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Online payments · · by the Synctech team

BSN ends SMS OTP for online card payments from 15 December

BSN ends SMS OTP for online card payments from 15 December

Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) says that from 15 December 2026 it will stop using SMS OTP to approve online card payments. BSN cardholders will approve online purchases with BSNSecure, which works only in the BSN eWallet app, and BSN asks them to download and register the app before then. Shops should expect some BSN card payments to fail when buyers have not set it up.

What is changing?

BSN's notice says SMS OTP will be replaced by BSNSecure, its multi-factor approval, for e-commerce payments. BSN eWallet is a separate app from myBSN. According to BSN's FAQ, BSNSecure in BSN eWallet approves online purchases, while BSNSecure in myBSN approves internet banking transactions such as transfers. You can keep both apps on the same phone, and BSN says the eWallet app is free.

A few details from BSN's FAQ matter for planning:

  • The phone needs iOS 16.0, Android 11.0 or HarmonyOS 2.0 or later, a screen lock, and must not be rooted or jailbroken.
  • Log in uses the same username and password as myBSN.
  • Only one phone can hold BSNSecure for a username. Moving to a new phone starts a 12-hour cooling-off period before full access.

BSN says the change does not apply to the BSN Visa Corporate Card-i and the BSN Visa Business Debit Card.

What to do

If you run an online shop

Your payment gateway and shop settings should not need any change, because the approval step happens between the buyer and BSN. Some buyers will notice it, though. From mid December, a buyer who pays with a BSN card and has not installed BSN eWallet may get stuck at the approval step. Buyers with older phones that cannot run the app will have the same problem.

  1. Add one line to your checkout or FAQ page before 15 December, for example: "Paying with a BSN card? From 15 Dec, BSN approves online payments in the BSN eWallet app."
  2. Brief whoever answers your WhatsApp or email, so they can explain a failed BSN card payment quickly.
  3. Keep another way to pay open, such as FPX or DuitNow QR, for buyers who cannot finish a card payment.
  4. Watch your gateway report for failed card payments in the second half of December. If BSN card failures jump, this change is the likely reason.

If you or your staff pay with a BSN card

Anyone who uses a personal BSN debit or credit card to buy supplies, renew a subscription or pay for ads online should install BSN eWallet and register it before 15 December. Do it on the phone they will keep using, because a phone change brings the 12-hour wait. Do not plan a phone change near a payment deadline.

How to avoid scams around this change

Scammers like changes such as this one, because "your OTP is ending, install the new app" sounds believable. BSN's own security page says: "BSN does not send any text message with hyperlink." Install BSN eWallet only from the Apple App Store, Google Play or Huawei AppGallery, and check that BSN is the publisher. Never type your myBSN password into a link from an SMS, WhatsApp or email.

If you think you were scammed, BSN asks you to call its Contact Centre at +603 2613 1900 at once, or the National Scam Response Centre at 997 (8am to 8pm daily).

If you would like that payment note added to your shop's checkout or FAQ page, our website care team can do it for you.

Source and credit

We are sharing this news from Bank Simpanan Nasional, first reported by The Star. This summary is written by Synctech in our own words.

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