What is the primary purpose of PCI DSS compliance?

The primary purpose of PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) compliance is to protect credit cardholder data. These standards are designed to ensure that all companies that accept, process, store, or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment. This focus on security helps safeguard sensitive cardholder information from data breaches and fraud, thus fostering trust between consumers and merchants.

While streamlining payment processing and enhancing customer service may be benefits of having robust security practices, they are not the main goal of PCI DSS. Similarly, while organizations may experience reduced transaction fees as a result of increased security and lower fraud rates, this too is not the primary focus of PCI DSS compliance. The core aim remains squarely on ensuring the safety and integrity of credit card data.