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Dark Web

The dark web consists of various websites that aren't indexed by search engines and can only be accessed through the use of special protocols or browsers. Sites on the dark web often exist to hide certain activity from governments, which may include journalists avoiding government spying and criminals conducting illegal activity, such as buying and selling stolen credit card information. Read more >>>

Debit Network

A debit network is an electronic network that permits several types of financial transactions, including ATM cash withdrawals, debit card transactions, and online bill pay. Merchants can choose which debit network to route their transactions through, and are required to be offered at least two unaffiliated networks to choose from. Major debit networks include Visa, Mastercard, and Star.

Decline Code

A decline code is a two-digit code that gives merchants more information about why a particular transaction was declined. This can tell merchants whether or not a transaction should be reattempted as well as provide additional instructions for certain situations, such as telling the merchant to retain possession of the card if possible. Read more >>>

Device Fingerprint

A device fingerprint or browser fingerprint is a collection of data that can be used to identify a particular device through a combination of several pieces of public information about it, including operating system version, browser version, and screen resolution. With enough information, device fingerprinting can correctly identify a device 99% of the time. The method is often used by businesses to obtain data about customer habits. Read more >>>

Digital Certificate

A digital certificate is an electronic file that can be used to prove the legitimacy of a public key. Also called public key certificates, they contain information about the creator of the key and proof of verification by a trusted third party. The EMV chips in modern debit and credit cards contain digital certificates used to verify the card's authenticity.

Digital Wallet

A digital wallet is a service that allows users to store payment information from cards or bank accounts and make purchases with added security and convenience. Digital wallets are frequently accessed through mobile apps, and therefore may also be referred to as mobile wallets. A digital wallet app on a smartphone can be used to make contactless purchases using NFC technology at compatible payment terminals. Read more >>>

Discover-ProtectBuy

Discover ProtectBuy is Discover's implementation of 3-D Secure, a system that allows merchants to transmit transaction information to the cardholder's issuing bank and ask them to authenticate the transaction. Based on an automated analysis of this information, the bank can either approve the transaction or send a one-time password to the cardholder that they can use to verify their identity. Read more >>>

Dispute Administration Fee

Mastercard's dispute administration fee is a special fee charged in the EU whenever a new phase of the chargeback process is initiated. Upon the initial chargeback, €15 is taken from the acquirer and given to the issuer. If representment occurs, that €15 and another €15 is taken from the issuer and given to the acquirer. If the case goes to pre-arbitration, €45 is transferred from the acquirer to the issuer. Read more >>>

Dispute Remediation Plan

A dispute remediation plan or chargeback reduction plan is an outline of concrete steps a merchant will take to reduce the number of chargebacks they receive. These plans are often required to be created when a merchant is enrolled in a dispute monitoring program after their chargeback ratio exceeds a certain threshold. Read more >>>

Disputed Transaction

A disputed transaction is a debit or credit card transaction that the cardholder is claiming is illegitimate in some way. They may claim the purchase was fraudulent, they didn't receive what they paid for, or the amount was incorrect. When a charge is disputed, the cardholder's bank may grant a chargeback, taking the money from the merchant and returning it to the cardholder. Read more >>>

Distributed Ledger

A distributed ledger is a record that can be maintained and updated by numerous computers connected over the internet without the need for a single centralized copy. Distributed ledger technology came to prominence with the rise of cryptocurrencies, but other uses, such as a distributed blacklist containing information on fraudsters, have been discussed. Read more >>>

Double Refund Chargeback

A double refund chargeback occurs when a customer contacts their bank to initiate a chargeback while also contacting the merchant to request a refund. If both the chargeback and the refund are granted within a short amount of time, a double refund can occur. This causes the merchant to pay out twice the transaction amount to the cardholder. Read more >>>

Dropshipping

Dropshipping is a business model where the merchant orders products from the manufacturer on an as-needed basis rather than keeping a selection of items in stock. This usually results in longer delivery times than a typical merchant, but it also significantly reduces overhead. Dropshipping merchants often receive more chargebacks due to shipping delays and problems with quality control. Read more >>>

Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC)

Dynamic currency conversion (DCC) is a system that allows foreign customers to make purchases using their home currency. Traditional currency conversion involves making the purchase using the merchant's currency, with an exchange fee added on when the transaction is processed. Dynamic currency conversion lets the customer see the final cost of the transaction in their own currency at checkout, but the total cost is usually higher to account for possible changes in the exchange rate. Read more >>>

Dynamic Descriptor

A dynamic descriptor is a type of billing descriptor (or merchant descriptor) that can be customized to reflect the details of an individual purchase. Whether or not a merchant has the option to use a dynamic billing descriptor depends on whether their processor offers it. Dynamic descriptors are often available only for pending transactions, but can sometimes be used for settled ones as well. Read more >>>

Dynamic Linking

Dynamic linking is a process that links each transaction to a unique, dynamically-generated code. Confirmation of this code ensures that the details of the transaction weren't altered after the charge was authorized. Dynamic linking is a requirement of the EU Revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2) and must be implemented by all payment service providers in the European Economic Area. Read more >>>