PSD2, the new regulation for secure e-shopping payments

What is PSD2 and Strong Customer Authentication?

PSD2 is the new European directive on payment services. According to this regulation, as of 1 January 2021, it is mandatory that all payments made via the Internet in European e-shops are authorised with strong customer authentication to ensure greater protection against unauthorised purchases.

The new European payment regulations oblige banks to establish more secure processes, controls on online access to bank accounts and payment by bank transfer, card or other methods. The directive stipulates that this control must be carried out by means of strong customer authentication (SCA) through verification of the buyer and payment authorisation.

In order for a purchase with strong authentication to be authorised, at least two of the following must be in your possession:

• Something that only you can use, be it a smartphone or a smart card.
• Something that only you know, such as a secret number, PIN or password.
• Something that only you have, such as a fingerprint, voice or facial features, through a device that allows them to be recognised.

What are the implications of this system when making a purchase?

Probably the only change you will notice when making a purchase is that you will now have to enter a code to validate your purchase.

At the end of an order, once you have selected your payment method, we will send a request to an external service to process it. If you choose to pay by credit card, you will have to check that all the information is correct before continuing. If you are already a Vinissimus/Italvinus customer and have saved a card, you will not have to re-enter your details, although you will still have to go through an authentication process. Once the request has been processed, you will receive a code on your mobile phone which you must enter in the web payment procedure to certify that you are the person making the purchase.

The authentication method may vary from bank to bank, but in general you will need to have your mobile phone handy, with the bank's application installed and notifications enabled, to authorise the transaction correctly. This way you will receive the authentication code in real time via SMS or through the bank's application.

If there are any problems during this payment process, you will receive an e-mail informing you of the steps to follow to resolve them.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our customer service. We will be happy to help you.