Paying online

We’re all buying more and more online. Just a couple of clicks or taps is all it takes for us to drop some new clothes, tickets or holidays into our online shopping basket and pay for them by card or with our smartphone. But how does that work in practice? And is all that secure?

An even more secure way to pay

Online payments and their processing are subject to the Payment Services Directive (PSD2), the new European directive for online payments in European online stores. PSD2 makes the principle of strong customer authentication mandatory. At the moment, your credit card number is sometimes all you need to make a payment, especially on foreign websites. With PSD2, this is gradually becoming a thing of the past. If you want to pay for your purchase, you'll have to prove (= authenticate) that it's you by using two of the following three characteristics:

Something you know (e.g., your PIN)
Something you own (e.g., your card reader or your smartphone)
Something that is typically yours (e.g., your fingerprint)

For many Belgian consumers, this is not new – with online and mobile banking, you often have to log in to your bank in exactly that same way. Under PSD2, the strong customer authentication will now also be applied to all European payments, and therefore also for the hotel room you booked on a Dutch travel site or for the great children's gift you spotted in a French online store.

In Belgium, we were already one of the frontrunners in secure online shopping. Now it will become more secure all over Europe. Whether you use your debit card, your credit card, your prepaid card or your smartphone to make a payment, you'll have to prove that it's really you more often.

Yes, the strong customer authentication applies to all European players. If you want to buy something online, including in a European online store, you'll more and more frequently have to prove that it's you by combining two of the three characteristics.

In a limited number of cases, an online store can invoke an exception to the principle of strong customer authentication when, for example, it concerns low-value online payments.

Always remain wary and keep the following two tips in mind:

Only sign for a payment that you yourself have entered
Only shop in online stores you are familiar with and that you trust

In which online stores?

We offer a range of ways to pay through us online, so you'll be able to use at least one of your KBC Brussels payment cards in virtually every online store. This includes websites that display these logos:

Visa, Mastercard, Maestro and Bancontact logos

1. Paying online with your card: Bancontact, Maestro or Mastercard

What else do you need besides your card?

KBC Brussels Mobile on your smartphone or KBC Brussels Touch on your desktop or tablet
Your card reader if you want to pay using the card reader

What do you do?

Tap or click the Bancontact, Maestro or Mastercard logo
Enter your card number
Enter your card’s expiry date
Enter the Card Verification Code (CVC) if you use Mastercard
Follow the on-screen instructions and confirm the payment.

With your KBC Brussels Credit Card, you can insure your online purchases against incorrect delivery, non-delivery, damage or theft.

How do I sign my payment?

2. Paying online by bank transfer using the KBC Brussels Payment Button

	Paying with KBC Brussels Touch (tablet/desktop)	Paying with KBC Brussels Mobile (smartphone)
Step 1	Select the KBC Brussels Payment Button	Tap the KBC Brussels Payment Button logo
Step 2	Select the card reader and current account you're using to pay	Select KBC Brussels Mobile
Step 3	KBC Brussels Touch will show you the payment details for what you're buying online	This will launch the KBC Brussels Mobile app
Step 4	Generate the response code using your debit card and card reader (desktop) or confirm the payment using your PIN (tablet)	Confirm the payment with your PIN
Step 5	You will receive confirmation that your payment went through	You will see on your smartphone that payment went through

3. Paying safely and securely online: some tips

While paying online by card is secure, that's not to say that you shouldn't still remain wary.

Keep your codes secret. They are the keys to unlocking your money.
Watch out for suspicious behaviour. KBC Brussels will always use the same way to authorise payment orders. So be wary if something suddenly changes from what you're used to.
Check the details. Ensure that things like the total amount and the beneficiary's account number are correct.
Make sure your computer and smartphone are properly protected.

How to bank securely online

Keep hackers out with our security tips.

Learn more

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