About
Why this exists
Most PCI content online is written to sell you a platform, a managed service, or an enterprise contract. It is long on acronyms and short on answers.
PCI Compass is the opposite. It is written for small businesses and e-commerce owners who want three things: does this apply to me, which form do I file, and what should it cost?
Who writes it
A payment-security specialist with 17+ years in payment QA, payment gateways and security testing — including hands-on PCI DSS scoping, payment-page security, and card-data environments.
In practice that means the guidance here comes from someone who has tested payment systems for a living, not from an affiliate blog repeating a vendor’s brochure.
How the guides are made
- Plain English first. If a term needs a definition, it gets one.
- Real numbers. Costs are sourced and dated, and ranges are shown as ranges.
- No vendor pitch. Nothing here is paid placement. Where a product is named, it is because it is relevant.
- Honest about scope. This is general information, not legal or compliance advice — and we say so on every page.
Start here
Do I need PCI compliance? — the decision guide and the 2026 cost breakdown.