Goodbye Amex Express Checkout, Masterpass and Visa Checkout. Say hello to something with a simpler unified name: Click to Pay.
In October 2019, four major credit card payment processors—American Express, Discover, Mastercard, and Visa—introduced secure remote commerce in the United States. It is designed to simplify the online payment process and further protect your personal information, whether it is associated with a credit, debit or prepaid card.
Nine months later, in July 2020, Secure Remote Commerce got a new name: Click to Pay. Here we answer some key questions about what Click to Pay is and how it works.
What is Click to Pay?
Click to Pay refers to a one-click checkout option that you can use when making a purchase on a website, mobile app, or any other digital channel using an American Express, Discover, Mastercard, or Visa credit, debit, or prepaid card. It is designed to work on laptops, smartphones, PCs, tablets and other electronic devices.
Where is Click to Pay available?
Over 10,000 US merchants have signed up for Click to Pay, including Cinemark, Crate & Barrel, Expedia, Fresh Direct, Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts, JoS. A. Bank, Lowe’s, Marriott, Papa Johns, Rakuten, Saks Fifth Avenue and SHOP.com.
Outside the US, vendors such as Emirates, Miter 10, Noel Leeming, 1-day, Pizza Hut Australia, The Warehouse, Torpedo7, Ticketek, and Warehouse Stationery are implementing this technology.
How to register in Click to Pay?
You create a Click to Pay payment profile or add a card to your profile when you visit a card issuer’s website or complete a transaction on a merchant’s website.
A test of the registration process on the Mastercard website looked like this:
- Enter your email address (which will become your Click to Pay user ID).
- Enter your mobile phone number.
- Add your card number, expiration date and security code.
- Enter your billing address.
- A six-digit verification code is generated.
- Your profile is complete.
How do you shop with Click to Pay?
When you shop with a participating online merchant, you will see a single “Click to Pay” button instead of a set of checkout buttons. The button displays the Click to Pay logo combined with the American Express, Discover, Mastercard, or Visa logos, depending on which cards the merchant accepts.
“Often when customers shop online, they are presented with multiple payment buttons with different steps and information requirements, which can be confusing and difficult for customers. [merchants]”, explains American Express on its website.
The Click to Pay icon has a pentagon on the side with a stylized fast forward symbol on the right, formed by a continuous line. To the average consumer, this may seem like a wrinkled arrow.
You do not need to create an account or sign in to an account to make a purchase. Instead, you simply enter your Click to Pay user ID (email address). In other words, you won’t need to re-enter your card number, expiration date, billing address, shipping address, or other personal information.
The idea is to mirror the checkout process that exists in brick-and-mortar stores, with one terminal and one payment method.
How does Click to Pay protect your data?
A one-of-a-kind digital identifier, known as a token, replaces your details, including your credit card account number, which means these details are not shared online. Mastercard says the technology relies on analytics and biometrics to identify legitimate cardholders.
This process eliminates the need for merchants to store information about your card – information that cybercriminals can easily steal if there is no one-click payment option.
“Improved online payment security is the benefit of Click to Pay. EMV (chip) cards have become commonplace in recent years. They are great at fighting personal fraud, which is why most attackers have shifted their efforts online,” said Ted Rossman, industry analyst at CreditCards.com.
“I am happy to see that Visa, Mastercard, American Express and other EMVco members are strengthening their online security,” he adds. “It’s also a good reminder that credit cards provide better fraud protection than debit cards.”
bottom line
Credit card companies launched Click to Pay to compete, plain and simple. Amazon, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal already support one-click payments. With Click to Pay, credit card payment processors are trying to catch up with these competitors. And it is likely that they will.
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The editorial content on this page is based solely on the objective judgment of our contributors and is not based on advertising. It was not provided or ordered by credit card issuers. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to our partners’ products.
