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Managing PCI Compliance with 4Geeks Payments

Allan Porras

Allan Porras

— 3 min read

Security is paramount when handling financial transactions. 4Geeks Payments is a fully PCI DSS Level 1compliant service provider, the highest level of certification in the payment card industry. This means that 4Geeks handles the complex security requirements of storing, processing, and transmitting cardholder data, significantly reducing the compliance burden for your business.

By leveraging 4Geeks Payments' tokenization and hosted payment solutions, you can ensure your customers' data is encrypted and secure without having to build your own banking-grade security infrastructure. This guide explains how to maintain compliance and security best practices when using the platform.

Prerequisites

  • An active 4Geeks Payments account (Merchant Account).
  • A website or application secured with SSL/TLS (HTTPS).
  • Access to the 4Geeks Console for configuration.

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How to Manage Compliance

While 4Geeks Payments handles the heavy lifting of PCI DSS compliance, as a merchant, you must still adhere to basic security practices to ensure your integration remains secure.

1. Use Secure Integration Methods

To minimize your compliance scope (typically to SAQ A), avoid touching raw credit card numbers directly on your servers. Use one of the following methods provided by 4Geeks:

  • Hosted Payment Pages/Links: Redirect customers to a secure page hosted by 4Geeks to complete their purchase.
  • No-Code Tools: Use pre-built plugins for platforms like WooCommerce, Magento, or Odoo.
  • Tokenization (API): If building a custom flow, use the 4Geeks Payments API to capture card details on the client side (browser) and exchange them for a secure Token. Send only this token to your server for processing.

2. Enable 3D Secure (3DS)

4Geeks Payments automatically secures Payment Links with 3D Secure (3DS) authentication. This adds an extra layer of identity verification (such as a One-Time Password or biometric scan) during checkout, protecting both you and your customers from fraud.

  • Action: No manual configuration is usually required; 3DS is enabled by default to meet major card network requirements (Visa, Mastercard, Amex).

3. Implement SSL/TLS Encryption

Ensure your website or application serves all content over HTTPS.

  • Why: Even if you use hosted fields, loading your payment page over an insecure HTTP connection allows attackers to intercept data or inject malicious scripts.
  • Action: Obtain and renew SSL certificates for your domain.

4. Do Not Store Sensitive Data

Never store CVV codes or full credit card numbers (PAN) in your own databases, logs, or backups.

  • Best Practice: Only store the Payment Token and the last 4 digits of the card (for display purposes) provided by the API response.

Common Use Cases

Scenario 1: E-commerce Checkout

A retail business uses the 4Geeks Payments WooCommerce plugin.

  • Compliance Benefit: The plugin utilizes 4Geeks' secure infrastructure to transmit card data. The merchant does not handle raw card data, keeping their compliance scope minimal (SAQ A).
  • Result: Secure transactions with minimal technical overhead.

Scenario 2: Recurring Billing (SaaS)

A software company uses the API to set up monthly subscriptions.

  • Compliance Benefit: During the initial sign-up, the customer's card is tokenized. The SaaS platform stores this token in their database. For subsequent monthly charges, the platform calls the 4Geeks API using the token.
  • Result: Automatic, secure recurring billing without the merchant ever storing the actual card details.

Troubleshooting

Issue 1: Transaction Declines or Flags

  • Symptom: Valid cards are being declined or flagged as high risk.
  • Solution: Ensure 3D Secure is active and functioning. Check the 4Geeks Console for specific decline codes. If using the API, ensure you are passing valid AVS (Address Verification) data if required by your settings.

Issue 2: "401 Unauthorized" Errors

  • Symptom: API requests fail with a 401 error.
  • Solution: This indicates an issue with your API credentials. Verify your API keys in the 4Geeks Console. Ensure you are using the correct key (Test vs. Live) for your environment and that the Basic Auth header is formatted correctly.

Issue 3: SSL/TLS Warnings

  • Symptom: Browser shows "Not Secure" on your payment page.
  • Solution: Immediately install or renew your SSL certificate. Do not process live payments until the connection is secure (HTTPS).

FAQs

Do I still need to be PCI compliant if I use 4Geeks Payments?

Yes, almost all merchants accepting cards must validate compliance, usually by filling out a Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ). However, by using 4Geeks Payments' hosted solutions or tokenization, your requirement is generally reduced to the simplest level (SAQ A), which mostly confirms you do not store card data and use a compliant provider.

Does 4Geeks Payments store credit card numbers?

Yes, 4Geeks Payments securely encrypts and stores card data in a PCI DSS Level 1 compliant vault. You, as the merchant, receive a safe Token to reference that data for future charges, keeping your own systems clean of sensitive data.

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