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What to do if we ask you for a payment verification code

What we need from you when we ask you to verify your Ping payment.

By Trade Me 31 August 2023

Ping is Trade Me’s safe and secure payment system that lets you pay for purchases or top up your account online using a credit or debit card.

Occasionally we review transactions and request a verification code to finalise the payment. This is a standard check we run to ensure that the credit card holder has authorised the transaction.

Paying with Ping

  • Win an auction or use Buy Now on a listing that has Ping as a payment option.
  • Pay using one of your saved payment methods or by entering your card details.
  • The money will appear in the seller's Ping account instantly.

If we request a verification code

  • The payment will be put on hold.
  • You'll receive an email from our Trust and Safety team requesting a verification code.
  • A four-character reference (e.g. A123) will appear on the transaction in your bank statement.
  • Reply to our email with the verification code.
  • Once the code is verified by our team, the transaction will be completed and the seller will receive the payment.

Where to find the code

On your internet banking, the code will show with the charge on your statement.

There may be a day or two before this information is displayed on your statement with some banks. If that’s the case, it’s best to contact your bank directly.

Here's what your Ping code should look like. This is an example only.

If you can't find your code

If you can’t find the code, ask your bank for the ‘authorisation code’ for the transaction. This is a six-digit code that’s hidden on every credit card transaction, we’ll be able to use it to verify the payment.

If we don’t hear back from you in a few days, we’ll refund the money back to the card used on the transaction. If you’re having trouble finding the reference, let us know by replying to our email. We can hold the payment for another few days until you find it.

Why we do this

This is one of many security measures we have in place – to keep Trade Me a safe and trusted place to buy and sell.

If our system thinks a transaction might not have been authorised by the cardholder, we’ll hold the payment and ask for a reference. The seller will also get an email asking them to hold off on releasing the goods while we check it out.

Only the cardholder can get information from their online banking statement (or the bank), so if we get that reference, we can be sure they authorised the payment.

It’s unlikely we will ask for this reference multiple times – if you’ve supplied it once, we probably won’t ask for it again. That said, keep an eye on your emails after a purchase, just in case we do get in touch again.

Get in touch with us if you have any problems, concerns or queries – we’re always happy to help.

Author

Trade Me
Trade Me

Written by one of Trade Me motoring experts - giving you advice on used cars, new cars, boats, motorbikes, dirt bikes, caravans, trucks, trailers and more.