How to Do Payment Tokenization Properly?
Published: 2023-06-29 06:31:04

Are you tired of worrying about the security of your customer's payment data when processing transactions online? What if there was a way to protect their sensitive information from data breaches and cyberattacks while making the payment process more convenient?

Enter payment tokenization, the innovative technology that can help you do just that. By replacing sensitive payment information with unique tokens, you can keep fraudsters at bay while providing customers with a seamless and secure payment experience.

Keep reading, and you'll find out tokenization payment meaning, its benefits, explore how it works, and real-world examples of use cases. So let's discover together!

## **What is Payment Tokenization?**

Payment tokenization is a process that replaces sensitive payment data, such as credit card numbers or bank account information, with a unique, randomized data string known as a token. This token has no intrinsic value or meaning and is useless to anyone who may intercept it, including criminals. The original payment network tokenization is then securely stored by the payment gateway provider and only linked to the token, ensuring the safety of the user's sensitive data.

It involves substituting a customer's primary account number (PAN) with a randomly created, unique alphanumeric ID called a token. The token has no value or connection to the customer's account or individual, and the tokenization process removes any public association between the transaction and sensitive data.

Payment tokens are secure identifiers generated from a customer's PAN. They are automatically issued in real time and used online in predefined domains and payment environments. Using payment tokens in transactions means the PAN is not transmitted, making it more secure. The key strength of tokenization as a security measure is that since the PAN is never compromised, there is minimal possibility that the token can be used for fraudulent activity, even in a data breach.

## **How Does Tokenization Payment Work?**

Payment tokenization is a security process that replaces sensitive customer payment data, such as credit card numbers or bank account details, with a unique identification code, called a token. The token can then be used to represent the payment information in all future transactions without the need to expose the original data.

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/06mz7ven1yj8kmg0ohjy.png)

Here's a practical example of how payment tokenization works:

Suppose a customer purchases a pair of shoes from an online store. During checkout, John enters his credit card information into the payment gateway. The gateway sends the card details to the tokenization system, which replaces the card number with a unique, randomly generated token, such as "a5g7fh32k1".

The tokenized data is then returned to the payment gateway, which completes the transaction using the token. The merchant receives the token and stores it in their database rather than storing John's actual card number.

Later, when a customer wants to purchase something else from the same store, he enters his details and confirms the purchase. The token from the previous transaction is used to process the payment, and the merchant does not need to ask for his card information again. The merchant can store the token instead of the payment details to reuse it for future transactions.

_Don't forget: Tokens are meaningless outside the payment system, so they are useless to hackers if they get hold of them. Additionally, payment tokenization is PCI-compliant, as it removes the need to store sensitive customer data, which reduces the risk of data breaches and fraud._

## **Benefits of Payment Tokenization**

By replacing credit card or bank account information with a token, payment tokenization keeps this data out of the wrong hands and limits access only to authorized parties. But that's not all. There are several other compelling reasons why businesses:

## **Increased authorization rates**

According to a Visa report, merchants can experience a 2.1% increase in authorization rates when using tokenization. This is because network tokenization allows the bank to issue the token, making the merchant automatically known and trusted. This means that transactions are more likely to be approved, resulting in a smoother and more efficient payment process.

## **Future convenience**

As tokenization technology advances, it can be applied to omnichannel purchases, improving the customer’s cross-channel experience. Tokenization in payment processing allows using card PANs only as a reference for tokenized transactions, making the fear of compromising a customer's account obsolete.

In addition to these benefits, tokenization protects various payment solutions, including digital wallet credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Android Pay, Buy Now, Pay Later, and even cryptocurrency. Businesses that want to diversify their payment options can offer their customers a high level of cardholder data protection without subscribing to additional payment protection systems.

## **Enabling one-click payments**

Studies show that impulsive purchases make up a significant percentage of all online transactions, and a one-click payment method, coupled with a visually appealing product presentation, can increase the likelihood of such purchases. With tokenization, businesses can ensure that customer payment details are securely stored and easily accessible without customers needing to enter their payment information repeatedly.

Additionally, payment tokenization helps to increase conversion rates by streamlining the checkout process, making it faster and more convenient for customers to complete their purchases. It also provides a more secure way to store customer credit card information, as the tokenized data is encrypted and cannot be used by cybercriminals even if they can access it.

With tokens, the account linking feature is boosted, ensuring customer data is securely saved for future shopping. This feature lets customers easily link their bank account to a merchant's online shop and pay for their orders in a single click, creating a hassle-free checkout experience. This can lead to an increase in conversions, as customers can be confident that their data is securely stored. Moreover, tokenization helps prevent declines due to card expiration, loss, or theft, as customer data is always up to date for all the payment cards on file.

## **Better customer experience**

When customers trust that their data is safe and secure, they are more likely to enjoy their shopping experience and return for future purchases. According to surveys, 78% of consumers would stop doing digital transactions with a brand if the company experienced a breach, and 49% would not register with any online service that recently had a breach. Tokenization provides a reliable and secure environment for customers, thereby promoting trust and a good reputation in the long term.

Tokenization generates customer loyalty through convenient one-click/zero-click payments offering a quick and secure checkout experience and increasing sales. Customers are more likely to make purchases when there are fewer steps in the transaction experience, and 97% of customers have abandoned an online transaction because the process was too complex.

## **Less fraud and fewer chargebacks**

By using payment tokens, which cannot be traced back to the original cardholder information, bad actors who gain access to the tokenized data cannot use it for fraudulent activities. This helps to lower the risk of payment fraud and results in fewer chargebacks, which can save businesses significant costs in fees and penalties. In fact, companies that experience high volumes of chargebacks can face penalties that range from $20-100 per instance, making tokenization an important strategy for avoiding these costs.

## **Reduced risks of data breach**

Companies that are up to date with their PCI compliance have significantly reduced the risk of leaking sensitive customer data in the event of a data breach. This report highlights the importance of maintaining compliance with security standards to avoid data breaches. On the other hand, 53% of non-compliant companies experienced a breach, highlighting the need for businesses to implement secure payment processing solutions.

Tokenization reduces the risk of data breaches and fraud. With tokenization, real payment data is replaced with randomly generated tokens that are useless to hackers, even if stolen.

## **Сompliance with PCI**

Tokenization also makes it easier and more cost-effective for businesses to comply with PCI DSS. Using tokenization, businesses can significantly reduce their PCI scope since sensitive payment data is not stored locally. Merchants can complete a simpler version of the annual PCI Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) and avoid costly security systems and audits. In fact, according to a survey by the PCI Security Standards Council, businesses that use tokenization can reduce the cost of PCI compliance by up to 85%.

Furthermore, tokenization can help businesses expand globally by complying with evolving privacy requirements worldwide. In many countries, privacy laws require merchants to tokenize not only credit card information but also passwords, addresses, patient records, and employee files.

## **Security**

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/yjz41wsgyeo95sx9qpy5.png)

Even if fraudsters manage to steal tokenized payment data, they cannot use the stolen tokens to pay online since they cannot link the token to payment information stored securely by the payment partner. This increases customer and merchant confidence, making payment tokenization a worthwhile investment for businesses.

Moreover, tokenization enhances customer convenience, as repeat customers can check out quickly and securely while new customers can shop confidently. Hosted payment fields encrypt customer data, and one-time and multi-use tokens securely process shopper data. This ensures that sensitive information is always protected, with randomly generated tokens only being readable by the payment processor, making them useless even if exposed.

## **Payment Tokenization Use Cases**

By replacing sensitive card data with unique tokens, tokenization offers enhanced security and convenience for businesses and customers. Want to see how it works? Let me explain the use cases of payment tokenization across different industries.

## **Mobile payment tokenization**

Mobile wallets are increasingly popular as a payment method, and one of the reasons for their success is their use of payment tokenization. When a user uploads their credit card information to a mobile wallet like Apple Pay or Google Pay, the wallet sends the data to the card's network. The network then replaces the card data with a token and returns it to the mobile wallet.

The use of tokens ensures that the user's sensitive information is not transmitted during transactions, reducing the risk of data breaches. Even if a cybercriminal manages to intercept the token, it is useless to them as it cannot be used for fraudulent transactions. This increased security makes mobile payment tokenization, especially wallets, a more convenient and reliable payment option for consumers.

Another benefit of payment tokenization in mobile wallets is digitizing a single payment card into multiple independent payments through tokens. For example, users can have separate tokens for different devices to make payments without carrying a physical card. This feature is handy for NFC mobile wallets like Apple Pay or Android Pay, as it allows for seamless and secure payments in-person or online.

## **Recurring payments**

By converting sensitive information into randomly generated strings that cannot be decrypted outside the internal system, tokenization simplifies the payment process and ensures secure transactions. This makes it an ideal option for businesses that need payment app development to regularly handle credit card payments, including banks, e-commerce retailers, service providers, and subscription services. With tokenization, merchants can establish consistent cash flow without interrupting payment issues, making it a convenient and secure option for recurring payment business models such as memberships.

## **One-click checkouts**

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/w6jej2jjhc8j071ih6ia.png)

With tokenization technology, returning customers' payment information can be securely stored and easily retrieved, allowing them to complete a transaction with just one click. As one of the real FinTech trends, this feature has become the norm in ecommerce and brick-and-mortar businesses, improving customer experience and boosting sales.

To enable one-click checkout, merchants and payment processors exchange tokens generated when consumers link their bank account with the merchant's account. These tokens allow easy consumer identification in the payment processor's system without transmitting sensitive information.

Popular online retailers like Amazon have successfully implemented one-click checkout, resulting in increased sales, larger average order sizes, and fewer abandoned carts. This technology can also benefit brick-and-mortar businesses by streamlining the checkout process and reducing friction for returning customers.

## **Contactless transactions**

Tokenization allows for a contactless payment process without chip technology, making purchases faster and easier. It's used extensively in mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, as well as e-commerce sites and companies that store card details for subscription invoices.

Apple has taken a proactive approach to data security, with their Apple Wallet protected by payment tokenization. When a card is loaded into an iPhone, the user's data is sent to the bank that issued it, and tokens are stored on the device. Only the bank has access to the token key, providing enhanced security.

Google Pay uses a similar process, with Google creating the token rather than the bank. Visa and MasterCard also support tokenization, complying with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). Visa calls its service Visa Token Service (VTS), while MasterCard's is called MasterCard Digital Enablement Service (MDES).

## **PCI Tokenization Standard**

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is one of the most critical sets of regulations companies must adhere to if they handle sensitive cardholder data.

Tokenization is a central component of PCI DSS compliance. It reduces a company's "PCI scope," which is how the industry refers to all the people, processes, and technologies that store, process or transmit credit card information. By limiting the size of their cardholder data environment (CDE), businesses can reduce their PCI scope and decrease the number of vulnerabilities in their payment process.

The importance of complying with PCI DSS regulations cannot be overstated. These regulations provide a framework for businesses to protect their customers' sensitive data and secure their payment processes. Companies can reduce the risk of data breaches by implementing PCI DSS compliance measures and improve their overall cybersecurity posture.

PCI DSS outlines specific requirements for businesses that accept credit card payments to ensure the safe handling of sensitive data. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in hefty fines, penalties, and even legal action. Moreover, non-compliance can significantly damage a company's reputation, leading to a loss of customer trust and a decline in revenue.

## **How TechMagic Can Implement Payment Tokenization**

At TechMagic, we use payment tokenization as a critical part of our holistic security solution to protect sensitive data and ensure that all payment data is tokenized before it is transmitted to our systems, minimizing the chances of a data breach or unauthorized access. Providing FinTech app development services, we build apps with the best security features, including tokenization, to ensure that transactions are always secure.

We supplement tokenization with other fraud-mitigating tactics like card verification value (CVV) matching and address verification to further protect against fraudulent transactions. We also integrate our payment gateway with clients' ERP systems to ensure seamless payment processing while maintaining the highest level of security.

## **Summing Up**
Several big players in the payment industry, including Apple, Google, Stripe, Plaid, Mastercard, and Visa, are already using tokenization to protect their customers' sensitive credit card data without fear of data leakage.

Implementing payment tokenization is a crucial step for businesses looking to protect their customer's financial information and maintain compliance with industry regulations such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). If you're a founder looking to enhance the security of your financial transactions and protect your customers from fraud and abuse, consider implementing payment tokenization. Contact our team today to learn how tokenization can benefit your business.

## **FAQ**

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/6uii6c6n7s0iofy72z2n.png)

## 1. How does payment tokenization work?

Payment tokenization is a process that replaces sensitive payment information, such as credit card numbers, with a unique identifier called a token. The token is then used in place of the actual transaction payment data. The payment data is securely stored in a token vault, typically by a third-party payment processor, and can only be accessed by authorized parties with proper authentication.

## 2. What payment processes use tokenization?

Payment tokenization is used in various payment processes, including online and mobile payments, in-store payments, and recurring payments. Major payment networks such as Visa, Mastercard, and American Express offer tokenization services to their customers.

## 3. What is tokenization payment?

Tokenization payment is a security measure that replaces sensitive payment information with a unique token. This helps to protect against data breaches and other security threats by ensuring that the actual payment data is not stored on the merchant's or payment processor's systems.

## 4. Does payment tokenization suit my business?

Payment tokenization is a valuable security measure for businesses of all sizes that process payment transactions. It can be particularly beneficial for businesses that store or process large amounts of payment data, as it reduces the risk of data breaches and minimizes liability in the event of a breach.