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Data Breach Protection That Guards Your Business and Your Customers

Data Breach Protection That Guards Your Business and Your Customers

Data Breach Protection That Guards Your Business and Your Customers

$100,000 in data breach insurance through Trustwave is automatically included with your Host Merchant Services account.
Risk Mitigation That Starts Before an Incident Happens

Your customers trust you with their payment data. A single cardholder data breach can trigger investigation costs, legal fees, card brand fines, and lost business that often add up to hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. Recent research shows the average global cost of a data breach reached $4.88 million in 2024, and even small businesses typically face $120,000-$1.24 million in response and recovery costs for a serious incident.

Host Merchant Services helps you manage that risk by partnering with Trustwave to provide PCI DSS compliance services and a $100,000 data breach insurance policy included with all merchant accounts by default.

Protect Your Business from Forensics, Fines, and Downtime Costs

Payment card data is a prime target for cybercriminals. A breach can expose card numbers and personal information and trigger a chain of costly obligations:

  • Investigation and Forensics
  • Notifying Affected Customers and Offering Credit Monitoring
  • Legal and Regulatory Costs
  • Card Brand Assessments and Potential Fines
  • Operational Downtime and Lost Sales
For small businesses, the financial impact is still severe. Recent analysis based on industry data estimates $120,000 to $1.24 million as a typical range for the total cost of responding to a serious incident, once you add up direct losses, response work, and lost revenue.
On top of that, industry experts note that card brands can levy PCI DSS-related fines from roughly $100,000 to $500,000, plus additional expenses like card re-issuance and credit monitoring, following a card data breach.
Having dedicated data breach insurance and PCI compliance support helps merchants reduce exposure to these costs and strengthen overall security.

Breach Coverage and PCI Validation, Standard on Every Host Merchant Services Account

Breach Coverage and PCI Validation, Standard on Every Host Merchant Services Account

Host Merchant Services has integrated data breach protection and PCI compliance directly into your merchant account:
Trustwave-powered PCI compliance services

Host Merchant Services partners with Trustwave to help merchants validate and maintain PCI DSS compliance, the card industry’s security standard for accepting, transmitting, and storing cardholder data.

$100,000 data breach insurance with every merchant account

Independent reviews and HMS’s own content confirm that HMS includes $100,000 in data breach insurance with all merchant accounts by default. This coverage is designed to help offset certain financial impacts of a qualifying data breach, subject to policy terms.

No PCI non-compliance fees from HMS

Unlike many processors that charge separate PCI non-compliance penalties, Host Merchant Services explicitly states it does not charge PCI non-compliance fees and instead bundles PCI support and breach coverage as part of your program.

$100,000 in breach insurance plus PCI support is a meaningful safety net when a single incident can trigger six- or seven-figure costs in investigations, fines, notifications, and downtime.

Activate Built-In Breach Protection Today!

Talk with our team about how this protection applies to your specific setup, tech stack, and industry. Confirm your enrollment and start operating with full compliance support and automatic $100,000 breach coverage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this $100,000 breach coverage replace my cyber insurance?

No. It’s a focused layer that helps with certain card-related breach costs, not a full cyber policy. Most merchants use it alongside general liability or cyber insurance to reduce out-of-pocket exposure if card data is compromised.

What specific value do I get from staying enrolled?

You gain a dedicated pool of funds to help with breach response costs that can’t easily be delayed or negotiated. You also keep guided PCI tools through Trustwave, which lowers the odds of a breach and can shorten investigations if one occurs.

What’s the practical downside of opting out?

If a card data incident happens, you’ll rely solely on your own reserves or separate insurance for fines, forensics, and notifications. In other words, you remove a built-in financial buffer that’s already aligned with how card brands handle breaches.

How does the PCI component help me day to day?

Trustwave’s tools walk you through PCI questionnaires, scans, and remediation so you don’t have to figure it out alone. That saves time, reduces guesswork, and helps you prove you’re taking reasonable security steps if there’s ever an investigation.

I use tokenization and never see card numbers. Do I still benefit?

Yes. Attacks can still target your checkout, POS, or integrations and be treated as a cardholder data breach. This coverage is designed to step in for those card-related incidents, even when you’re using modern, low-touch payment setups.

How do I confirm my status or change my decision later?

You can contact Host Merchant Services support to verify whether your account is currently enrolled. If you later decide to opt out or re-enroll, a quick request through support or the form on this page will update your account settings.