Amadeus has collaborated with CyberSource, Visa’s payment management platform, to offer the travel industry advanced fraud and payment management capabilities.
The partnership has been agreed in preparation for Strong Customer Authentication (SCA), which will introduce two-factor authentication for most electronic payments made in the European Economic Area (EEA). It also comes against the backdrop of an estimated €1.3 billion in online card fraud in Europe each year, according to the European Central Bank.
With SCA, payers will need to prove their identity using at least two techniques from: something the payer knows (such as their PIN), something the payer has (such as a SIM card or mobile device) or something the payer is (such as a fingerprint).
Amadeus says the partnership with CyberSource will help travel merchants prepare for SCA, reduce fraud risk and minimise the potential impact of two-factor authentication on the customer experience.
CyberSource’s 3-D Secure (3DS) 2 authentication solution is being integrated with Amadeus’ payment platform. According to Visa, 3DS 2 includes enhancements that lay the foundation for travel merchants and their banking partners to support SCA, without sacrificing a seamless payment experience.
Specifically, 3DS 2 means travel merchants and banks can exchange more data, which supports improved risk assessments. This can reduce instances where travellers are asked to practice two-factor authentication, reducing friction. It also includes in-app authentication on mobile devices and the ability to request specific exemptions included in the SCA requirements, which will be released with 3DS 2.2.
Justin Fraser, head of CyberSource Europe, commented: “The travel industry, like so many, is facing a new era shaped by new technology and regulation. This is coupled with the changing demands of consumers, who are expecting to interact and transact with ease. It’s critical to offer a seamless payment experience, while meeting new regulatory requirements and delivering effective authentication and fraud management. Travel merchants that have the right technology in place will be in a stronger position to optimise exemptions under SCA, manage fraud and ultimately deliver on traveller expectations for simple and secure travel payments.”
Bart Tompkins, MD, payments at Amadeus, added: “In a world where payments are increasingly mobile and travellers expect to pay with a single click, it’s essential merchants keep the overall experience in mind when implementing SCA. By working closely with the CyberSource team, we have committed to delivering the benefits of the new 3DS 2 protocol across our solutions and the wider travel ecosystem – laying the foundation for simple and efficient two-factor authentication by harnessing innovations such as biometrics.”
Amadeus has made a number of moves in the field of payments in recent years, including an integration with Barclaycard that allows the platform to offer virtual cards in its B2B Wallet solution.
amadeus.com; cybersource.com