Madrid, March 2026 – For years, the voice channel has been the “blind spot” of digital payment security. While e-commerce evolved toward seamless Strong Customer Authentication (SCA), telephone payments remained anchored in manual processes or fragmented solutions. Today, Pay by Call SL announces a paradigm shift with the patent filing of its PBC 3DS method—an innovation that not only integrates Conversational AI but also permanently eliminates the technical excuses for insecure voice billing.
The PSD2 “Black Hole”: When the Voice Channel Was Left Behind
To understand the magnitude of Pay by Call’s breakthrough, one must look back at the regulatory landscape. PSD2 (Payment Services Directive 2) mandated SCA to protect consumers. However, due to the industry’s technical inability to execute a fluid 3D Secure flow within a live phone conversation, the IVR Payments channel was eventually exempted from mandatory compliance.
This exemption was a double-edged sword:
- Legal Uncertainty: Since SCA was not mandatory for voice, banks began viewing the channel as inherently insecure.
- Vulnerability to Fraud: Without reinforced authentication, phone transactions were subject to high rates of chargebacks. Merchants almost always lost disputes, as they couldn’t prove the payer’s identity to banking standards.
- The “Exile” of IVR Payments: Many companies fled the voice channel to avoid risk, leaving millions of users without a convenient payment method.
The Paradox of Public Administrations and Large Utilities
Despite this insecurity, for critical sectors like Public Administrations (Tax agencies, City Halls) and Large Utilities (Energy, Water, Telco), the telephone channel has never been optional. Millions of citizens—due to the digital divide or simple convenience—rely on phone payments.
Until today, these entities were forced to choose between two evils:
- Accepting insecure payments, assuming the risk of fraud and bank distrust.
- Using “Pay by Link”, forcing citizens to abandon the call to click an SMS or email link, which destroys the user experience and skyrockets abandonment rates.
PBC 3DS: The Missing Piece in Payment Engineering
Pay by Call’s patented technology solves this problem brilliantly. The PBC 3DS method is technically the first system capable of orchestrating a native 3D Secure authentication within the voice flow.
What does this actually mean? For the first time, Strong Customer Authentication can be applied without the user ever leaving the call.
- No External Links: The user doesn’t have to wait for an SMS or open a browser.
- Real-Time Authentication: While the citizen stays on the line, their banking app requests authorization. Pay by Call’s system detects the validation instantly.
- Banking-Grade Shield: By executing real 3D Secure, the voice payment achieves the same security tier as a purchase on Amazon or any leading e-commerce site. Banks no longer have a reason to flag these operations as suspicious.
Empathic Conversational AI: The Essential Companion
But such powerful technology requires a human interface. Pay by Call has integrated this patented security with next-generation Conversational AI.
The AI doesn’t just process data; it is empathic. It understands user doubts, guides the citizen through the authentication process on their mobile, and maintains a zero-friction UX. The AI ensures that the “payment moment” isn’t a cold, technical process, but a fluid, assisted conversation that builds trust.
No More Excuses: The End of Insecure Billing
With the arrival of the PBC 3DS method, the argument that “the voice channel cannot be secure” is officially obsolete. Pay by Call SL has proven that it is possible to meet the strictest standards (PCI DSS Level 1 and ENS High Category) while maintaining the personal touch of a phone call.
The national and international (PCT) patent filing protects this unique method, positioning Pay by Call as the only provider capable of offering Public Administrations and large corporations a payment gateway that is both fully bank-secure and fully citizen-friendly.
The voice channel has stopped being the “black hole” of PSD2. Thanks to Pay by Call, it is now the most efficient and human payment channel of 2026.
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FAQs
1. What is PBC 3DS?
PBC 3DS is Pay by Call’s innovation designed to strengthen secure telephone payments through an approach adapted to the voice channel and aligned with the logic of 3D Secure. Its purpose is to add more trust, traceability, and security to payment-by-phone processes in professional and regulated environments.
2. What does the PBC 3DS patent application mean?
The PBC 3DS patent application means that Pay by Call has formally started the protection process for this proprietary innovation. This reinforces the solution’s strategic value and highlights the company’s commitment to developing differentiated technology in the field of Secure IVR Payments and voice payment security.
3. Why is the patent application important for Pay by Call?
The patent application is important because it supports Pay by Call’s positioning as an innovative specialist in secure telephone payments. It also reflects the company’s long-term commitment to building proprietary technology that strengthens the voice channel as a secure and professional payment environment.
4. What does PBC 3DS bring to the secure phone payments market?
PBC 3DS brings an advanced approach to the evolution of phone payments, helping move the market toward stronger security, better customer confidence, and more robust payment journeys in the voice channel. In a market increasingly focused on trust, compliance, and omnichannel capabilities, this kind of innovation can play a relevant strategic role.
5. Who can benefit from an innovation like PBC 3DS?
An innovation like PBC 3DS can benefit enterprises, contact centers, BPOs, payment service providers, and technology partners looking to enhance their voice payment strategy. It is especially relevant for organizations operating in environments where security, compliance, and customer trust are critical.
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