You can store certain cardholder data elements if required for legitimate business purposes, but strict PCI DSS rules govern what you can store and how you must protect it.
Allowed to store (with proper protection):
- Cardholder name
- Primary Account Number (PAN) - the card number
- Service code
- Expiration date
Never allowed to store:
- CVV/CVC codes (the 3-4 digit security codes)
- Full magnetic stripe data
- PIN numbers or PIN blocks
- Authentication data used during the transaction process
If you store any allowed cardholder data, you must:
- Encrypt or mask the Primary Account Number (PAN)
- Implement strong access controls limiting who can view the data
- Maintain detailed logs of all access to stored cardholder data
- Follow all PCI DSS security requirements for data protection
Important considerations
Best practice: Don't store cardholder data unless absolutely necessary for your business operations. Not storing this data removes you as a target for data thieves and significantly reduces your PCI compliance burden.
Alternative solutions: Consider tokenization or other secure payment methods that eliminate the need to store actual card data while still enabling repeat transactions and customer convenience.
Compliance impact: Storing cardholder data automatically places you in higher PCI compliance categories with more stringent security requirements and validation processes.
If you must store cardholder data, work closely with your payment processor and security professionals to ensure proper implementation of all required protections.