PCI Compliant Forms
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PCI-compliant forms help businesses securely collect and manage payment data, keeping everything in line with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). Staying compliant protects customer data, secures transactions, and helps prevent fraud. In this article, we’ll break down what PCI compliance means, its key requirements, and how you can set up secure payment forms with ease. Feel free to discover more relevant insights in our blog.
Processing Payments? Make Sure Your Forms Are PCI Compliant
Accepting credit card payments is a big responsibility, and ensuring security is absolutely essential to protect both your business and your customers. If your payment forms don’t meet PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) requirements, your business could face serious consequences, including:
- Data breaches that expose sensitive customer information and increase fraud risks.
- Expensive fines and penalties imposed by regulatory bodies for non-compliance.
- Losing customer trust, which can damage your reputation and impact your bottom line.
These risks make PCI compliance a critical priority for businesses of any size.
In this Growform guide, we’ll walk you through PCI compliance forms, why it’s important and the steps you can take to ensure your payment forms are fully PCI compliant.
Why Listen to Us?
At Growform, we help businesses securely collect and process lead data while integrating with PCI-compliant payment processors. Our multi-step forms, encrypted submissions, and secure integrations ensure safe, hassle-free transactions.
Clients using Growform have seen improved payment security, lower compliance risks, and seamless checkout experiences by ensuring PCI DSS compliance in their payment workflows.
What Is PCI Compliance?
PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is a comprehensive set of security guidelines established by major credit card companies like Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. Its purpose is to ensure the safety and security of cardholder data during transactions by reducing the risk of fraud and data breaches.
These rules are designed to protect sensitive payment information, giving both businesses and customers peace of mind when handling credit card payments. PCI compliance is mandatory for any organization involved in processing, storing, or transmitting credit card information.
Who Needs to Be PCI Compliant?
- Any business that accepts credit card payments online or in-store: Whether you run an e-commerce website or a brick-and-mortar shop, compliance is essential if you’re handling card payments.
- Merchants using payment forms to collect cardholder information: This includes businesses that integrate payment forms into their websites or apps to collect sensitive customer data.
- Companies processing, storing, or transmitting credit card details: From payment gateways to subscription billing services, any organization directly dealing with cardholder information must meet PCI standards to secure their systems.
What Happens If You’re Not Compliant?
Non-compliance with PCI DSS can have serious consequences for your business:
- Hefty fines: You could face penalties ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 per month, depending on the level of non-compliance and the severity of the issues.
- Increased risk of fraud and data breaches: Failing to secure cardholder data opens your business to the threat of cyberattacks, which could result in stolen customer information, financial losses, and reputational damage.
- Loss of card payment processing privileges: If your business is deemed non-compliant, credit card companies may revoke your ability to process card payments, potentially crippling your operations.
By ensuring PCI compliance, you’re not just avoiding fines and penalties—you’re actively protecting your customers’ sensitive data, reducing the likelihood of fraud, and establishing trust. Secure, PCI-compliant payment forms help keep your business safe while delivering a seamless experience for your customers. Compliance isn’t just a legal requirement; it’s an investment in your brand’s credibility and long-term success.
PCI Compliance vs. Non-Compliant Forms
A PCI-compliant form follows strict security measures, while a non-compliant form exposes sensitive data to risks.
PCI-Compliant Forms:
- Do not store raw credit card details on servers.
- Encrypt payment data during transmission.
- Use secure payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, or Square.
- Implement multi-layer authentication & fraud detection.
Non-Compliant Forms:
- Directly collect and store credit card data without encryption.
- Lack secure transmission protocols (e.g., HTTPS, SSL/TLS).
- Do not use a compliant payment processor.
- Increase risks of fraud, chargebacks, and data leaks.
Key PCI Compliance Requirements for Forms
Never Store Credit Card Data
To stay PCI compliant, you should never store, save, or retain credit card details after submission. Keeping cardholder data increases the risk of breaches and legal penalties.
Instead, use tokenization and PCI-compliant payment gateways to process transactions securely. These technologies replace sensitive data with encrypted tokens, ensuring that payment information never touches your servers.
Use PCI-Compliant Payment Processors
Handling card data directly can expose your business to security risks and compliance violations. Instead, integrate with trusted payment processors like Stripe, PayPal, Square, or Braintree, which handle transactions within their secure environments.
Redirecting payments through these platforms ensures that sensitive card information is processed safely and never stored in your forms or databases.
Implement Secure Form Validations
Real-time form validation ensures that only accurate and valid payment details are submitted, reducing failed transactions and fraud. You’ll need:
- Credit card number and CVV validation to detect errors before submission.
- Expiration date checks to prevent users from entering expired or incorrect card details.
Growform can help by integrating with payment processors, via Zapier that handle these validations automatically.
Encrypt Data in Transit & At Rest
Every form submission containing payment details must be protected with HTTPS encryption to prevent data interception by hackers. Additionally, payment processors should encrypt transaction data at rest, ensuring that stored information remains unreadable without proper authorization. Encryption acts as a critical security layer, reducing the chances of unauthorized access and data leaks.
Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for Transactions
Adding multi-factor authentication (MFA) to payment processes helps protect against fraud and unauthorized transactions.
Requiring users to enter a one-time verification code or authenticate via 2FA methods makes it significantly harder for attackers to misuse stolen card details. Implementing MFA enhances security and builds trust with customers.
Implement Fraud Detection & Monitoring
Even with strong encryption and authentication, fraud attempts can still occur. Using fraud prevention tools like 3D Secure (Visa Secure, Mastercard SecureCode) helps verify transactions and reduce chargeback risks.
Additionally, monitoring payment activity in real-time allows you to detect suspicious behavior, flag fraudulent transactions, and take action before any damage occurs.
Keep Systems Updated & Secure
Outdated software can introduce security vulnerabilities, making your payment forms a target for attacks. Stay protected by:
- Regularly updating your CMS, plugins, and security certificates.
- Performing quarterly PCI DSS compliance scans to identify and fix vulnerabilities.
Fortunately, using Growform with trusted payment integrations ensures you’re working with up-to-date, secure technology.
Train Employees on Payment Security
Your team also plays a crucial role in maintaining PCI compliance. Educate employees on:
- Recognizing phishing threats that attempt to steal payment details.
- Handling cardholder data safely to prevent unauthorized access.
- Limiting access to payment data, ensuring only authorized personnel can view transactions.
Ensure PCI Compliance with Growform
Handling payments? PCI compliance isn’t just a box to tick—it’s essential for keeping your business and customers safe from fraud and penalties.
With Growform, staying PCI compliant is easier than ever. Our secure payment form integrations, encrypted data handling, and compliance-friendly workflows help you protect your business while boosting conversions.
Ready to secure your payment forms and grow your business? Get started with Growform today!