Strong Customer Authentication (SCA)

From 14 September 2019, your bank or payment services provider is changing the way it verifies your identity or validates a specific payment instruction. These European Union (EU) rule changes are designed to reduce the risk of a fraudster pretending to be you to steal your money.

Card issuers are informing their customers of the changes. You may already have had notification of these changes from your card issuer.

SCA requires at least two independent factors from you in order to authenticate online payments. These details must be registered with your card issuer, in advance of you making online payments. The three available factors for authentication are:

1. Something the customer knows e.g. a PIN, password
2. Something the customer has e.g. card, smartphone
3. Something the customer is e.g. fingerprint, face/voice recognition

To enable you to make online payments, please contact your card issuer directly to ensure that your details are correct and up to date. This should enable you to transact online and minimise the failure of or delays with any of your online transactions.

In the event of an online payment failing, you should contact your card issuer in the first instance, and you may need to pay by an alternative method.

Find out more

The Financial Conduct Authority webpage about Strong Customer Authentication