A guide to activate Mastercard's CVC-less feature for debit and credit cards

In a bid to streamline digital transactions and enhance security, Mastercard has recently launched the Cardholder Verification Code (CVC)-less online transactions feature for its debit and credit cardholders in India. This move specifically targets customers who have tokenised their cards on merchant platforms, marking a significant stride towards fostering a more secure and hassle-free payment ecosystem.

Here’s a step-by-step guide with detailed insights into this advanced feature and how to activate it.

Mastercard's CVC-Less payments for tokenised cards

Mastercard’s newly introduced feature aligns with the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI's) tokenisation guidelines, which mandate that merchants adopting tokenised payments only collect the CVC once, during the card tokenisation process. From the second transaction onwards, cardholders can complete transactions without entering the CVC by selecting their tokenised card from the checkout page and confirming the one-time password (OTP).

Tokenisation not only just enhances data security but it also brings additional benefits that make your card payment experience smoother. It facilitates quicker checkouts by eliminating the need to input card numbers for every purchase, reduces false declines, and allows easy card management.

Anubhav Gupta, Senior Vice President, South Asia, Mastercard, highlighted that "CVC-less payments on tokenised cards come with benefits that make the online domestic card payment experience smoother and safer.”

Your step-by-step guide to Tokenise the card

Mastercard has simplified the process of card tokenisation, which involves replacing actual card details with a unique alternate code, or token. Here's how you can do it:

Step 1: Start by entering your card details on your chosen merchant platform.

Step 2: Choose to securely save your card details for more efficient future transactions.

Step 3: Enter the OTP sent via SMS to finalise the tokenisation of your card. Repeat this process with any merchant you wish to transact with.