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Payment
PCI-DSS scope shrinks dramatically the moment raw card data is handed to a certified third party instead of stored by you.
Card numbers are tokenized by a PCI-compliant processor, not stored raw
Only the last 4 digits and a processor token are retained for receipts/support
3-D Secure adds a bank-side challenge for higher-risk transactions
A breach of your database exposes tokens, not usable card numbers
Hands-on demo
Checkout — Hosted Payment Field
Live Processing Pipeline
Third-party validation with issuing bank
Card number replaced with an opaque token
Risk-based 3-D Secure challenge
Stored: last 4 digits + token only
Try it yourself
Try it yourself — run a scenario below, then flip this and replay it to see what changes.
Tokenized Payment Flow
Watch a card number get replaced by a token before it ever reaches persistent storage.
Want this flow explained in detail as it plays?
checkout.flowground.dev
Payment details
Card
4242 4242 4242 4242
Expiry
12/28
Customer
App
Payment Processor
4242 4242 4242 4242, exp 12/28, CVC 123 — entered directly into the payment processor's hosted iframe, not your form.
Selected hop
User enters card details
Customer
The paying user interacting with the storefront or support flow.
Payment Processor
A PCI-compliant third party that handles raw card data so the app never has to.
What happens here
4242 4242 4242 4242, exp 12/28, CVC 123 — entered directly into the payment processor's hosted iframe, not your form.