Which of the following transactions is NOT described as part of a card-absent environment?

A card-absent environment refers to transactions where the cardholder is not physically present at the point of sale or during the transaction process. This typically includes situations where transactions are carried out online, over the phone, or through mail orders, as the card itself is not presented for verification.

Face-to-face transactions are characterized by the physical presence of the cardholder and their card during the transaction. In such cases, merchants can visually verify the card and often utilize EMV (Europay, MasterCard, and Visa) chip technology to enhance security. Therefore, because the card is present and can be authenticated at the point of sale, this type of transaction does not fall under the card-absent category.

The other options, such as email order transactions, deferred payments, and phone order transactions, all involve scenarios where the cardholder is not present physically and the card cannot be visually verified at the time of the transaction. This makes them part of a card-absent environment, emphasizing the difference between the physical presence required in face-to-face transactions and the remote nature of the others listed.