More secure and simplified online shopping ‒ Click to Pay removes need to manually enter card information

The global card payment infrastructure is undergoing a major change that will gradually be visible to everyone using a card for online purchases. The need to enter card information – card number, expiration date and CVV – is about to become a thing of the past in online payments.

In the near future, payers can select the card they want to use with a single click during checkout. This new feature has been aptly named Click to Pay. As it is no longer necessary to manually enter the card information, the payment process becomes quicker, more accessible and more secure. In Click to Pay, sensitive card information is replaced with a unique token that safeguards the customer’s payment details.

Click to Pay is also expected to increase business: merchants who have adopted the service have witnessed a boost in their sales. The simplified payment process results in more customers completing their purchases.

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The new service is revolutionising online card payments.
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The new functionality offers all Click to Pay users a consistent user experience across any mobile device or browser. The availability of the service as a payment option is indicated by the Click to Pay icon.

The new service is revolutionising the infrastructure of card payments in a way that is rivalled by only two other changes in recent history. About twenty years ago, the security of physical card payments improved when magnetic stripes were phased out in favour of EMV chips. A decade later, the implementation of NFC technology enabled quick and easy contactless payments. Now similar changes to improve security and speed are taking place in online payments.

Click to Pay is based on a technical specification that enables the uniform global implementation of the service. The specification is managed by EMVCo, a global technical body formed by American Express, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, UnionPay and Visa. More than 195 organisations participate in its work. EMVCo has worked on the Click to Pay specification with regional and global payment schemes, banks, fintech companies and merchants. The applications of the specification are not limited to international payment card systems and can be utilised also in regional schemes.

The revolutionary change is the result of several years of development. Laying out technical specifications is only the start: card companies, merchants, payment service providers, issuers and other relevant parties all have to pull their weight before the final product and services become publicly available in the market.

Consumers can activate the Click to Pay service by following their card issuer’s instructions. After they have activated the feature, cardholders can simply select the card from a separate menu during online payment without needing to manually enter the card information. Merchants can enable the service through their own service providers. For merchants and merchant service providers, the service is also known as Secure Remote Commerce.

In 2024 it was estimated that the Click to Pay service had reached more than 25 countries and tens of millions of customers. Globally speaking, these figures might not sound huge, but it is only the start – the service is seeing a continuous influx of new merchants, merchant service providers, issuers and customers from different countries.

While Click to Pay certainly enhances the security of card payments, it will not put an end to fraud. Fraud continues and takes on new forms. As technology evolves and processes become more secure, fraudsters focus less on technical solutions and more on human factors.