To make online card payments more secure, Alaan now delivers One-Time Passwords (OTPs) directly in the Alaan app for e-commerce transactions, instead of sending them via SMS or email.
When making certain online purchases with your Alaan card, you may be asked to verify the payment using an OTP as part of 3D Secure (3DS) authentication. This verification helps confirm that the transaction is being made by the authorised cardholder.
To learn more about how 3DS authentication works, you can read our guide here.
Why OTPs are delivered in the Alaan app
Moving OTPs in-app helps:
Improve security by delivering OTPs directly in the Alaan app instead of SMS or email
Reduce delays caused by SMS delivery issues
Protect your card from risks such as SIM-swap fraud or phishing attacks
How to complete OTP verification
When a merchant requires verification for an online card payment:
Step 1: You start a payment on the merchant’s website.
Step 2: The payment triggers a 3DS verification step.
Step 3: You receive a notification from the Alaan app. Tap the notification or open the Alaan app and unlock it.
💡 Tip: If you don’t receive the notification, simply open the Alaan app – the OTP will appear automatically on the screen.
Step 4: Your OTP will be displayed in the app as a popup.
Step 5: Enter the OTP on the verification screen on the merchant’s website. If the authentication session times out, the OTP will expire. In that case, you will need to restart the transaction from the merchant’s website.
Step 6: Once verified, the transaction continues and the payment is authenticated.
💡 Tip: To make sure you never miss an OTP, keep your Alaan app updated and enable push notifications on your phone.
What to do if you receive an unexpected OTP
If you see an OTP request for a transaction you did not make:
Step 1: Tap “It Was Not Me” on the OTP screen.
Step 2: Your card will be temporarily frozen for security, and our team will review the activity.
Step 3: Our team will contact you to review the transaction.
What to do if you close the OTP screen
If you accidentally close the OTP popup, you can still retrieve the OTP from the app:
Step 1: Open the Alaan app
Step 2: Go to Notifications
Step 3: Open the payment authentication notification
