h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

When you make an online purchase & go through credit card verification, how does this work?

Our postcode was changed some years ago & I have discovered that although my statements are correctly addressed, some websites only recognise the old postcode. So I can only use my card by giving different billing & delivery postcodes (the rest of the address is the same).

I'm not sure where the hitch is & who to contact to get it updated everywhere.

What did your bank say (if you asked them)

The underlying protocol is called 3D Secure, but each credit card company calls it something different. Visa, for example, call their implementation Verified by Visa. Mastercard call theirs something else. It does indeed go back to your bank: they host (or outsource the hosting of) the verification page.

TRiG.

Once upon a time I had a terrible time with mastercard secure/verified by visa when it first started as I actually had to type a password in and there were all sorts of shenanigans over whether my mothers maiden name had been spelled correctly. Was my password wrong? Er no - reset password - still not working - visit bank - wth is the problem then… - much head scratching, gnashing of teeth, wailing etc….

Turns out the phone operator at the bank had spelled it (mother's maiden name) wrong originally - I think I know how to spell it myself thankyou banking-types.

I eventually got it sorted but yeah, I've never worked out how it became completely automated. It's not very clear to me how it's 'secure'

But like you, I use it anyway - and have yet to have any security issues over doing so.

At least you got an e-mail (or was it a leaflet in the post?) informing you it was going to happen, so you didn't think someone was spying on you. Haven't had any problems with it so far. I am hoping that security is better for it, but no idea how.

I haven't yet bothered to contact the card issuer ( a well known large store chain). Interestingly it's their own store website that wants my old address, despite correctly addressing statements! Obviously they piggy back on a 'proper bank' which I suspect is where the issue has arisen.
Quite why some websites are happy with the new postcode & others not, I really don't know.

The card verification scheme doesn't check address's or postcodes. It's sole purpose is to check that the card being used is valid. It checks expiry date, (start date if applicable), it checks the CVC code given (the 3 digits on back of card) matches the card number and sort code.
Any issues about address's or postcodes is site related rather than any issue's about card verification.