This 3–digit value provides a cryptographic check of the information embossed on the card. The Card ID is unique to each card. This additional security feature is designed to protect you by helping to ensure the card is present during the purchase. The credit card company's processing system provides a real–time check of the Card ID to help merchants verify that the person making the purchase physically has the card. If a purchaser only has the normal 16–digit credit card number, they may not have the card, signaling a potentially fraudulent transaction. It is printed only on the card, never on any receipts or statements. It is not contained in the magnetic stripe information. For your security, we do not store the Card ID and we will ask for it each time you place an order. Your Card ID number is your additional protection to ensure that your credit card information is not being used fraudulently.
Different credit cards companies refer to the Card ID using different names such as Cardholder Verification Value (CVV), Card Validation Value (CVV), Card Validation Code (CVC), Card Security Code (CSC), and others. All credit cards have a Card ID after January 1, 2001.