What is the official name for a credit card's 3 digit code?

Question

I am working on a payment form. What is that 3-digit code on the back of the card called? I can't find a consistent reference as to what to call it.

Answer 1

It is called the Card Security Code (CSC) according to Wikipedia, but has also been known as other things, such as the Card Verification Value (CVV) or Card Verfication Code (CVC).

The second code, and the most cited, is CVV2 or CVC2. This CSC (also known as a CCID or Credit Card ID) is often asked for by merchants for them to secure "card not present" transactions occurring over the Internet, by mail, fax or over the phone. In many countries in Western Europe, due to increased attempts at card fraud, it is now mandatory to provide this code when the cardholder is not present in person.

Because this seems to be known by multiple names, and its name doesn't seem to be printed on the card itself, you'll probably (unfortunately) still need to tell your users how to find the code - ie by describing it as the "3 digit code on back of card".

Answer 2

It's got a number of names. Most likely you've heard it as either Card Security Code (CSC) or Card Verification Value (CVV).

Card Security Code

Answer 3

From Wikipedia,

The Card Security Code is located on the back of MasterCard, Visa and Discover credit or debit cards and is typically a separate group of 3 digits to the right of the signature strip. On American Express cards, the Card Security Code is a printed (NOT embossed) group of four digits on the front towards the right.

The Card Security Code (CSC), sometimes called Card Verification Value (CVV or CV2), Card Verification Value Code (CVVC), Card Verification Code (CVC), Verification Code (V-Code or V Code), or Card Code Verification (CCV)[1] is a security feature for credit or debit card transactions, giving increased protection against credit card fraud.

There are actually several types of security codes:

* The first code, called CVC1 or CVV1, is encoded on the magnetic stripe of the card and used for transactions in person.
* The second code, and the most cited, is CVV2 or CVC2. This CSC (also known as a CCID or Credit Card ID) is often asked for by merchants for them to secure "card not present" transactions occurring over the Internet, by mail, fax or over the phone. In many countries in Western Europe, due to increased attempts at card fraud, it is now mandatory to provide this code when the cardholder is not present in person.
* Contactless Card and Chip cards may supply their own codes generated electronically, such as iCVV or Dynamic CVV.

The CVC should not be confused with the standard card account number appearing in embossed or printed digits. (The standard card number undergoes a separate validation algorithm called the Luhn algorithm which serves to determine whether a given card's number is appropriate.)

The CVC should not be confused with PIN codes such as MasterCard SecureCode or Visa Verified by Visa. These codes are not printed or embedded in the card but are entered at the time of transaction using a keypad.

Answer 4

You can't find a consistent reference because it seems to go by at least six different names!

• Card Security Code
• Card Verification Value (CVV or CV2)
• Card Verification Value Code (CVVC)
• Card Verification Code (CVC)
• Verification Code (V-Code or V Code)
• Card Code Verification (CCV)