What is Pause and Resume?
Pause and resume is a call recording practice where agents manually pause the recording system before a customer reads out card details, then resume recording after the payment is complete. While intended to keep card data out of recordings, it is widely considered an outdated and unreliable approach to PCI DSS compliance.
How Pause and Resume Works
When a customer is ready to make a payment over the phone, the agent clicks a button to pause the call recording. The customer then reads their card details aloud, the agent enters them into a payment system, and once complete, the agent resumes the recording.
Why Pause and Resume Falls Short
Despite its simplicity, pause and resume has significant weaknesses:
- Human error: Agents forget to pause, pause too late, or resume too early — capturing card data in recordings
- Agent exposure: Even when paused correctly, the agent still hears and sees the card details. This creates insider fraud risk
- Incomplete descoping: Pausing the recorder does not remove card data from the agent's environment. The telephony system, agent workstation, and network still handle the data
- Compliance gaps: PCI DSS assessors view pause and resume as a weak control. It does not descope the contact centre from PCI requirements
- Quality monitoring impact: Gaps in recordings make it harder to review call quality and resolve customer disputes
Better Alternatives
DTMF Masking
Instead of pausing the recording, DTMF masking lets the customer key their card details on their phone keypad while the agent stays on the line. The tones are suppressed so the agent cannot hear them, and the recording captures no card data. No pause needed.
Pay by Link
The agent sends a secure payment link during the call. The customer completes payment on their own device, keeping card data entirely outside the phone channel.
Paytia's DTMF suppression technology eliminates the need for pause and resume entirely. The agent stays on the call throughout the payment — no pausing, no gaps in recordings, no risk of human error. Card data never enters the voice channel, the recording, or the agent's environment. This is why leading businesses are replacing pause and resume with DTMF masking for PCI DSS compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is pause and resume PCI compliant?
Pause and resume alone does not make a contact centre PCI compliant. While it prevents card data from being recorded, agents still hear the details and the telephony infrastructure still carries the data. PCI assessors consider it a weak control that does not descope the contact centre.
What is better than pause and resume?
DTMF masking is the recommended alternative. Customers key their card details on their phone keypad instead of reading them aloud. The agent stays on the line but cannot hear the digits. No pause needed, no gaps in recordings, and the contact centre is fully descoped from PCI DSS.
Can I use pause and resume with call recording?
Yes, but it creates gaps in your recordings that affect quality monitoring and dispute resolution. DTMF masking is a better approach — the call is recorded continuously with no gaps, but card data never appears in the audio because the tones are suppressed.
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