3DS (3-D Secure) is a verification step the issuing bank may require during a card payment: the buyer confirms their identity — usually with a code sent to their phone or an approval in their banking app — before the charge is authorized.
Why it matters
- It protects the buyer: no one can use their card online without identity verification.
- It protects you: a payment authenticated with 3DS shifts liability to the issuing bank in most fraud disputes, which reduces your exposure to chargebacks.
- It improves acceptance: when a purchase looks suspicious, the bank can request authentication instead of declining it outright, and a sale that would have been lost goes through.
What the buyer experiences
When confirming the payment, the screen shows an additional step from the bank: entering a one-time code, approving a notification in the banking app, or completing a similar verification. It takes a few seconds, and once it's done, the payment continues with its normal authorization.
Not every payment requires it: the bank decides when to request it based on the amount, the buyer's history, and its own security rules.
What you need to do as a business
Nothing special: authentication is built into Conekta's Checkout and Payment Links automatically. Just make sure you never ask the buyer to share their codes with you — they're personal, and no legitimate business asks for them.
Next step
If a buyer gets stuck at this step, see What to do if the buyer can't complete authentication.