EU Accessibility Act and WCAG

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) requires organizations to make their digital products and services accessible to people with disabilities. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) define how to make web content accessible through technical standards and implementation guidelines.

What is WCAG?

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is an international standard for designing accessible websites and web applications. It was created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and is globally recognized as the technical standard for web accessibility.

WCAG is not legally binding on its own and it becomes enforceable only when adopted by national/regional laws (like the EAA or Section 508 of US law). It is updated periodically and the most recent version is WCAG 2.2, which was released by the W3C on October 5, 2023.

WCAG defines three levels of conformance: A, AA, and AAA, each building upon the previous:

Level A is the minimum, addressing the most critical accessibility barriers.
Level AA is widely considered the practical and legally acceptable target for many websites.
Level AAA represents the highest level of accessibility, but it's not always feasible or necessary for all content.

WCAG 2.2 is backward-compatible. This means that if a website meets WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA, it also meets the earlier WCAG 2.0 and 2.1 versions.

What is the EU Accessibility Act?

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is a European Union directive that requires businesses to make their digital services, including payment pages, accessible to people with disabilities. If you offer services to consumers in the EU, you must ensure your platforms meet the accessibility standards outlined in this regulation. The EAA applies to many digital products and services, including e-commerce, banking, and online payments.

For new services, compliance becomes mandatory from 28 June 2025.
Existing services must comply by 28 June 2030.

By meeting these requirements, you can ensure your payment pages are usable by a wider audience, improve customer trust, and meet your legal obligations.

How does WCAG relate to the EU Accessibility Act?

The EU Accessibility Act references WCAG 2.1 Level A and AA as the requirement for compliance with Clause 9. Specifically, it states that meeting WCAG 2.1 Level AA is considered equivalent to fulfilling Clauses 9.1 to 9.4 and Clause 9.6: the full set of legally required criteria for web accessibility. Clause 9.5, which lists WCAG Level AAA criteria, is optional and not required.

Scope for MyCheckout Hosted Payment Pages

We have upgraded the MyCheckout hosted payment pages to conform to WCAG 2.2 Level AA and EAA. As a result, the pages are:

Fully compliant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA,
And therefore fully compliant with Clauses 9.1 to 9.4 and Clause 9.6 of the EU Accessibility Act

In addition, MyCheckout hosted payment pages meet the following clauses of EU Accessibility Act:

Clause 5 (Generic Requirements): General accessibility principles are integrated throughout the design and technical development.
Clause 12 (Documentation and Support Services): Support materials and documentation are made available and in accessible formats.

Other clauses of the EAA, which are about voice communication, video content, hardware requirements, and emergency services, are not applicable to the hosted payment pages.

What this means for you

You can offer a payment experience that is accessible to all your customers, including those with disabilities.
You can meet your compliance obligations under the EU Accessibility Act for payment interfaces without needing to build your own solution.
You have accessible documentation available on this page, which fulfills your documentation obligations under Clause 12.
You benefit from improved customer experience, higher conversion rates, and reduced legal and reputational risks.

If you would like more technical details or need accessibility-related support, please contact your account manager.

If you use the MyCheckout Editor to change the look and feel of your checkout page (e.g. adjusting colors, fonts, or contrast to match your brand), we recommend validating your design choices using the WAVE Accessibility Evaluation Tool. This helps ensure that your color combinations and visual elements remain accessible and that you continue to meet the requirements of the EU Accessibility Act.

Overview of changes for WCAG 2.2 compliance

We validated and enhanced the MyCheckout hosted payment pages according to WCAG 2.2 Success Criteria (Level A and AA). This means that your payment pages:

Can be used with screen readers: All icons, buttons, and input fields are announced correctly to assistive technologies.
Are fully keyboard accessible: Customers can navigate and interact with the entire payment page using only a keyboard.
Are responsive and mobile-friendly: The page layout adjusts to different screen sizes and orientations, making the experience accessible across devices.
Support zooming up to 400% without loss of content or functionality: Customers can enlarge the page without horizontal scrolling or hidden content.
Use clear labels and instructions: All input fields are properly labeled, avoiding placeholder-only designs, helping users complete payment forms accurately.
Provide accessible error handling: If users make mistakes, errors are announced and explained in a way that is understandable and accessible.
Follow strong compatibility standards: The pages are coded to ensure they can be accurately processed by assistive technologies and different browsers.