New report launch webinar: Preventing underage alcohol purchasing online using payment card details

Join IAS for the launch of a new report that could be a game-changer in preventing children from purchasing alcohol online.

With growth in online purchasing, particularly since the pandemic, online age verification for buying alcohol is increasingly important. Currently, most systems are poor, such as relying on honesty policies or uploading documents.

In a new IAS-funded report, Jess Muirhead looks at how ‘Merchant Category Codes’ could be used for online alcohol purchases. Every time a payment is made on a bank card, a code is sent with payment details to identify the type of transaction. This is already used to prevent under-18s from gambling and would better protect retailers from illegally selling alcohol to under-18s.