Merchants

Merchant Compliance Categorization

Getting started on PCI compliance usually starts with determining your compliance classification. Classification is an important step because it directly affects the type and extent of your compliance assessment and validation requirements. This in turn affects how much effort and cost will be involved. Unfortunately this step is often confusing. Each card brand (VISA, American Express, Discover, JCB, and MasterCard) has different classification criteria. Your bank or merchant processor can provide definitive guidance but in general the categorization types can be summarized up as follows:

SAQ = Self-Assessment Questionnaire

Merchant Validation Requirements

Each card brand (Visa, American Express, Discover, JCB, and MasterCard) has different validation criteria. Your bank or payment card processor can provide definitive guidance on your merchant validation requirements. In general the validation requirements follow the Visa criteria presented below: