Back to Glossary

PA DSS

What Is PA DSS?

The Payment Application Data Security Standard represents a collection of principles intended to bolster the safe handling, preservation, and transfer of cardholder information within payment systems. Its objective is to safeguard confidential data and minimize the likelihood of security incidents in the financial transaction environment.

Difference Between PCI DSS And PA DSS

Here is a short take on PCI DSS vs PA DSS differences. The first one focuses on securing cardholder information for all entities involved in handling, storing, or transmitting it. It provides a set of comprehensive standards applicable to various actors.

The second one specifically targets payment agents that create applications to process, store, or transmit cardholder data. It outlines security requirements tailored for payment applications, ensuring their security and compliance within the larger framework.

Who Should Comply With PA DSS

  • Software suppliers;
  • Application developers;
  • eCommerce merchants use pay-apps that save, process, or transfer cardholder info.

How To Achieve PA DSS Compliance

  • Assess. Evaluate your app using a “PA DSS what is in scope” approach, checking on the requirements;
  • Remediate. Spot and fix vulnerabilities, and implement required security controls;
  • Document. Maintain documentation of your app’s security features and implementation guide;
  • Validate. Engage a PA-QSA (Payment Application Qualified Security Assessor) to review and validate your app’s compliance;
  • Submit. Provide the validation report and documentation for approval.
  • Maintain. Continuously monitor, review, and update your security controls.

What eCommerce Merchants Should Know About Their Payment Vendors?

  • PA-DSS compliance. Make sure the app is fully compliant;
  • Data security measures. Understand the vendor’s approach to data security, including encryption standards, fraud prevention, and data storage practices;
  • Integration and compatibility. Check if the vendor’s payment solution is compatible with your eCommerce platform and can be easily integrated into your existing systems;
  • Payment methods and currencies. Confirm the vendor supports the payment methods and currencies you need to cater to your target market;
  • Transaction fees and pricing structure. Be aware of the transaction fees and any other costs associated with using the vendor’s payment services;
  • Customer support. Evaluate the vendor’s customer support, including availability, response time, and problem-solving capabilities;
  • Processing speed. Assess the speed at which the vendor processes transactions, as this can impact your customer experience and cash flow;
  • Chargeback and dispute management. Understand the vendor’s processes for handling chargebacks & disputes and their policies on fees and resolution timeframes;
  • Reporting and analytics. Check if the vendor provides easy-to-use reporting and analytics tools to help you monitor your sales, transactions, and customer data;
  • Scalability. Make sure the vendor’s payment solution can scale with your business as it grows, accommodating higher transaction volumes and expanded features.

PA DSS FAQ

What is the purpose of PA-DSS?

It’s like your security playbook. It ensures the software is safe and trustworthy, meets safety standards, and protects cardholder information from breaches and theft.

My vendor is not PA DSS compliant, what should I do?

If your vendor’s payment application isn’t PA-DSS compliant, it means they might not be following the best security practices to protect your customers’ payment information.

But don’t worry, there are a few things you can do:

  • Talk to your vendor. Have a conversation with them about the importance of such compliance, and ask if they have any plans to become compliant in the near future.
  • Consider other options. If your vendor isn’t planning to become compliant, you might want to start looking for alternatives.
  • Keep an eye on your security. In the meantime, make sure you’re following the best security practices within your business.
    Report non-compliance to relevant authorities if necessary.

What is PA-DSS validation?

It is like getting a seal of approval for payment applications. It’s a way to make sure these apps follow security rules set by those in charge, the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council. They want to keep credit card info safe, so they make sure payment apps don’t store sensitive details and use strong encryption.

It is meant for third-party payment apps used by businesses to process electronic payments. If a business creates its own payment app, such validation doesn’t apply to them.

You May Find It Interesting

Gepard PIM August Product Updates
4 min read
Gepard Updates

Gepard PIM Product Updates August 2025: Smarter Pipelines, AI Shopping Agents & More

Discover Gepard PIM’s August updates: AI shopping agent, smarter pipelines, Amazon category mapping, compliance tools, and faster testing.

Read more
Product Data Syndication

Product Content Syndication: Tools, Services & Strategy for Multichannel Growth

Define product content syndication and aggregation. How retailers and brands can benefit from syndication and distribution of product content.

Read more
Gepard PIM AI Mapping Feature
< 1 min read
Gepard Updates

From Data Chaos to Global Harmony: Meet Gepard’s AI Mapping Agent

Gepard’s AI Mapping Agent does both jobs: Builds taxonomies and data models. Maps them across suppliers, systems, sales channels.

Read more
Product Taxonomy Definition_ Mapping, Creation & Best Practices

Product Taxonomy Definition: Mapping, Creation & Best Practices

Find out what is product taxonomy, learn about its best practices and why it’s important for eCommerce business.

Read more
How Data Validation Transforms eCommerce Businesses

How Data Validation Transforms eCommerce Businesses

Read about the impact of data validation on eCommerce companies. Learn how to validate data to generate revenue and get a deeper understanding of your customers.

Read more
Gepard PIM AI Mapping Feature

Product Data Mapping: Framework, Automation & Best Practices

Discover what is product data mapping and how Gepard helps automate it. Learn frameworks, tools, and AI-powered solutions for eCommerce success.

Read more
How to Cut EU Chemical Regulations Compliance Time by 90%

How to Cut EU Chemical Regulations Compliance Time by 90%

Automate REACH, CLP & SCIP compliance with Gepard ECHA Connector. Cut risk, reduce manual work & ensure EU chemical regulation readiness.

Read more
Gepard PIM Product Updates July
3 min read
Gepard Updates

Gepard PIM Product Updates July 2025: Product URL Scraping and More

Our Gepard PIM summer release emerges from a structured development cycle underpinned by thorough technical reviews and measured iteration.

Read more
NEW EPREL CATEGORIES: HOW BRANDS DEAL WITH IT

The EPREL “Gotchas” we’re Already Seeing (and How Teams are Fixing Them)

Learn how brands adapt to the NEW EPREL categories: smartphones/tablets labels, PIM workflows, QR links, audits, fines.

Read more
Gepard Deepens Partnership with Fucida
2 min read
Gepard Updates

Gepard Deepens Partnership with Fucida

The extension equips Fucida with a single, cloud-native backbone for listing, validating, and enriching thousands of SKUs on every present and future Amazon storefront.

Read more

Let’s Get In Touch

Need to contact us? Just use this form

Gepard Privacy Policy
Success