Credit Card Authentication

Have you ever gone on vacation and forgotten to notify your bank or credit card company? If you have, we're sure that, by the second or third time you used (or attempted to use) your card, it no longer worked, causing obscene embarrassment...like, "TP on the back of your shoes" embarrassment. Well, this is because of credit card authentication.

Credit card authentication is the process that occurs when your credit card is confirmed, or not confirmed, with the organization that issued the card. In order to complete your purchase of an authentic Mexican cheeseburger from the McDonald’s in Cancun, your credit card must be authenticated, meaning the issuer of your card must approve the transaction, or it will be denied. Ouch.

And again, a total embarrassment. After all, how much could a cheeseburger possibly cost in Cancun?