An important new security feature for card-not-present transactions now appears on the back of most credit cards. This new feature is a three-digit value which provides a cryptographic check of the information embossed on the card.

Security Code's Location:

The Security Code three-digit value for Visa/MasterCard is printed on the signature panel on the back of credit cards immediately following the card account number.

The Security Code value helps validate two things:

1. The customer has their credit card in his/her possession.
2. The card account is legitimate.

Security Code is not contained in the magnetic stripe information, nor does it appear on sales receipts.