Checkout.com has gone live with Visa Payment Passkey, letting merchants authenticate online card payments with cardholders’ fingerprint or face scans.
Visa Payment Passkey replaces one-time passcodes and other verification steps with the cardholder’s device unlock method. It is available through the authentication infrastructure Checkout.com merchants already use, so eligible merchants can offer it without building a new checkout flow. Where passkey authentication is not available, transactions continue with existing verification methods. The rollout is taking place in phases, starting with selected merchants in the UK and Europe.
Reducing friction at checkout
Authentication is essential to securing online payments, but additional verification steps can cost merchants sales. By replacing one-time passcodes with biometric device checks, Visa Payment Passkey aims to reduce friction at checkout while maintaining strong security. The solution supports both first-time and returning customers and is particularly relevant for businesses with frequent, repeat purchases, including retailers, marketplaces, food delivery platforms, and digital services.
Rami Josef, Senior Product Director at Checkout.com, stated that every one-time passcode is a point at which a customer can abandon a purchase. According to Josef, Visa Payment Passkey lets returning shoppers authenticate in the same way they unlock their phones, making checkout both safer and simpler, and because it runs on existing authentication infrastructure, merchants can offer it without rebuilding their checkout.
Authentication for AI-driven commerce
Checkout.com is also supporting Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol, which helps merchants distinguish trusted AI shopping agents from bots and malicious traffic. According to Checkout.com, as more purchases are initiated with the help of AI agents, reliable ways to verify both the person behind a payment and their purchase intent are becoming more important.
Mathieu Altwegg, Head of Product and Solutions at Visa, stated that consumers increasingly expect digital experiences that are both convenient and secure. According to Altwegg, bringing Visa Payment Passkey to Checkout.com’s merchants makes it easier for businesses to reduce friction at checkout and for consumers to authenticate securely, which will become more important as AI agents play a greater role in how people shop and pay.
