PCI DSS compliant payment processors: how to check, and what stays your job

Yes. Any business that accepts card payments is expected to comply with PCI DSS, whatever its size. CardConnect puts it plainly: the one component that remains necessary across the board is for businesses to achieve 100% PCI compliance and maintain it (CardConnect).

PCI DSS is the security standard for any organization that handles cardholder data. It is maintained by the PCI Security Standards Council, founded by the major card brands. Its requirements cover secure networks, protecting stored card data, encrypting data in transit, vulnerability management, access control, monitoring and regular testing, and maintaining a security policy.

Merchants fall into four levels. CardConnect explains that your level depends on the number of payments your business processes in a 12 month period. Most small online stores validate with a self-assessment questionnaire; higher levels need more formal validation. Your processor or acquiring bank tells you which applies.

1. Ask for the processor's current Attestation of Compliance (AOC) and check the date.
2. Look the provider up on Visa's Global Registry of Service Providers.
3. Confirm card details are captured through hosted fields or tokenization, not your server.
4. Ask which self-assessment questionnaire your setup qualifies for.
5. Repeat the check every year, because attestations expire.

Avendo applies the first filter for you by working only with PCI DSS compliant processors and gateways. You still own steps three to five for your own store.

Fewer than most merchants assume, and the share has moved over time. These figures come from CardConnect's PCI Compliance guide.

The stakes are high. Exabeam reports that the average global cost of a breach reached $4.88 million, with incidents taking around 292 days to identify and contain (Exabeam).

A compliant processor protects card data inside its own systems and network. Your business is still responsible for the website that hosts your checkout, who on your team can access payment dashboards, how you handle any card details given over the phone or by email, and your annual validation. Choosing a compliant processor with hosted payment fields keeps card numbers off your servers, which usually reduces your scope a great deal.

Compare PCI DSS compliant options on our payment processors list

What is the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)?

PCI DSS is the security standard that any business storing, processing or transmitting cardholder data must follow. It is maintained by the PCI Security Standards Council, founded by the major card brands. It covers network security, data protection, access control, monitoring and testing. CardConnect notes that compliance levels depend on how many payments a business processes in a 12 month period.

What are the PCI compliance levels?

PCI compliance has four merchant levels, and your level depends on how many card payments you process in a 12 month period, as CardConnect explains. Higher levels require more formal validation, such as an on-site assessment, while most small businesses validate with a self-assessment questionnaire. Your acquiring bank or processor tells you which level and form apply.

How do I check if a payment processor is PCI DSS compliant?

Ask the processor for its current Attestation of Compliance, or AOC, and check its date. Many processors are also listed on Visa’s public Global Registry of Service Providers. Confirm whether the provider handles card data through hosted fields or tokenization. Avendo simplifies this step by working exclusively with PCI DSS compliant processors and gateways.

Does using a PCI compliant processor make my business compliant?

Not on its own. A compliant processor covers its side of the card data flow, but you still own your website security, your staff access, and your annual self-assessment questionnaire. Choosing a compliant processor with hosted payment fields usually reduces your scope a great deal, which is why it is the first thing to check.

How much does a data breach cost a business?

Exabeam reports that the average global cost of a breach reached $4.88 million, with incidents taking around 292 days to identify and contain. Small businesses face smaller absolute numbers but often less capacity to absorb them. Keeping card data with PCI DSS compliant processors and out of your own systems is one of the most effective protections.

Which payment processors does Avendo work with?

Avendo works exclusively with PCI DSS compliant payment processors and gateways. This directory does not publish a named roster of Avendo’s processors, so the other providers on our list are market reference points, not confirmed Avendo partners. For the current list that applies to your business, contact Avendo directly.

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Avendo, the business that publishes this site, wrote this page. Every entry is judged on the same criteria: what kind of provider it is, what a named published source says it is best for, how it bills merchants, whether it works with an existing checkout, and how to confirm its PCI DSS status. Avendo is listed first as the publisher's own pick. No independent audit was performed and no ratings were invented.

Read the full methodology behind this directory