What is 3D Secure?
3D Secure (3DS) is an authentication standard that adds a verification step to online card payments. You may also see it referred to as Mastercard Identity Check, since that is Mastercard's branded name for the program on Venn Mastercards.
When you make a purchase on a website that supports 3DS, the merchant's payment system checks with Venn to confirm you are the authorized cardholder before approving the transaction. In most cases this happens silently in the background.
Occasionally, if the transaction is flagged as higher-risk, you will be prompted to enter a one-time passcode (OTP) sent to your registered email address.
The goal is simple: if someone else has obtained your card details, they still cannot complete the purchase without the OTP that only goes to your email.
Does Venn now support 3D Secure?
Yes. If you previously encountered a decline that mentioned 3D Secure not being supported, that limitation no longer applies. Your Venn Mastercard is now enrolled automatically. You do not need to take any action to activate it.
Do I have to enter a code every time I shop online?
No. Most online transactions are approved through what is called a frictionless flow, where the authentication happens in the background without any action required from you. You will only see a verification prompt if the transaction is flagged for additional review — for example, an unusually large purchase, a merchant you have not used before, or a payment pattern that differs from your normal activity.
The majority of your online purchases will go through without interruption.
What happens when I am prompted to verify?
When a challenge is triggered, the merchant's checkout page will display a verification pop-up showing a masked version of your registered email address (for example, m***@company.com). An email will be sent to that address with a one-time passcode. Enter the passcode in the pop-up on the merchant's site to complete the purchase.
Do not close the browser tab or leave the merchant's checkout page while waiting for the email. The verification session is time-limited.
Where is the OTP email sent?
The email is sent to the email address registered to the specific cardholder on your Venn account. For accounts where different team members hold separate cards, the OTP goes to the individual cardholder's email, not the account owner's email. If you are unsure which email is registered to your card, check the cardholder details in your Venn account under Cards.
The email will come from info@venn.ca. Look for a subject line referencing your transaction and a Venn-branded verification code.
How long is the OTP valid?
OTP codes expire after a short window, typically a few minutes. If you take too long to enter the code — for example, because you switched between tabs or waited too long for the email to arrive — the session will time out. In that case, you can restart checkout at the merchant's site to generate a new authentication request and receive a fresh code.
I did not receive the OTP email. What should I do?
Check the following before contacting support:
Spam or junk folder. Authentication emails from info@venn.ca can occasionally be filtered. Mark them as not spam to prevent this in the future.
Correct email on file. The email must match what is registered to your card in Venn. If the masked email shown in the checkout pop-up does not match your current email, contact Venn support to update it.
Delivery delay. Email delivery can occasionally take a minute or two. Wait briefly before requesting a new code.
Session timeout. If the checkout pop-up has already closed or timed out, restart the checkout process from the beginning to trigger a new OTP.
If you have checked all of the above and still cannot receive the code, please log into your Venn account and start an in-app chat with one of our support staff.
Can I request a new code if mine expired?
Yes. Return to the merchant's checkout and restart the payment process. A new authentication request will be sent to your email. Do not attempt to use an expired code. It will not work and may cause the transaction to be declined.
The verification pop-up did not appear. What do I do?
The 3DS challenge appears as a pop-up or redirect on the merchant's page. If it did not appear, try the following:
Disable pop-up blockers. Your browser or an extension may be blocking the authentication window. Try the payment in an incognito or private browsing window with extensions disabled.
Check for redirects. Some merchants open the challenge in a new tab rather than a pop-up. Check if a new tab opened in the background.
Try a different browser. Compatibility issues with certain browsers can prevent the authentication page from loading correctly.
Disable your VPN. If you are using a VPN, the transaction may be flagged due to a geographic mismatch between your IP address and your registered location. Try disabling the VPN and retrying.
My transaction was declined after a failed 3DS attempt. What now?
If you did not complete the verification in time, or if the code was entered incorrectly, the transaction will be declined. This is expected as the merchant's system is designed to reject unauthenticated payments.
Wait a few minutes before retrying. Repeatedly attempting a failed card in quick succession can cause a temporary hold. If the issue persists after retrying, contact Venn support via in-app chat.
I received a 3DS verification email for a purchase I did not make. What should I do?
Do not enter the code. A verification email for a transaction you did not initiate means someone else is attempting to use your card details online and the 3DS challenge is working as intended by stopping the transaction.
If you suspect unauthorized use, you can also lock the card yourself at any time from the Cards section of your Venn account.
Never share your OTP with anyone, including anyone claiming to be from Venn, Mastercard, or your bank. Venn will never call or message you to ask for a verification code.
Not all merchants prompted me for 3DS. Does that mean those payments are less secure?
Not necessarily. Whether a 3DS challenge is displayed depends on the merchant's payment setup. Not all online merchants have 3DS enabled on their end, and even among those that do, many transactions will pass through a flow without a visible prompt. The absence of a challenge does not mean the transaction was unprotected; it means the risk assessment determined that no additional step was needed.
My team member's card is being declined at a specific online merchant. Could 3DS be the reason?
Possibly. If the merchant requires 3DS and the cardholder did not complete the verification step, the transaction will be declined.
Have the team member check the email address registered to their specific card and try again with pop-up blockers disabled. If the issue persists, contact support and include the merchant name and approximate time of the attempt so we can investigate.
I changed my email address. Will 3DS still work?
Your 3DS verification is tied to the email registered to your card. If you have updated your email address successfully in Venn, the change will be automatically applied. Until that update is reflected in your Venn account, OTP emails will continue going to your previous email address.
Can I turn off 3D Secure on my card?
Yes. If you would like to unenroll a card from 3D Secure, contact Venn support via in-app chat and we can assist. Keep in mind that unenrolling removes the fraud liability protections that come with successful 3DS authentication. If an unauthorized online transaction occurs on an unenrolled card, you may have less recourse. We recommend leaving 3DS enabled unless you have a specific reason to opt out.
Does 3D Secure protect me from all fraud?
3DS significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized online purchases by requiring the actual cardholder to verify transactions. However, it does not eliminate all fraud. It is specifically designed to prevent unauthorized card-not-present transactions. It does not apply to in-person purchases, and it does not protect against non-fraud disputes (such as delivery issues or billing errors).
Who do I contact if I still have an issue?
Reach Venn support anytime via in-app chat by clicking the chat icon in the bottom right corner of any Venn page. When contacting us about a 3DS issue, it helps to include:
The merchant name and website
The approximate date and time of the attempt
The email address registered to the card in question
A description of what happened (pop-up did not appear, OTP not received, declined after entering code, etc.)