PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)

Roles that need it

• Payments Partnerships Manager (Acquiring & Gateways)
• IT Auditor
• Cybersecurity GRC Consultant
• Merchant Acquiring Sales Executive
• Merchant Underwriting & Risk Analyst

Skills it belongs to

• Information security governance and compliance
• Merchant acquiring and payment processing

Related concepts

• Network tokenisationNetwork tokenisation replaces a card number with a token issued by the card scheme and tied to a specific merchant or device, so the real card number is neither stored nor transmitted. Tokens update automatically when a card is renewed, which lowers fraud, reduces the scope of PCI DSS and raises approval rates for stored-card payments.
• Payment gatewayA payment gateway is the technical service that captures payment details at an online or in-store checkout, encrypts them and routes them to the acquirer or processor for authorisation, then returns the result to the merchant. Gateways often add tokenisation, fraud screening, 3-D Secure and support for local payment methods.
• Merchant acquiringMerchant acquiring is the service of contracting with merchants to accept card and other electronic payments, processing those transactions and paying the funds to the merchant. The acquirer bears the merchant's credit risk, such as chargebacks after a merchant fails, so it underwrites merchants and may hold reserves. PSD2 lists acquiring as a payment service.

Sources

• PCI Security Standards Council (external site) accessed 31 Oct 2026

Updated 31 Oct 2026.