MOTO (Mail Order / Telephone Order) payments are a type of card-not-present transaction where a customer provides their payment details remotely, usually over the phone.
They remain widely used across industries, but they also carry some of the highest fraud and chargeback risks.
A MOTO payment is any transaction where:
Common examples include:
These transactions are processed through a payment gateway or virtual terminal, which connects to the cardholder’s bank for authorisation.
Despite the risks, MOTO payments are still essential for many businesses.
They are commonly used in:
They allow businesses to take payment in real time while speaking to a customer, which can help close deals faster.
The traditional process involves asking customers to read out:
This creates three major issues:
You have no way to confirm the caller is the genuine cardholder.
If the transaction is disputed, the business is usually responsible for the loss.
Handling card data directly increases your compliance obligations and risk of data breaches.
Authorisation alone does not guarantee a secure payment or protect against chargebacks.
Because these transactions lack physical verification, they are a prime target for fraud.
Key risks include:
Acquirers recognise this risk, which is why MOTO transactions often come with:
Reducing risk comes down to changing how payments are taken.
Do not rely on customers reading out card details.
Keeping sensitive data out of your systems reduces both risk and compliance burden.
Secure methods allow the customer to confirm the payment themselves.
Modern alternatives enable payment without exposing card data.
MOTO payments are most useful when:
With the right controls in place, they remain a valuable part of a modern payment strategy.
Instead of collecting card details manually, businesses can:
This approach:
SOTpay replaces traditional MOTO processes with a secure, customer-controlled payment flow.
It allows businesses to:
Payments can be completed while the customer is still on the call, keeping the experience fast and seamless.
MOTO payments are still essential for many businesses, but the way they are handled has changed. By removing manual processes and introducing secure, authenticated payment methods, you can protect your revenue while keeping the customer experience smooth and efficient.
The team of payment experts at SOTpay are ready to offer no-obligation demonstrations of how SOTpay provides a secure, safe and lower cost way of accepting MOTO payments. Get in touch now.
Need to ask a question: Request a callback from the team
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