Strong Customer Authentication

What is SCA? 

From 14 September 2019, there's new requirements for authenticating online payments made by European customers, as part of the second Payment Services Directive (PSD2). These are known as 'Strong Customer Authentication' or SCA and are designed to help reduce fraud and make payments more secure. 

The requirements apply to all online card payments where both the business and cardholder's bank are in the European Economic Area (EEA). To comply, businesses must use an extra layer of authentication when processing transactions. It is likely this will still apply in the UK after Brexit. 

How does it affect me buying a ticket? 

You'll need to authenticate your transaction after entering your payment details when buying a ticket. 

You'll have seen this elsewhere - it's when you need to enter another piece of information to confirm a transaction. 

How you authenticate will depend on your bank or card provider. It may be by providing a fingerprint through the bank's app, a code sent by text message, or by entering a PIN using a card reader, for example.