With Instinct Payments, 3D Secure (3DS) authenticates the cardholder before a Pay by Link payment completes, protecting your practice from fraud-related chargebacks. This article explains how 3DS works, what your team and pet owners can expect, and answers common questions.
Note: 3DS is enabled and disabled per practice by the Instinct Payments team. No technical action is required from your practice. Contact [email protected] to turn this feature on or off, and make sure your team knows about it so they can answer pet owner questions.
What is 3D Secure (3DS)?
3D Secure verifies that the person paying is the actual cardholder. When a pet owner pays via a Pay by Link, their bank runs a quick check behind the scenes, resulting in one of two outcomes.
Frictionless flow: The bank approves the payment silently, and the pet owner sees no difference. This is the outcome for most transactions.
Challenge flow: The pet owner's bank requests a quick extra verification step, controlled entirely by the bank. This may include an SMS one-time passcode, a push notification in the banking app, a Face ID or fingerprint check, or an in-app approval.
What pet owners will see
The exact appearance of a verification step varies by the pet owner's bank. The image below is an example.
Why Instinct Payments enabled 3DS
Instinct Payments enabled 3DS primarily for chargeback protection, through a mechanism called a liability shift.
Before 3DS, if a pet owner disputed a Pay by Link transaction as fraudulent, the financial responsibility for that chargeback fell to your practice. With 3DS enabled, once a transaction is authenticated, that liability shifts to the pet owner's card issuer.
What your team needs to know
Your front desk and billing teams do not need to change any workflows in Instinct EMR. Your team should be aware of this feature before sending a Pay by Link, so they can assist pet owners if needed.
If a pet owner asks about a prompt they saw during payment, reassure them:
It is not an error.
It is a standard bank security measure to protect their card.
It only takes a moment to complete.
Once verified, their payment will go through as normal.
Note: If a pet owner fails the verification step, their payment will not go through. They should contact their bank if they have repeated trouble, or your team can send a new Pay by Link.
Frequently asked questions
Does my practice need to do anything technically to enable this?
No. If 3DS is enabled on your account, it automatically applies to all Pay by Link transactions, and nothing changes in your Instinct EMR workflow. Contact [email protected] to request this feature be turned on or off.
What is a Pay by Link transaction?
Pay by Link is an Instinct Payments feature that lets your team send a payment link directly to a pet owner. For more information, see Instinct Payments: Link-to-Pay.
Will this affect in-person or terminal payments?
No. 3DS only applies to Pay by Link transactions. Terminal and in-person payments are not affected.
What if a pet owner cannot complete the verification step?
If a pet owner cannot complete the challenge, their payment will not go through. Advise them to try again or contact their bank for assistance. Your team can also send a new Pay by Link.
Who do I contact with questions?
Contact the Instinct Payments team at [email protected].
Tip: Share this article with your front desk and billing teams so they feel confident answering pet owner questions about 3DS.
Still need help?
Contact the Instinct Payments team at [email protected].