Learning Center
Card-present vs card-not-present: what's the difference?
A card-present transaction happens when the physical card is tapped, dipped, or swiped in person; card-not-present means the card number is entered online, by phone, or by invoice. Card-not-present carries higher interchange and fraud risk, so it's priced and secured differently.
Card-present transactions are the lowest-risk and lowest-cost because the card and cardholder are physically there. Card-not-present — e-commerce, phone, and mail orders — carries more fraud risk and higher interchange, which is why online pricing often differs from in-store.
Velocity sets up the right tools for each: EMV and tap hardware for in-person, and a secure gateway with tokenization and fraud controls for card-not-present.
Frequently asked
Card-not-present transactions carry higher interchange and fraud risk.
Through tokenization, address and CVV verification, and gateway fraud filters.
Yes — we can unify in-person and online under one merchant account.
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