card or you might be instructed to return the card.  If your authorization center tells you it is ok, write down the authorization number on the sales receipt.

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