In 2025, the digital payments rails behind ecommerce were operating at extraordinary scale, Visa alone processed 257.5 billion transactions across its network.  With such rapid growth, it’s easier than ever to get what you need from anywhere. But this convenience also brings risks, as online payment fraud and scams continue to rise. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), consumers reported losing over $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, a stark 25% increase from the previous year. That’s why understanding online shopping safety and knowing what’s protecting your purchase every time you enter your card details online is so important.

Visa Secure with EMV® 3-D Secure (3DS) is an online authentication service that helps confirm your identity when you make purchases with participating online merchants using your Visa card. Working with your bank, Visa Secure adds an extra layer of protection to help prevent unauthorized use of your card. In many cases, you won’t even notice it’s happening. For transactions that require extra verification, your bank may ask you to confirm your identity — for example, by entering a one-time code or using biometric authentication like facial recognition. 

The risks of online payment fraud

Shopping online is easy and convenient, but it is also important to recognize that risks like online payment fraud exist. Cybercriminals are always looking for ways to trick shoppers and steal payment details. With so many online payment solutions and stores available, even careful shoppers can become targets. 

Fraud can be stressful and costly, and resolving disputes can mean precious time spent on long phone calls, updating passwords and worrying about where your personal information ended up. That’s why we created Visa Secure.

Visa Secure is one important part of an overall fraud prevention strategy. It works alongside our other tools like transaction monitoring, encryption and fraud detection systems, to help keep your account safer while empowering you to enjoy safe and secure online shopping. 

How does Visa Secure protect you?

When you shop online, Visa Secure delivers an enhanced data exchange between your bank and merchants to help improve authorization decisioning and fraud detection. Visa Secure analyzes a rich set of transaction, device, and behavioral data to help issuers authenticate cardholders in real time. Sometimes, this includes asking you to confirm your identity with a quick verification step, like entering a one-time code or using your fingerprint through Visa Payment Passkey (VPP) Together, Visa Secure and VPP help provide a seamless way to verify your identity and keep your transactions safe.

This extra check only happens for purchases that seem unusual or higher-risk. For most purchases, you won’t even notice Visa Secure working. Its online payment security technology helps keep your payments safe. 

Six takeaways on Visa Secure

Visa Secure offers many benefits that help make online shopping safer and easier for you:

• Protects against fraud: Visa Secure helps stop criminals from using your card without permission in online transactions.
• Smooth experience and fast approvals: Most transactions pass through quickly and without interruptions; no downloads or sign-ups required.
• Simple verifications when needed: Visa Secure requests extra verification only when truly, needed and if extra verification is needed, your bank will guide you through the process.

Visa Secure helps make your online payments safer by working behind the scenes — analyzing hundreds of data points in milliseconds to confirm your identity without interrupting the checkout experience. In addition to the ways that Visa protects Visa cardholders through Visa Secure, it also protects them with its Zero Liability Policy, which ensures that you’re not responsible for unauthorized charges if your card is lost or stolen, or if unauthorized fraud occurs.

Global protection and regulatory leadership

With the ongoing investment in advanced risk and security solutions from Visa, Visa Secure remains a leader in providing trusted protection for online transactions, supporting secure customer authentication. It complies with global rules and local security standards, ensuring your payments benefit from the highest levels of online payment security.

Whether your online payment happens in your home country or abroad, Visa Secure’s 3DS technology helps reduce fraud and protect your sensitive information.

Tips to stay safe while shopping online

Visa Secure adds a vital layer of protection, but smart habits help too.

• Shop on trusted websites; look for “https” and a padlock in the address.
• Monitor your bank and card statements frequently. Sign up for purchase alerts to spot suspicious activity fast.
• Use strong and unique passwords for your shopping accounts.
• Turn on two-factor authentication when available.
  

Pair these habits with the additional protection your bank and merchants provide through Visa Secure online payment fraud protection for safer shopping. 

To learn more about staying safe online, visit Visa Security Resources page. You can also explore Visa cards that offer even more benefits for your everyday purchases..

Visa Secure is the implementation of EMV® 3-D Secure technology, designed to help protect online purchases and validate that the transaction is being initiated by the rightful owner of the account. When you make an online purchase at a participating merchant, your bank may use Visa Secure to verify your identity while Visa Secure can help reduce the risk of unauthorized use of your card, it is not used for every transaction, and not all fraud can be prevented. Availability varies by bank, merchant and transaction type.