How do I Avoid Non-compliance Fees on my Merchant Statement?

To avoid non-compliance fees on your merchant statement, you must achieve and maintain PCI DSS 4.0 compliance. These fees are typically triggered by incomplete documentation or security gaps that fail to meet the standards set by the PCI Security Standards Council.

You can avoid these costs by following these essential steps:

1. Accurately Classify Your Merchant Level: Ensure you are using the correct merchant level based on your annual transaction volume. Using the wrong level can lead to validation gaps and penalty fees from your acquirer.
2. Complete the Correct Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ): Filling out the specific SAQ that matches your payment environment (such as SAQ A, B, C, or D) is a concrete way to demonstrate adherence to security standards and remove non-compliance fees from your statement.
3. Conduct Quarterly Vulnerability Scans: Engaging an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV) to perform mandatory quarterly scans is required for most merchant levels. Failing to perform or pass these scans often results in immediate non-compliance fees.
4. Implement Mandatory Security Controls: You must deploy technical safeguards, including firewalls, encryption for data at rest and in transit, and multi-factor authentication (MFA) for administrative access.
5. Avoid Common Pitfalls: Ensure you change all default passwords on POS terminals, implement secure data disposal policies, and keep staff training records up to date to avoid being flagged during audits.

• PCI DSS 4.0 Compliance: Complete Guide for 2026