Risk

Card verification value

Also: CVV, CVC, CVV2, CSC

The 3- or 4-digit code printed on a card, used to prove the cardholder physically holds the card.

CVV (Visa), CVC (Mastercard), CSC, CID, same idea. PCI-DSS forbids storing the value post-authorisation, so vaulting flows must drop it. Issuers can decline transactions with missing or wrong CVV depending on merchant policy.

Related terms

Address Verification Service

An issuer service that compares the billing address submitted with a transaction against the cardholder's address on file.

PCI DSS

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, the scheme-mandated framework for handling cardholder data.

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