What Is Payment Card Security Fee

If you’ve seen a line on your credit card statement that says something like “payment security” or “card security,” you’re not alone. These charges usually come from an optional credit card payment protection plan connected to a specific Synchrony account. The tricky part is that the wording on your statement can be vague, so here’s a straightforward way to match the exact label to what the fee is, how it’s calculated, and whether you can cancel.

What is the payment security charge on my credit card?

That payment security (or card security) line item is generally described as an optional credit card payment protection plan.

In other words, it’s tied to a program intended to help with credit card payments if something unexpected affects your finances. The easiest “decoder ring” is the name shown next to the charge:

• If you see Payment Security / Card Security, you’re most likely looking at the cost of that optional plan.
• If the charge lists Synchrony Bank (or it appears under a Synchrony-branded account), that’s a strong sign the plan is tied to your Synchrony credit card account.

Labels can vary a bit, so it’s still worth double-checking. But in most cases, this is a charge for an optional protection program, not a random interest or late-fee charge.

What is the optional Payment Security / Card Security program?

Based on how the program is described, the optional Payment Security / Card Security program is a type of payment protection plan linked to your credit card account.

Practically, it works like this: you’re paying a small recurring-style cost for coverage, and the price is based on your account’s ending balance for the billing period. If you didn’t enroll (or it wasn’t clear you were enrolled), the charge can feel surprising—so use the statement wording to confirm whether you’re paying for this optional plan.

A quick tip: check your statement, app, or account settings for enrollment or program wording that matches Payment Security or Card Security so you can verify you’re looking at the program charge.

How much does the payment card security fee cost (the $1.66 per $100 rule)?

The pricing formula shown in the snippets is the key detail:

$1.66 per $100 of the ending monthly balance on the account

To estimate the fee:

1. Find your ending monthly balance for the billing period.
2. Break it into $100 chunks.
3. Multiply the number of chunks by $1.66.

That’s the calculation approach for the payment security program.

Example: If your balance was $500, what would the cost be?

The example in the snippets works like this:

If your balance was $500, the cost would be $8.30.

In plain math:

• $500 is 5 chunks of $100
• 5 × $1.66 = $8.30

So if you want to sanity-check your statement, use that same rule and compare it to what you were charged.

Why am I getting charged from Synchrony Bank?

Usually, the explanation is simple: your statement charge is for the optional Payment Security / Card Security program tied to your Synchrony account.

If you see something like:

• Payment Security / Card Security in the description, and
• the charge connected to Synchrony Bank (or shown under your Synchrony credit card)

…then the most likely reason is that the optional protection plan is active on that account and priced using your ending monthly balance.

If you’re wondering “Why now?”, a couple common possibilities (without assuming anything specific) are:

• The plan may have been enabled earlier and continued billing while it remains active.
• Your ending balance may be different than you expected, which changes the fee under the $1.66 per $100 rule.

To be sure, compare the exact wording next to the charge with the plan name Payment Security / Card Security and the pricing basis (ending monthly balance).

Can I cancel payment card security?

Can I cancel payment card security? is a common question once you realize the fee comes from an optional plan.

From what’s described, the program is presented as optional, which typically means you should be able to ask about cancellation or request to stop the program. The exact steps, though, are going to come from the plan’s own materials and the instructions tied to your Synchrony account.

Here’s what you can do right away:

• Check your statement for the exact Payment Security / Card Security wording so you’re targeting the right program.
• Look for anything showing enrollment or opt-in details in your account, app, or statement.
• Use the cancellation steps included with the program materials for your specific Synchrony card/account.

If you can’t find the steps, contact the support for the program tied to the Synchrony card you’re using and ask how to stop Payment Security / Card Security on that account.

What credit card is associated with Synchrony?

What credit card is associated with Synchrony? matters here because the charge typically belongs to a specific Synchrony-linked card or account.

Based on how the program is described, the optional Payment Security / Card Security program is tied to a Synchrony account. So the practical answer is usually:

• The Synchrony credit card account where you see the Payment Security / Card Security line item on your statement.

To figure it out quickly:

• Find the statement line where the fee appears.
• Check the section headers (it may list the card/account name or last 4 digits).
• Match that to the Synchrony credit card account in your online account/app.

If you have more than one Synchrony card, double-check the account the charge was posted to.

---

Before you decide what to do with the fee, check your statement for the exact “Payment Security/Card Security” wording and confirm the pricing basis (especially the $1.66 per $100 of the ending monthly balance rule). That match is what confirms you’re dealing with the optional Synchrony plan, not an unrelated fee.