Dear all,
It's with great pleasure that I can announce that we are now taking part in the Mastercard SecureCode and Verified by Visa payer authentication programs...
www.MasterCardSecureCode.com
www.visaeurope.com/personal/onlineshopping/verifiedbyvi...a/main.jsp
What?
From now on, when you make a payment on Biker Match (or other participating websites), you may be forwarded to your own bank after submitting your card details. You will then be prompted (by your own bank) to setup a password if you have not already done so.
At this point you also have the option to "Activate Later" if you don't have time, or you can enter a few details (such as your date of birth) to activate the service with your bank.
Please note that this is MANDATORY for all Maestro and Switch card payments from January 20th 2010 onwards!!
It is only OPTIONAL for other cards. However, your own bank may require you to create a password and join this new high-security program even for Visa and Mastercard payments (Halifax Credit Card holders, for example, are only allowed to delay the activation once before being required to join the program)
Why has this come about??
Online fraud has become a serious problem for banks, who loose millions, even billions, every year.
It's also a problem for sellers, who regularly sell an item or service to someone, only to find that the credit card used was stolen and the payment bounces. Our regular russian spammer on Biker Match, Tatayana, always uses stolen card details. We only find out when the card issuing bank reverses the payment (not only reversing the payment, but charging us a £10 for the privilege!)
What will be solved?
For the banks, there will be a massive drop in fraudulent claims. Banks may start rejecting claims from their customers in future if the card holder hasn't taken the time to register for this service.
For the consumer/card-holder: you will be reassured, knowing that even if your card details are stolen, nobody will be able to use them online without all your correct details (postal address etc) AND your secure password. So if your children at home try to use your card online, they will be stopped from doing so unless they know your password.
For the sellers, i.e. BikerMatch, we will no longer have to pay huge fines in Charge-Back fees when someone claims that their card has been stolen. The chargeback fee will now be paid by either the card issuer (bank) or the card holder (you). Members of BikerMatch will also no longer be able to pay for a full account, only to file a chargeback when they're not satisfied (Or YOU will pay the fine now, not BikerMatch).
When?
I've almost finished writing the scripts. The service should be completed and activated tomorrow.
Maestro/Switch card holders: You will be REQUIRED (by your bank, not us) to use this new high-security feature.
Mastercard/Visa card holders: You may start using the feature whenever you like, it's in your best interest to activate the security the next time you upgrade.
American Express card holders: This feature is not available for you, the step will be skipped during the upgrade process.
All other cards: Bank specific rules apply. If you are prompted to join the program, we recommend you do so.
If you are not prompted, then the service is either down or not available to you.
Any questions? Post a reply here for everyone to benefit from.
Thanks in advance for your understanding, and continued support of bikermatch.
~Matt
thanks Nutkin. I didn't know about this service until some people on BM complained to me that their Maestro/Switch card was being rejected. Having investigated I found that NEW merchants (like BM) are not allowed to even attempt Maestro payments without setting up this service. It's taken my about 4 days to program the website to support this service, but it's gonna make a HUGE difference to us. It will hopefully keep out all the spammers who use stolen card details!
can't believe I never knew about it. Maybe cos I live outside the UK now so I've never been prompted to set it up. Gonna turn it on in about 30 minutes
well Maestro is still disabled because the processing gateway still haven't turned it on. But the other cards are indeed working on the new secure system.
It does mean an extra step and an extra password for everyone, but it's protection for me and you both.
yea it's dead easy.
Old Way (i say old, it's only 2 weeks old the credit/debit card payment system)
You select what payment term you want
Select card payment
Enter your card details, click submit...
...your done.
New Way
You select what payment term you want
Select card payment
Enter your card details, click submit...
...you get forwarded to your own bank!
Bank asks you for your password, or to setup your password
Bank passes you back to BM, and... your done.
And if only it was that simple in code!!! It's about 700 lines of complicated code that took me 3 days to write and 5 days to research
oh yea u can still use Paypal. Bank transfer is also an option for 6 or 12 month upgrades.
You can see the whole process here still...
https://www.bikermatch.co.uk/sites/bm/myaccount/payment...quired.asp
Even if you're upgraded already you can still see them pages. Just don't go through with an upgrade of course.