This course was reviewed and updated on 29th January 2024
This highly engaging online course is designed to simplify compliance by helping you and your staff to understand the requirements and how they apply to a workplace. It explains payment card security in simple terms that all employees will find relevant and extremely useful.
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, also known as PCI DSS, is a set of standards that all companies storing, processing and/or transmitting cardholder data must abide by.
PCI DSS compliance is a legal requirement by law and compromised card holder data can badly affect customers, organisations and financial institutions. One PCI DSS issue is enough to seriously impact an organisation and affect the trust of customers for the long term, not to mention it could result in hefty fines and possible legal action. From a customer’s point of view, PCI DSS compliance gives them assurance that any details that they provide to operatives of a sensitive nature won’t be compromised in any way.
The course covers the new PCI DSS V.3 Standard, which came into full effect on the 1st January 2015. V.3 places increased emphasis on employee training and demands all organisations provide annual employee PCI awareness training.
Interactive elements, knowledge checks and real life situations ensure learner engagement, reinforce learning and keep the training relevant. See the table below for more details.
Our online Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard training course is broken down into the following sections and can be completed at your own pace, the course includes:
Module | What it includes |
Introduction | An introduction to the course structure, learning outcomes and who the course is for. We also give you a list of key terms and abbreviations used as you progress through the course, which can be accessed at any time. |
An Overview of PCI DSS | In this section, you will look at what the PCI DSS is, why you should comply with it and the overarching requirements that guide payment card security practices. You will learn that even if you only occasionally process a card payment, you must comply with the PCI DSS, and what is role is in complying. |
Who Needs to be Compliant? | This section highlights the misconceptions surrounding who needs to be compliant with the PCI DSS. There is a short exercise to help further your understanding, followed by more information about why you need to be compliant. |
The Consequences of Non-Compliance | We provide essential knowledge on what can happen if you don't comply with the PCI DSS including fines, legal action and even potential closure of business. This section also covers the benefits of compliance which can ensure your systems are secure, trusted and more likely to be recommended to others. |
Where did the PCI DSS Come From and What are the Responsibilities? | This module take you through the beginning of the PCI DSS and why it was founded. We take you through the various responsibilities that the PCI DSS took over. You will also look into the key institutions involved and will dive into 'The Digital Dozen' - the goals and requirements established by the PCI DSS. |
What do the PCI DSS 4.0 changes mean for your organisation? | This section will explain how the new PCI DSS version 4.0 was introduced in March 2022 and is eventually set to replace the existing version 3.2.1. Each change adds protection for your company, related financial institutions, and your valued customers. There is a short challenge in this section to test your knowledge. |
Data Handling | This module looks at all the necessary skills to ensure card payment data details are kept safe. It takes a look at data handling and how to do it securely. You'll learn what payment card data is, access control, passwords and passphrases and a short challenge to cement your knowledge. |
Processing Cards in a Face-to-Face Setting | This part of the module now looks at processing cards, where the customer and cardholder are present at point of sale. In this section, we will look at card present transactions and your responsibility at the point of sale. You'll also learn about the importance of checking any card-processing equipment for tampering or substitution. |
Card Not Present (CNP) Transactions | This section looks at CNP transactions, it will cover what they actually are and the different types, as well as what you should do when you're entering data and taking notes. You'll look at data entry, call recording and how to be aware of your surroundings when handling data. |
How to Spot Fraud and Security Breaches | This section looks at spotting fraud and understanding some of the common dangers associated with card fraud. Combatting card fraud and spotting security breaches is an ongoing battle for any organisation. You will also cover the four easy steps to help you identify if a card is fake. |
Case Studies | In this section we'll look at some real-life situations you might experience in your workplace. For each case study you will be provided with some background information, followed by a question you need to answer. |
This course is perfect for those in roles including anyone processing, storing or transmitting payment card data, from large organisations to small, local businesses, merchants, customer service teams, managers, contractors and many other roles that involve card payments. It is also perfect for new employees as part of their induction process.
The content of this online Payment Card Indusrty Data Security Standard training course has been independently certified as conforming to universally accepted Continuous Professional Development (CPD) guidelines.
This online Payment Card Indusrty Data Security Standard training course will take approximately one to two hours to complete, depending on how quickly learners can study and absorb the material. Learners do not have to complete all the training in one session as progress is recorded throughout.
There are no specific entry requirements for this course.
After completing all of the training material you will be able to take the online assessment which consists of 15 questions (taken at random from a database) and has a pass mark of 75%. Once you have undertaken all of the activities, passed the online assessment and completed the relevant evaluation you will be able to download and print your certificate.
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Once you have purchased a course, you will be able to send this course to other people using your system account with Enable by entering the new learner’s email address so that they may access the training and set up their own system account with our Learning Management System.
If you are not 100% satisfied with your course then we offer a 30-day, no hassle money-back guarantee. To request a refund, you should email our learner support team with your receipt stating why you would like to be reimbursed. You, or your learners, must not have completed the training in order to make a valid refund claim. Any claim made after the training has been completed will be invalidated.
This online course consists of a series of pages in which an instructor will talk learners through the lesson material. Pages may include supporting pictures, graphs, animation or extra sounds to help with the learning where appropriate. Some lessons will include challenges/quizzes to help learners stay engaged and interested in the material. Lessons can be taken in any order and each lesson may be paused and resumed at any stage.
The course is self-paced so learners decide how fast or slow the training goes. There is no deadline for completion but some of our courses have a test at the end to check that learners have understood the material. If the course has a test at the end then learners are required to achieve a 75% pass mark to successfully complete the course. Once learners have passed the test they are awarded a certificate, which can either be downloaded digitally or sent as a physical copy if this option was chosen when purchasing the course.
Upon completion of any of our courses, learners will be able to download a digital certificate from Virtual College which will include the accrediting bodies logo where applicable, the learner's name, the title of the course and the date of completion.
If you have purchased the posted certificate option, available on selected courses, a high quality, seal embossed, certificate will be sent out the following working week after completion.