Walletdoc launches Visa payment passkeys

Walletdoc has rolled out Visa payment passkeys in its digital wallet app, allowing users in markets where the company operates to authenticate Visa card transactions without entering passwords. Customers can use passkeys stored on their device or in cloud-based authenticators to approve online card payments with biometric or PIN unlocks.

At checkout, cardholders who store Visa credentials in Walletdoc can opt for passkey authentication. The wallet and the user’s device create a public–private key pair: the private key is unlocked locally with a fingerprint, face unlock or PIN, and the public key is used to validate the payment authentication with the merchant and Visa’s network. Card details remain protected by Walletdoc and by existing tokenization processes during settlement.

The feature works with devices and browsers that support passkey technology and is available to customers and partner merchants in Walletdoc’s operating regions. The company provided developer tools and APIs so merchants can prompt for passkey authentication during an online purchase and validate the resulting assertions against Visa’s authentication checks.

The company said the passkey option is intended to reduce reliance on SMS one-time passwords and typed passwords, which are vulnerable to phishing and interception. Walletdoc added that its implementation aligns with industry authentication standards and card-scheme requirements to preserve compliance for payments.

Payment passkeys rely on the FIDO Alliance’s WebAuthn standards and platform authenticators built into modern smartphones, tablets and desktops. Because passkeys use asymmetric cryptography, they are not susceptible to the same phishing attacks as passwords. If a device with a stored passkey is lost, users can revoke that device’s credentials through their wallet account and re-enroll passkeys on a replacement device.

Visa has been developing a payment-specific passkey framework that links passkeys to card credentials and payment authorization flows. Industry analysts have noted a shift toward passwordless authentication in payment systems to address card-not-present fraud and to improve checkout conversion rates.