What is Acquirer exemption (TRA)?

SCA exemption applied by the acquirer using its own fraud rates, letting eligible transactions bypass 3DS challenges under EUR 500.

The acquirer exemption (TRA) is a Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) exemption applied by the acquirer for transactions assessed as low-risk based on their own real-time fraud monitoring.

For eligible card-not-present transactions, the acquirer inserts specific flags, such as the `scaExemption` field with a value of `TRA`, into the authorisation request message sent to the issuer, indicating that SCA has not been performed.

This exemption can be applied to transactions up to EUR 500, provided the acquirer’s fraud rates for card-not-present payments remain below regulatory thresholds: 0.13% for transactions up to EUR 100, 0.06% for transactions up to EUR 250, and 0.05% for transactions up to EUR 500.

Operationally, a merchant will not directly "request" an acquirer exemption (TRA); rather, it is applied by their acquirer, often without explicit notification to the merchant beyond the transaction proceeding without a 3D Secure (3DS) challenge.

Merchants typically configure their payment gateway to request 3DS, and if the acquirer decides to apply TRA, the 3DS flow is bypassed, resulting in a smoother customer experience.

A common mistake occurs when a merchant assumes all transactions below EUR 500 will automatically bypass 3DS due to TRA, overlooking that the acquirer's real-time risk assessment and fraud rates are the primary determinants, not merely the transaction value.