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CHK-034CHK-036
CHK-035Checkout · trustMedium

Trust/security signals visible near payment step

Trust/security signals visible near payment step.

Check my store for this rule Cite this
Free · no card · runs all rules at once · judged on 37 stores · updated
84%of the audited stores we could judge fail this rule
0 pass6 partial31 failPublished audits · September 2026
Stores judged
37
of 40 published audits
Score weight
1.0pts
of the 100-point score
Page share
50%
of the score is the checkout

What earns each verdict

Same outcomes on every UXFix rule · how verdicts work
✓ Pass0

≥1 trust signal near payment fields.

~ Partial6

Signals present but in footer only.

✕ Fail31

None near payment.

not assessable is recorded when the rule applied but the store could not be judged on it (bot protection, a region lock, a step we could not reach), and not applicable when the store has nothing for the rule to judge. Those stores are left out of every number on this page, never guessed. Why we do that
Why it matters

The payment step doesn't show any trust or security signals near the payment fields (padlock icon, "Secure checkout", PCI badge, Verified by Visa).

Buyers are at their most anxious when typing card numbers. A visible security signal near the field removes that anxiety and lifts conversion.

That sentence is the one a failing store sees in its own UXFix report.How rules are weighted and scored
37 audited stores, one dot each
31 fail
PassPartialFail

Every published UXFix audit this rule could be judged on, as of 23 Sep 2026. A count of real stores, not a simulation of yours.

How we test it

Scripted walk, fresh signed-out browser · the full walk
  1. 1Fresh browserSigned out, cookies cleared, desktop and mobile viewports, the store's live theme.
  2. 2Open a productA real, in-stock product page, found the way a shopper finds one.
  3. 3Add to cartDefault variant, quantity one, then the cart page itself.
  4. 4Walk the checkoutFrom the cart to the payment step. Nothing is ever bought.
  5. 5Judge this ruleAgainst the standard above, on what a shopper can see.
  6. 6Record the verdictPass, partial or fail, saved with the screenshot it was judged on.
What the agent looks for
Trust/security signals visible near payment step.
Confidence
The rulebook rates this check’s confidence unstated. When the agent is not sure, the rule is recorded as not assessable rather than guessed.
Not judged
3 of 40 published audits: the rule did not apply or could not be judged. Dropped, never guessed.

The numbers behind the rule

Published UXFix audits · more statistics
Where this rule sits among 103 UX rules
Most-failed rank
#14
Score weight rank
#53
Fail rate
84%

Score weight: a fail costs 1.0 pts of of the 100-point score; a partial costs half that. Most-failed rank is among the 79 rules with enough published audits to report a rate.

The issue, on real stores

from each store's own published audit

9 of the stores that fail this rule, each shown on the screen it was judged on, with the problem area marked. The picture is the store's own capture on the date shown, and stores change.

22 more are in the list above, each with its own audit.

The fix

The same steps a failing store sees in its report

A pass means: ≥1 trust signal near payment fields.

Severity
Medium
Score gain
+1.0pts
Page
Checkout

Score gain is roughly what a fail-to-pass change adds; rules that could not be judged are left out, which can move it a little. Re-run a free audit after the change ships to confirm the verdict moved.

Checklist for the pass
0 of 3

Tick each step as you ship it. The audit judges the live store, so re-run it once all of them are done.

Every store that fails this rule

The 31 audited stores that fail Trust/security signals visible near payment step, with each store's published score and the day it was audited.
#StoreScoreAuditedPublished audit
1Archeryworldarcheryworld.co.uk52Open audit
2Bxbx.eu46Open audit
3Barnesandnoblebarnesandnoble.com61Open audit
4Mujimuji.us61Open audit
5Arhausarhaus.com60Open audit
6Blackstoneproductsblackstoneproducts.com60Open audit
7Tupperwaretupperware.com60Open audit
8Caspercasper.com62Open audit
9Thebrickthebrick.com61Open audit
10Wpswingswpswings.com57Open audit
11Lavernelaverne.com60Open audit
12Benettonbenetton.com58Open audit
13Keenfootwearkeenfootwear.com56Open audit
14Verabradleyverabradley.com58Open audit
15Davidsbridaldavidsbridal.com58Open audit
16Tomstoms.com52Open audit
17Eddiebauereddiebauer.com62Open audit
18Gymsharkgymshark.com57Open audit
19Reebokreebok.com58Open audit
20Reebokreebok.com57Open audit
21Fashionnovafashionnova.com56Open audit
22Kathmandukathmandu.com.au63Open audit
23Bentibrandbentibrand.com66Open audit
24Ladounladoun.com41Open audit
25Toysrustoysrus.com57Open audit
26Brewdogbrewdog.com56Open audit
27Timextimex.com54Open audit
28Enviafloresparadifuntosenviafloresparadifuntos.com56Open audit
29Wpfactorywpfactory.com70Open audit
30Iliabeautyiliabeauty.com62Open audit
31Tentreetentree.com58Open audit

What our auditors say about this rule

Trust signals work where the risk is felt, which is beside the card field and not in the footer.
Omar Dabbas, Co-founder, UXFix

Written by the person who audits this rule, and reviewed every quarter.

Keep going

All rules
RuleCHK-001
Guest checkout offered as first-class option (no account wall)Checkout · Critical
RuleCHK-003
Clear step indicator showing progress through checkoutCheckout · Medium
RuleCHK-005
Ability to edit cart from within checkout without losing progressCheckout · Medium
RuleCHK-006
Account creation offered after order placement, not beforeCheckout · High
RuleCHK-007
Site logo/name does not link away from checkout (or warns first)Checkout · Medium
RuleCHK-008
Header/nav minimized during checkout to reduce exitsCheckout · Medium
RuleCHK-009
Total form fields 8 or fewer (industry average is 11.3)Checkout · High
RuleCHK-010
Single Full Name field (not first + last)Checkout · Medium
Cite this

«31 of 37 online stores audited by UXFix fail the rule "Trust/security signals visible near payment step" (CHK-035) as of September 2026. UXFix, uxfix.ai/audits/rules/trust-badges-at-payment»

Rule record · JSON
Dataset
{
  "id": "CHK-035",
  "name": "Trust/security signals visible near payment step",
  "area": "checkout",
  "severity": "medium",
  "weight": 0.99,
  "published_audits": {
    "judged": 37,
    "pass": 0,
    "partial": 6,
    "fail": 31
  },
  "updated": "2026-09-23"
}
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