Credit Cards Across The Big Pond

Over the past seven years of my involvement with eCommerce, I've processed quiet a few sales that were made on European credit cards. While it's not a huge deal, it is worth noting that their are some differences with the UK credit card system and the system here in the US. Specifically in the fraud protection and security area of things. Here's how it works in the US, a customer makes a purchase and the merchant then verifies all the information in a verification system. This can be done either manually or an automated process. Some merchants (like my former employer in Northampton, Massachusetts) prefer the manual approach because they can lie about a card being present and thus, get better processing rates. This is also less secure, in my opinion, but if you're unscrupulous it can save you some money.

Anyway, if everything matches you're good to go and the sale proceeds. UK cards are different, however, companies are not as free with the info and the verifcation process is, in my opinion not as through. The customers information is much more secure however, and they can get the best credit card deals available because of that. Just a small adjustment can make a big difference in fraud rates and the consumer can usually benefit.