Why is the bank asking me for authentication (SCA) when I store my Visa Debit card details on merchant websites?

When you save your Visa Debit card details on a merchant website, the Bank of Ireland will ask you for Strong Customer Authentication (SCA). This helps to make online payments safer and protects against fraud.

Following Visa rules, if you want to save your card details on some merchant websites, Bank of Ireland can ask you to confirm it’s really you. We will ask for authentication (also called Strong Customer Authentication or SCA). This way, we can make sure it’s you asking to register your details with these merchant websites. For example, Visa’s Click to Pay Service.

This extra layer of security verifies it’s you. It protects you by ensuring that you are the one registering your card on the website.