Service Providers

Service Provider Compliance Categorization

Getting started on PCI compliance usually starts with determining your compliance classification. Service Provider 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 has different service provider classification criteria. Your bank or payment card processor can provide definitive guidance but in general the categorization types closely follow Visa which is summarized below:

Service Provider Compliance Validation

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 service provider validation requirements. In general the validation requirements closely follow the Visa criteria presented below: