⚡ Quick summary (TL;DR)
It is not a purchase: this fee corresponds to a merchant-initiated cardholder verification or pre-authorization, not something you bought.
Monthly account waiver: the first 10 validations (including 3DS / pre-auth) per account each month are free; overage is $1/tx, billed in USDT rounded up. Full rules: Validation and declined-transaction fees.
Two names, one fee: your transaction history says 3D Secure verification fee, while the rate table calls it the account verification / authorization fee.
You cannot switch 3DS on or off: whether a check happens is decided by the merchant and card-network risk rules.
📖 Overview
3DS (3-D Secure) is the cardholder verification step for online card payments, initiated by the merchant at checkout. Every check or pre-authorization consumes authorization capacity in the card network. Each account gets 10 free validations per month; overage is $1 per attempt.
The fee has two names in MPChat and they mean the same thing: the remark field in your transaction history shows 3D Secure verification fee, while the row in MPChat Card Limits and Fees is called the account verification / authorization fee.
🔐 What 3DS is and when it is triggered
3DS (3-D Secure) is the cardholder verification mechanism that Visa, MasterCard and other card networks use for online payments. Visa brands it as Visa Secure. It confirms at checkout that the person paying is the cardholder, which cuts down card-not-present fraud. After a successful check, liability for fraud usually shifts from the merchant to the card issuer — that is why merchants initiate it.
A 3DS check is commonly triggered when:
you bind the card at a merchant for the first time, or start a subscription.
the amount is large, or the same card is used repeatedly in a short window.
the merchant's region requires strong customer authentication for online payments (for example the European Economic Area).
the billing address or exit IP does not match the usual environment, so merchant or network risk rules fire.
the merchant runs a small pre-authorization to test the card before the real charge.
When it fires, checkout usually shows a challenge window, and the one-time code is sent to both your MPChat registered email and the in-app notification. For where the code goes and what to do if it does not arrive, see Can I set up 3DS verification for my card?. Not every purchase triggers a check; if none ran, this fee does not appear.
💰 How this fee arises
You check out at a merchant, and the merchant runs a 3DS check or pre-authorization test on the transaction.
Each check counts toward your monthly validation quota; the first 10 are free.
After the monthly free quota of 10, each validation or pre-authorization costs $1.
The charge appears as its own entry in your transaction history, labelled as the 3D Secure verification fee.
See MPChat Card Limits and Fees for the rate detail.
💱 Pricing vs billing currency
The rate is priced in USD. At billing it is converted to USDT at the then-current rate and rounded up to 2 decimal places. The $1 tier follows the same rule.
✅ How to reduce it
Avoid retrying the same payment repeatedly at one merchant; check the reason before trying again.
Make sure the card has enough balance before binding it or starting a subscription, so you do not trigger repeat checks.
If a transaction is declined, follow Card transaction declined: reasons and what to do instead of retrying in a loop.
❓ FAQ
Can I turn 3DS verification off myself?
No. 3DS is initiated by the merchant and there is no user-side switch. See Can I set up 3DS verification for my card?.
Why is there sometimes no verification fee, and sometimes $1?
The first 10 validations per account each month are free; overage is $1 each. Cutting down on repeated retries after a failure helps you preserve free quota.
Why was I not charged this before?
The fee only arises when a merchant actually runs a 3DS check or pre-authorization test. Plenty of ordinary purchases never trigger one, so no such entry appears.
Why doesn’t the bill match $1 exactly?
The rate is priced in USD and billed from your USDT balance. Conversion plus rounding up to 2 decimals can make the USDT amount differ slightly from $1. That difference is rounding, not an extra fee.
The transaction did not go through — why is there still a verification fee?
Verification is an authorization step separate from the purchase result. Once the merchant ran the check, it has taken place whether or not the payment completed.
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💬 Still have questions? Contact official support
Reach us through in-app customer support in the MPChat App. Support will never ask for your password, verification code, or passkey.
This article is help-centre reference. Features and fees follow what the App shows and the current terms.