3D Secure (3DS) is an extra security step for online card payments. It confirms that you — not someone else — authorized the purchase.

When a merchant's payment system flags a transaction for extra verification, Plumex sends you a push notification. You approve or decline the payment directly in the app — no code to type, no separate app to check.

You have about 5 minutes to respond before the request expires.

Closing the notification doesn't cancel the request — it's still waiting. Open the Plumex app and check Cards for a pending confirmation. If the ~5 minute window passes with no response, the request expires and the payment is declined.

Tap Decline. The payment won't go through. If you didn't attempt this purchase at all, contact support — this could mean your card details were used elsewhere.

This is entirely up to the merchant and their payment provider, not Plumex — some merchants verify every purchase, some only the first one, some only flag purchases that look unusual. If a purchase doesn't trigger 3DS, it went through without needing extra confirmation.

Why didn't I get a 3DS notification for this purchase? Not every merchant requires 3DS on every transaction — this is the merchant's own risk decision, not something Plumex controls.

I approved but the merchant still says the payment failed. 3DS approval only confirms your identity — it doesn't guarantee the payment itself goes through (insufficient balance, merchant-side issue, etc. can still fail it separately). Check your transaction history in the app for the actual result.

Can I get 3DS requests by SMS or email instead of the app? No — Plumex confirms 3DS exclusively through the in-app push notification. Make sure notifications are enabled for the app so you don't miss a request.

Do I need the app open to approve a request? No, the push notification itself lets you open straight into the confirmation screen.

Still have questions? Chat with us — we're here 24/7.