Two of the UK’s biggest banks, Barclays and NatWest, have moved to make subscription to MasterCard SecureCode and Verified by Visa mandatory for debit card payments made online to approved merchants.

I know this because I recently tried to pay off my credit card bill and was forced to sign up for the card scheme security standards. This entailed another round of tedious form-filling, the creation of a new password and the submission of my e-mail address. I also had to agree to the bank’s terms and conditions on the use of my e-mail for future marketing communications.

I didn’t want to provide any of this information, but was given no choice but to comply.

The banks are passing off the 3-D Secure standards as a re-assuring upgrade to customer service standards. But the failure to cater for customer choice in the uptake of the service is a major irritant that may turn off more customers than it encourages.

Moreover, to insist on madatory compliance at a time when enrollment with the standard is increasingly being used as a bait by phishers seems somewhat foolhardy.

Expect to see an uptick in failed transaction stats as more customers abandon purchases at the check-out.