How are my credit card details protected?

Our checkout systems have been built with multiple levels of security including 128-bit SSL encryption, and conform to Bank grade security levels.  In addition the systems comply with Government privacy standards to ensure that your personal information is kept safe and viewed only by organisations permitted by you.

So how do I know who sees my credit card details?

When you provide your credit card details, the information is sent through the secure tunnel (using 128 bit SSL) at Protx for processing by the credit card authority and to the selected organisation. No credit card numbers are kept in our system. Financial account details are verified by a bank or financial institution only.

Is every page secure?

Generally SSL is engaged only on particular web pages where private & confidential information is entered - typically, this is during the check out process. If the page is secure you will see the padlock () or other symbol to inform you that SSL has been enabled. This happens when our system transfers you to Protx for collection of payment card details.

How do I know that my payment has actually been processed?

At the point that an email receipt is obtained from Protx. (You will also be presented with a transaction number from our website 'success page' and will receive an email detailing your order.)

Who are Protx?

Protx provide secure online credit card and debit card payment solutions for thousands of online and mail order businesses across the UK. They have grown to become the largest independent Payment Service Provider (PSP) in the country because their solutions offer exceptional value for money without compromising on the level of service and functionality.

Protx is fully approved as a Level 1 compliant provider under the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). This is the highest level of compliance. Protx was audited by an independent third party company, One Sec, who are an official Visa Qualified Security Assessor.

Why does my browser hang when I want to start a secure session?

You will need to check your browser settings to make sure that it enables SSL. You will need to make sure you accept SSL and Cookies.

How do I know if I have a secure browser session?

When you begin a secure session a padlock icon in the locked position will appear in the status bar on your browser. Your browser "key" or "padlock" () icon continues to show you whether you are communicating securely. If you click on the padlock icon () it will show you the security information.

Submitting secure documents

Your browser will occasionally prompt you with a popup message each time you are about to submit forms or, when toggling between secure and insecure modes. This is normal. You can suppress these messages by using your Security/Options menu or by checking the boxes on pop-ups. However, you should still look at your browser's status bar for a padlock () or other symbol, to determine your browser status before and after submitting documents.

What does SSL mean?

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. Your browser will display a padlock () or other symbol to inform you that SSL has been enabled. SSL allows a secure connection between your web browser and our web server.

If you wish to check the level of encryption used by our system, place your mouse cursor on the padlock ( - not this one, the one thats usually in the bottom right hand corner of your browser window) and it will display a message SSL secured (128 bit).

What is SSL?

Since its introduction in 1994, SSL has been the de facto standard for e-commerce transaction security, and it's likely to remain so well into the future.

SSL is all about encryption. SSL encrypts data, like credit cards numbers (as well other personally identifiable information), which prevents others from reading your information. You know that you're on an SSL protected page when the address begins with "https" and there is a padlock icon () at the bottom of the page (and in the case of Mozilla Firefox in the address bar as well).