A lot of people are worried about using their credit cards online and rightfully so. It is no secret that there are many crooks out there in cyber-land whose sole purpose is to cheat as many consumers as possible in order to make a profit. Many of these credit card scams are incredibly sophisticated and hard to detect. So what can the average consumer do to foil their plans? One easy solution is to use one time credit cards for your online purchases.
What is a one time credit card?
There are a couple of names that these one time credit cards go under. You may hear them called controlled payment cards or perhaps called virtual account credit cards. Regardless of what they are called what they do is protect the security of your regular credit cards.
In simple terms, these one time credit cards work by allowing you to make online purchases with a credit card that is linked to your regular credit card account but you do not have to use your actual credit card number (of the regular card) in order to make the purchase. In other words, the one time credit card can act as a buffer or filter between your regular credit card information and the information that you use for an online purchase. It is a very good to protect yourself.
For the most part, a one time credit card number will expire after just one purchase or use. This is not true with all of them so make sure you check before taking on, and get the type that will best suit your needs.
Consumers who may be wondering what the benefit is to these cards should understand that by using a one time credit card, if your information is stolen by some means the one time use card information that they get would be worthless since you have already used the one time use account number associated with that particular card.
Also, because you have not used your regular credit card number you have protected that account from being raided. Anyone who has had the credit card number hacked can attest to how much trouble this causes and how much time it takes to get the problem resolved.
If using a one time credit card seems like a good idea to you and you wish to get one, the first place to check is with your current credit card company. More and more companies are beginning to offer these cards as it protects them as well as you from fraudulent claims and outright theft. Most cards have a toll free number on the back and you should call that number to see if your company if currently offering this service. You may also want to look into the system that PayPal is currently offering.
Almost all consumers who use a one time credit card will be able to better protect their accounts and their personal information from hackers and thieves. They will also be able to shop online with confidence.