Since this month, Bancontact has migrated from 3DS1.0 to 3DS2.2. This brings the authentication of Bancontact payments to a new, higher standard. Other networks such as VISA, Mastercard and American Express were already using 3DS2 and higher.
What is 3D Secure?
3D Secure is a product of EMVCo. The original version, 3D Secure 1.0, was launched more than a decade ago and devised to validate card payments with the card issuer (bank). When making a Bancontact payment, you are redirected to the bank, just like iDEAL.
3DS2.X started as 2.0, followed by 2.1 (with also the possibility for the bank to possibly decide that no additional verification is needed), this is called frictionless. In 3DS2.2, more data fields were added. Meanwhile, 3DS.2.3 has also been announced.
Create, certify and enter by card network.
After a 3DS upgrade is completed, a certification must be performed at EMVCo. After this is successfully completed, a Letter of Approval is issued. This allows any card network to go through a process of certification. Pay likes to lead the way, but is dependent on the network in its rollout, which in turn wait for the banks behind it. The higher the version, the more data can be transmitted and the better the error handling is. More data makes for a higher frictionless flow.
| 3DS Version | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3 |
| Status Pay. | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| EMVCo | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Bancontact | - | ✔ | Coming Soon |
| American Express | ✔ | ✔ | Coming Soon |
| Mastercard | - | ✔ | Coming Soon |
| VISA | - | ✔ | Coming Soon |
Here you will find more information about our 3DSecure certifications.
Insight into Bancontact authentication
Within Pay's platform, every transaction is recorded in which way the payment is authenticated. Within the Bancontact scheme, there are four authentication options:
3DSecure (1 or 2) - Accounting for 11% of authentications. Customers enter their details on the payment screen and then authenticate via 3DSecure in their own banking environment or via validation via an e-dentifier.
Mobile to App - With 68%, this is the most widely used authentication option. The payment screen is opened in the mobile browser and the payer completes the transaction in the Bancontact-Payconiq app or via their bank's app.
QR to App - 18% of authentications. The customer opens the payment screen on a desktop or tablet and scans the QR code there to get the payment to the cell phone to authenticate there.
Apple Pay button - Applied in 3% of cases. Since May 2023, Belfius cardholders have been able to link their Bancontact card to their Apple Wallet. This means that on the Pay payment screens they will also see the Apple Pay button when they have a valid card in the wallet, allowing it to complete the payment via Apple Pay. The advantage of paying via the Apple Pay button for the merchant is that thanks to the addition on the card payment screen, that transactions are routed via Bancontact rather than the often yet more expensive debit and credit payment options Mastercard, Visa and American Express. Not all Bancontact member banks currently support Apple Pay.
Come frictionless on Bancontact?
.Sure. Banks are working on this now. When this is complete, it will be automatically incorporated into our 3Dsecure technique and you will see distinctions in the reports:
- SCA - 3DS2 (Challenged)
- SCA - 3DS2 (Frictionless)
View it in the my.pay environment by going through the Reports/Management tab, view by Payment Option & Authentication Method, view this for the payment option Bancontact or view it for the group 'Card Payments Online' by filtering on this payment method.
Role of Pay.co.uk / Pay.be
Pay has been a Bancontact acquirer since 2018, processes payments itself, has its own 3Dsecure, BEP-QR host and Apple Pay routes. In addition to e-commerce payments, payments can also be processed at physical ATMs. We process payments via Bancontact through the domain PAY.be
.