Confirming online payments

Since 2012, online fraud in the UK has doubled⁽¹⁾. To tackle this problem, European Union legislation called Payment Service Directive 2 (PSD2 for short) was introduced. A big part of this was Strong Customer Authentication which has been in place from 14 September 2019 to make purchasing online safer and more secure.

Strong Customer Authentication (or SCA for short) provides more protection against fraud when you make payments online. Instead of being asked for one factor of identification like a password, SCA provides more protection as it uses two factors of identification (sometimes referred to as 2 Factor ID)  to confirm it is you making the payment transaction online.

With online card fraud on the rise, Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) gives both consumers and businesses much more protection and reassurance.

Strong Customer Authentication applies two factors of ID when confirming it's you. This can be any two from the following:

• Something you know – for example a password or a PIN
• Something you have – for example a mobile phone or card
• Something you are – for example a fingerprint or facial recognition.

We have three ways you can choose to confirm it's you. Just choose the option that's best for you.

You'll be asked to confirm it's you when you log in to your account and sometimes when you shop online. 

You can confirm it's you by using the Barclaycard app, it’s the most convenient way as there are no codes needed. You could also use a one  time verification code that we'll send you in a text, or by using your Barclaycard and PIN with a PINsentry card reader.

No, you can't opt out. Strong Customer Authentication is a part of Europe-wide legislation (called the Payment Services Directive 2, or PSD2 for short) that determines how people make payments or service their accounts online. It also helps to keep your account safe from fraud. The regulations apply to all banks, not just Barclays and Barclaycard.