How To Protect Customer Payment Data

Secure billing software, protect customer data, payment data security, keep payment data secure, PCI compliance

Whether it’s a quick mobile wallet payment or an automatic monthly charge, digital payments touch almost every part of our modern lives. With 61% of consumers using digital wallets and nearly half paying bills through them, it’s clear that convenience has won. But confidence hasn’t. Security remains the top frustration people report when paying bills online. While offering digital payments is table stakes, keeping payment data secure is how you earn trust.

Payment fraud surged in 2024, with 79% of organizations reporting attempted or actual payment fraud. At the same time, consumers aren’t exactly forgiving of organizations that experience a data breach. According to a recent Deloitte survey, 70% of consumers are concerned about sharing personal information with retailers due to data breaches, and 64% are hesitant to shop at retailers that have experienced a breach. Trust drives transactions, and trust begins with using secure billing software designed to protect customer data through robust payment data security and PCI compliance from the ground up.

Below are six practical, high-impact recommendations to help protect your customers’ payment data. They were chosen because they address the most common breach points and deliver quick, meaningful risk reduction to help protect your customers’ payment data.

Recommendation #1: Choose a billing and payment platform built for PCI Compliance

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) applies to any business that stores, processes, or transmits card data. Non-compliance doesn’t just risk fines; it opens the door to breaches. PCI DSS v4.0 took effect April 1, 2024, with a compliance deadline of March 31, 2025. The newer v4.0.1 release adds minor clarifications without changing requirements and timelines, and underscores the need for strict data segmentation to minimize exposure in the event of an attack.

KUBRA’s cloud-native KUBRA HQ™ platform is built with PCI 4.0.1 compliance and SOC 3 standards at its core, providing our clients secure, PCI-compliant billing software that scales. It’s this approach that differentiates security from being just another feature. Instead, it's baked into the foundation.

Recommendation #2: Protect data in transit and at rest.

Over 80% of payment fraud in 2024 occurred online or in mobile channels. Your strongest defense is encryption and tokenization; the former protects any stored data, and the latter eliminates it from your environment. 

There are two types of tokenization. 

• Traditional (stateful) tokenization replaces card data with a random token and stores that mapping in a database, which means the system must constantly track whether each token is active or not. 
• Stateless tokenization (SST) uses pre-generated token tables, assigning a fixed token to each card number without maintaining state, resulting in a simpler, stronger, and more secure approach.

Visa reports tokenization can reduce fraud risk by up to 60%, making stolen tokens effectively useless. KUBRA HQ encrypts sensitive payment information and uses tokenized stored payment methods, ensuring that no full card data ever resides on client servers, delivering layered payment data security without operational friction.

Recommendation #3: Store less, protect more.

If you don’t need it, don’t store it. If you do, store it safely. The fewer points of exposure, the lower your risk surface. Data breaches come with steep costs, and PCI non-compliance fines can range from $5,000 to $100,000 per month, depending on the severity of the violations. 

With centralized billing and payments in KUBRA HQ, organizations avoid unnecessary duplication, reducing the number of entry points where data could be compromised and strengthening their ability to protect customer data. Outsourcing to a PCI-compliant provider like KUBRA helps keep liabilities off your balance sheet.

Recommendation #4: Stop threats before they start.

Every dollar of fraud now costs financial institutions an eye-watering $4.16 in recovery and remediation. The stakes are high, and manual fraud detection is no longer enough. AI-powered fraud detection outperforms manual and rules-based methods, with studies reporting detection rates of 87–94%. KUBRA HQ uses AI-powered fraud detection and real-time monitoring across digital and voice channels to help identify suspicious activity early.

If you’re looking for an easy win, make sure you’re using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA). This isn’t difficult and results in a tougher lock to crack on your vault.

Recommendation #5: Make security visible

If you’ve got it, flaunt it. Customers shouldn’t wonder if their payment is safe; they should see it. For instance, prominently displaying encryption notices or MFA prompts reassures users. Trust indicators, such as an SSL lock, trust badges, and clear data policies, build confidence. 

Branded portals and communications should enable customers to access their payment history, preferences, and receipts within a single, secure billing software environment, without encountering off-brand redirects or risky external pages.

Recommendation #6: Choose vendors who evolve with threats

Payment fraud attempts continue to rise, and staying ahead takes real vigilance. With AI now helping bad actors move faster and smarter, organizations are increasingly worried that outdated systems simply can’t keep up.

KUBRA HQ supports zero-downtime feature updates, automated patching, and AI-based threat detection to keep systems secure without interrupting service. Regular SOC 3 audits and continuous compliance updates give our clients ongoing assurance.

Security Isn’t a Checkbox, It’s a Promise

If you’re evaluating platforms or revisiting your security posture, now is a good time to reassess your partners, your controls, and your roadmap.

Customers expect privacy, protection, and transparency every time they make a payment. Your billing and payment solution should make that a given. A modern platform should deliver payment data security, PCI compliance, encryption, tokenization, and end-to-end protection that keeps sensitive information safe.

KUBRA HQ consolidates all of this into a single, secure ecosystem designed to protect customer data at scale. Ultimately, safeguarding payment information isn’t just a technical requirement; it’s a promise that strengthens trust, loyalty, and your brand.

Looking to strengthen your payment security? Explore how KUBRA HQ can support your organization’s needs.