PCI DSS Level 1 Compliance

Paytia holds PCI DSS Level 1 certification — the highest standard for payment card security. Independently audited annually by a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA).

What Is PCI DSS?

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a global standard that governs how businesses handle, process, and store payment card data. It was established by the major card brands — Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and JCB — through the PCI Security Standards Council.

Any business that accepts, transmits, or stores cardholder data must comply with PCI DSS. Non-compliance exposes businesses to data breaches, substantial fines, and the potential loss of the ability to process card payments.

Our Certification

Paytia holds PCI DSS Level 1 certification, the highest level of payment card security achievable. This certification is independently audited and verified annually by a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA). Our Attestation of Compliance (AoC) is available upon request.

Level 1 certification requires the most rigorous assessment process, including on-site audits, network penetration testing, and detailed review of all security controls. It is the same level required of the largest payment processors in the world.

PCI DSS compliance levels

Level 1Paytia

Over 6 million per year

Annual on-site audit by a Qualified Security Assessor (QSA)

Level 2

1 to 6 million per year

Annual Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ)

Level 3

20,000 to 1 million per year

Annual Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ)

Level 4

Fewer than 20,000 per year

Annual Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ)

How We Protect Card Data

Our proprietary DTMF masking technology ensures that payment card numbers are never exposed to agents, call recordings or client systems. Card data is captured directly from the caller's telephone keypad and routed securely to the payment processor without passing through the client's environment.

This architectural approach means that card data is never seen, heard, or stored within the client's infrastructure. Agents remain on the call with the customer throughout the payment process, but DTMF tones are suppressed so that card numbers cannot be identified from the audio stream, call recordings, or screen captures.

Scope Reduction

By using Paytia, our clients can reduce their PCI DSS scope by up to 96%. Because card data never enters the client's network, telephony or call recording systems, the compliance burden is dramatically simplified. This translates to lower audit costs, fewer controls to manage and reduced risk.

Compliance benefits for your business

Paytia simplifies PCI DSS compliance, saving your business time, money, and risk.

Up to 96% Scope Reduction

Because card data never enters the client environment, the vast majority of PCI DSS requirements no longer apply to your business.

Lower Audit Costs

Fewer systems in scope means simpler, faster, and more affordable PCI assessments and self-assessment questionnaires.

Reduced Breach Risk

No card data in your environment means no card data to breach. You cannot lose what you never had.

Simplified SAQ

Most Paytia clients qualify for the shortest Self-Assessment Questionnaire, reducing compliance paperwork dramatically.

Ongoing Compliance

We maintain continuous compliance through regular vulnerability scanning, penetration testing and internal security reviews. Our infrastructure is monitored around the clock and we conduct quarterly ASV (Approved Scanning Vendor) scans as required by the PCI Security Standards Council.

Client Responsibilities

While Paytia removes the majority of PCI requirements from our clients, some obligations remain. We provide guidance and documentation to help clients complete their own SAQ (Self-Assessment Questionnaire) and maintain their compliance posture.

Our compliance team works directly with clients and their QSAs to ensure a smooth assessment process. We provide all necessary documentation, including our AoC, responsibility matrices, and technical architecture details.

Request Our Attestation of Compliance

Our AoC is available to clients, prospective clients, and their compliance teams upon request. Contact compliance@paytia.com or use our contact form to request a copy.

The simple PCI DSS question

PCI DSS compliance comes down to one simple assessment your business must make:

“Do you have card data (PAN — full card number) and CVV/CVC (security code) in any of your payment flows?”

With Paytia in front of your business, the answer becomes NO.

How Paytia simplifies your PCI DSS compliance

When you implement Paytia, you can attest that you have outsourced responsibility to a PCI DSS Level 1 Service Provider who captures, transacts, and tokenises cardholder and sensitive authentication data for your business.

Your responsibility under PCI DSS Section 12

Under PCI DSS 4.0.1 Section 12, your business has a responsibility to vet Paytia as your service provider. Specifically:

12.8.2.aExamine policies and procedures to verify that processes are defined for engaging service providers
12.8.2.bVerify that the entity maintains a list of service providers
12.8.2.cVerify that the entity monitors service providers' PCI DSS compliance status

Paytia will provide you with our Attestation of Compliance (AoC) confirming our audit level and that we have been assessed and verified as a safe service provider that can handle card data and SAD for your business.

Additional PCI DSS 4.0.1 service provider requirements

12.8.1Maintain and implement policies and procedures to manage service providers with whom cardholder data is shared or that could affect the security of cardholder data
12.8.4Maintain a programme to monitor service providers' PCI DSS compliance status at least annually
12.8.5Maintain information about which PCI DSS requirements are managed by each service provider and which are managed by the entity

Important:By implementing Paytia's secure payment solutions, your business scope for PCI DSS compliance is dramatically reduced. However, you still maintain responsibility for ensuring Paytia remains compliant and for any systems that connect to our services.

Content security protection and tamper detection

Paytia web forms and checkout include content security protection as standard, with real-time logging and administrator alerts.

PCI DSS 4.0.1 Requirement 11.6

Section 11.6 requires organisations to deploy tamper-detection mechanisms to alert personnel to unauthorised modification of critical files, data, or systems.

11.6.1Deploy tamper-detection mechanisms for critical files
11.6.1.aConfigure mechanisms to evaluate critical files at least weekly
11.6.1.bAlert personnel upon detection of unauthorised modification

How Paytia meets Requirement 11.6

Built-in content security protection: Web forms and checkout processes include tamper-detection mechanisms as standard
Real-time monitoring: Continuous monitoring of all payment form interactions and data transmission
Automated alerts: Immediate notifications to account administrators when unauthorised modifications are detected
Comprehensive logging: Detailed audit trails of all system interactions and security events
Weekly evaluations: Regular automated assessments exceed the minimum weekly requirement

Paytia as your PCI DSS Level 1 service provider

As a certified Level 1 service provider, Paytia captures, processes, and stores payment card data on behalf of your business, removing sensitive card information from your people, processes, and systems.

People

Your staff no longer need to handle or be exposed to sensitive payment information.

Processes

Your business workflows no longer require strict card data handling procedures.

Systems

Your IT infrastructure no longer stores or processes sensitive payment data.

Reduced compliance burden

By using Paytia, your business can qualify for simplified PCI compliance validation, often reducing requirements to a simple Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ A).

Enhanced security posture

Leverage Paytia's enterprise-grade security infrastructure, including encryption, tokenisation, and continuous monitoring to protect your customers' payment information.

Simplify your PCI compliance

Discover how Paytia's PCI DSS Level 1 certified platform can reduce your compliance scope by up to 96%.