What is the CVV Number?
CARD VERIFICATION VALUE (CVV) CODE
CVV is a new authentication procedure established by credit card companies to further efforts towards reducing fraud for
internet transactions. It consists of requiring a card holder to enter the CVV number in at transaction
time to verify that the card is on hand. The CVV code is a security feature for "card not present"
transactions (e.g., Internet transactions), and now appears on most (but not all) major credit and
debit cards. This new feature is a three- or four-digit code which provides a cryptographic check
of the information embossed on the card. Therefore, the CVV code is not part of the card number itself.
The CVV code helps ascertain that the customer placing the order actually possesses the credit/debit card and that the card
account is legitimate. Each credit card company has its own name for the CVV code, but it functions
the same for all major card types. (VISA refers to the code as CVV2, MasterCard calls it CVC2, and
American Express calls it CID.)
The back panel of most Visa/MasterCard/Discover cards contains the full 16-digit account number, followed by the CVV/CVC
code. Some banks, though, only show the last four digits of the account number followed by the code.
When you submit your credit card information your data is protected by Secure Socket Layer (SSL)
technology certified by a digital certificate.
