What's the newest safe way to use credit card online?

[Aldebaran]

I've been using my Bank of America credit card to make purchases online because their website gives the option of creating a Shopsafe number (an temporary alternate number that is connected to your credit card without revealing its real number). Now I'm being told that they are discontinuing this feature.

Is there another method of shopping online without revealing my actual credit card number?

 

[Christ is Lord]

Have you tried using PayPal?

 

[bèlla]

You can use a reloadable card. Many do.

 

[Neostarwcc]

You can use Paypal to make purchases online with a credit card and Paypal will hide most of your credit card number (Although not all of it unfortunately). The only down side to this though is that you do have to give Paypal your full credit card information. They just won't share it with anyone else.

 

[Aldebaran]

You can use Paypal to make purchases online with a credit card and Paypal will hide most of your credit card number (Although not all of it unfortunately). The only down side to this though is that you do have to give Paypal your full credit card information. They just won't share it with anyone else.

I've used it, but they take money out of each transaction, which raises the cost of everything. Also, if I want any money back that I put into the Paypal account, there's a fee for that too. Plus, not everyone takes Paypal, which is understandable.

 

[Christ is Lord]

I've been using my Bank of America credit card to make purchases online because their website gives the option of creating a Shopsafe number (an temporary alternate number that is connected to your credit card without revealing its real number). Now I'm being told that they are discontinuing this feature.

Is there another method of shopping online without revealing my actual credit card number?

If you’re an Apple user you can use Apple Pay. Some websites support it and your transaction info (e.g. credit card number) isn’t shared with the merchant.

 

[Christ is Lord]

You can also use the Privacy app. (
‎Privacy.com)

 

[Aldebaran]

If you’re an Apple user you can use Apple Pay. Some websites support it and your transaction info (e.g. credit card number) isn’t shared with the merchant.

I'm not. I used use a Windows PC. My phone is Android. Any online shopping I do is with the PC.

 

[Christ is Lord]

I'm not. I used use a Windows PC. My phone is Android. Any online shopping I do is with the PC.

Then I think Privacy — Seamless & Secure Online Card Payments is a good option. They allow you to create temporary card numbers. Works on Android too

 

[Neostarwcc]

I've used it, but they take money out of each transaction, which raises the cost of everything. Also, if I want any money back that I put into the Paypal account, there's a fee for that too. Plus, not everyone takes Paypal, which is understandable.

You mean when you receive money from other people/companies? Yeah. I hate that! But, Paypal has always taken a chunk out of money that we receive from other people.

But, a majority of websites that take Paypal don't charge you a Paypal fee at least, I've never encountered that. Like Amazon and whatnot. I play this game called World of Warcraft from Blizzard Entertainment and when I used to choose to pay by Paypal they never charged me any fees or anything. They did charge me tax though because I live in a really crappy state (New York if you're curious). So almost everything that I buy online has an almost 10% tax on it. But, that's unavoidable that's just because New York taxes literally everything.

Other than Paypal though idk what options you have. You can maybe take out a debit card and use that if you're more comfortable giving out a debit card number than a credit card number. Otherwise, you don't really have much choice but to give companies your credit card number. One thing you can do though is google "Is this website a scam?" and usually they'll tell you if the site that you're buying from is legit or not. If it's a legit site it's usually safe to give them your credit card number.

 

[Aldebaran]

You mean when you receive money from other people/companies? Yeah. I hate that! But, Paypal has always taken a chunk out of money that we receive from other people.

But, a majority of websites that take Paypal don't charge you a Paypal fee at least, I've never encountered that. Like Amazon and whatnot. I play this game called World of Warcraft from Blizzard Entertainment and when I used to choose to pay by Paypal they never charged me any fees or anything. They did charge me tax though because I live in a really crappy state (New York if you're curious). So almost everything that I buy online has an almost 10% tax on it. But, that's unavoidable that's just because New York taxes literally everything.

Other than Paypal though idk what options you have. You can maybe take out a debit card and use that if you're more comfortable giving out a debit card number than a credit card number. Otherwise, you don't really have much choice but to give companies your credit card number. One thing you can do though is google "Is this website a scam?" and usually they'll tell you if the site that you're buying from is legit or not. If it's a legit site it's usually safe to give them your credit card number.

Actually, I've heard that debit cards aren't good to use online, especially if it's one connected to your bank account. The liability protection isn't nearly as good as with a credit card, which is why I got a credit card.
I suppose I could just use it as-is, without hiding the number. They say you're never liable for more than the first $50, but it would be nice to not even have to worry about that much. With the Shopsafe number BOA used to let me use, I could create a temporary alternate number and it would be good for only a couple months and for only the amount I was spending at the time. So if I was buying an item for $75 from an online retailer, I would create an alternate CC number that was good for only $75. If someone tried to use that CC number for fraud, it wouldn't work because I already used that amount. If I made it good for $80, then the fraudsters would only get the $5 that was left after my purchase. Meanwhile, my actual CC number would remain a secret.

 

[Aldebaran]

Then I think Privacy — Seamless & Secure Online Card Payments is a good option. They allow you to create temporary card numbers. Works on Android too

This does look very similar to what Bank of America was using. It's hard to believe they're a separate company and still do this for free. I looked up reviews for it and it seems split on people who either love it or hate it. I may have to give it a try.

 

[Christ is Lord]

This does look very similar to what Bank of America was using. It's hard to believe they're a separate company and still do this for free. I looked up reviews for it and it seems split on people who either love it or hate it. I may have to give it a try.

I was skeptical too as to why it’s free. Remember anytime a business is offering a service for “free” be sure to do your research. Hope it works out for you.

 

[Neostarwcc]

Actually, I've heard that debit cards aren't good to use online, especially if it's one connected to your bank account. The liability protection isn't nearly as good as with a credit card, which is why I got a credit card.
I suppose I could just use it as-is, without hiding the number. They say you're never liable for more than the first $50, but it would be nice to not even have to worry about that much. With the Shopsafe number BOA used to let me use, I could create a temporary alternate number and it would be good for only a couple months and for only the amount I was spending at the time. So if I was buying an item for $75 from an online retailer, I would create an alternate CC number that was good for only $75. If someone tried to use that CC number for fraud, it wouldn't work because I already used that amount. If I made it good for $80, then the fraudsters would only get the $5 that was left after my purchase. Meanwhile, my actual CC number would remain a secret.

The good thing about Credit cards is if somebody fraudulently uses your card than they usually will eat the loss that they endured from the fraudulent charges and not make you pay it back. I've saved tens of thousands of dollars opening claims on people using my cards before. But one time Discover refused to pay for something that I didn't do and instead forced me to pay for $300 mouse traps that you stick into the wall that I apparently ordered (I never did) but they also saved me a lot of money so I've never complained.

There was also a time where my Spotify account got hacked and they put a family plan onto my account for about 11 months before I actually noticed that I was being charged $6 extra every month. They refused to pay for the almost $100 extra that I got charged and I had to pay it back too and the hackers got free spotify premium for almost a year. But, that was mostly my fault when I noticed that I got hacked I should have looked at my statement for any new charges. They could have just went to town on my card. I also had a pretty insecure password on there. I have a strong one on there now and it hasn't been hacked since.

But for the most part, if they think someone else used your card, they'll pay for it. As for debit cards being insecure I actually have no idea. I've never used a debit card before just know of people who have (My sister mostly). I do have a checking account and my bank did send me a debit card but I've literally never activated it since like 2004. Lol.

But from what my sister has told me they're great to use. But the only problem is you have to watch what you're spending since it's coming out of your checking account and not just on a credit card that basically has no limit.

 

[Aldebaran]

The good thing about Credit cards is if somebody fraudulently uses your card than they usually will eat the loss that they endured from the fraudulent charges and not make you pay it back. I've saved tens of thousands of dollars opening claims on people using my cards before. But one time Discover refused to pay for something that I didn't do and instead forced me to pay for $300 mouse traps that you stick into the wall that I apparently ordered (I never did) but they also saved me a lot of money so I've never complained.

There was also a time where my Spotify account got hacked and they put a family plan onto my account for about 11 months before I actually noticed that I was being charged $6 extra every month. They refused to pay for the almost $100 extra that I got charged and I had to pay it back too and the hackers got free spotify premium for almost a year. But, that was mostly my fault when I noticed that I got hacked I should have looked at my statement for any new charges. They could have just went to town on my card. I also had a pretty insecure password on there. I have a strong one on there now and it hasn't been hacked since.

But for the most part, if they think someone else used your card, they'll pay for it. As for debit cards being insecure I actually have no idea. I've never used a debit card before just know of people who have (My sister mostly). I do have a checking account and my bank did send me a debit card but I've literally never activated it since like 2004. Lol.

But from what my sister has told me they're great to use. But the only problem is you have to watch what you're spending since it's coming out of your checking account and not just on a credit card that basically has no limit.

What I heard from Clark Howard (a financial expert who has a radio talk show) is that the bad thing about debit cards is that the fraud protection is only good if you report a fraudulent purchase within 2 days of it happening. Since bank statements are only issued once a month, it would be too late to notice it. Credit cards give you 30 days. Also, getting the money back that was taken from your checking account is nearly impossible. My debit card issued by my bank remains unactivated as well. I have a separate card that is an ATM-only card that I use at the ATM. I feel safe carrying that in my wallet since it can't be used without a PIN number if I were to lose it and someone else got it.

It sounds like you've had quite a few experiences with fraudsters and hackers! I've never had anything happen yet, but then I don't do much buying online at all. I keep it limited to whenever it's necessary. It's hard to believe the credit card companies can stay in business when ID theft and other fraud can happen so often.

 

[Neostarwcc]

What I heard from Clark Howard (a financial expert who has a radio talk show) is that the bad thing about debit cards is that the fraud protection is only good if you report a fraudulent purchase within 2 days of it happening. Since bank statements are only issued once a month, it would be too late to notice it. Credit cards give you 30 days. Also, getting the money back that was taken from your checking account is nearly impossible. My debit card issued by my bank remains unactivated as well. I have a separate card that is an ATM-only card that I use at the ATM. I feel safe carrying that in my wallet since it can't be used without a PIN number if I were to lose it and someone else got it.

It sounds like you've had quite a few experiences with fraudsters and hackers! I've never had anything happen yet, but then I don't do much buying online at all. I keep it limited to whenever it's necessary. It's hard to believe the credit card companies can stay in business when ID theft and other fraud can happen so often.

One thing you could do to avoid that is that most banks have online banking where you can check your balance and transactions pretty much live all from the comfort of your browser. Just like credit card companies all have online statements now. So if you use a debit card and it gets fraudulent things on it usually by the next day it'll post to your bank and you can call your bank and say "I didn't authorize this charge to my debit card" and they will look into it for you. Some banks won't charge you some banks will charge you up to 50 bucks like my bank does. That's why I don't even write checks anymore. I learned how to in school but, the only check I ever write is my rent payment to my parents and that's only because I don't like keeping cash around in my safe lol. I haven't written a check otherwise in almost ever especially in today's digital age where you can pay all of your bills online.

I have had my share of hackers, yes. But I also wasn't the most "legit" person in my life before I came to Christ either. I've done my share of scamming people too and stolen money from people too. Including my parents. Don't want to tell you the number and I also quite don't know just how much money I've stolen in my life. God will tell me when I have to one day answer for it on judgement day. But, it probably was a lot. So I guess you can say, I kinda deserved it. The good news is though that credit card companies have not made me pay for a majority of the transactions that were placed on my cards so there's that too.

I think the only reason I used to get hacked a lot was because my dad and I were also into piracy and inappropriate contentography a lot. So I'd go onto torrent and inappropriate content sites and pickup all kinds of malware ...etc that logged all of my computers info and whatnot. And when you make really insecure passwords on popular websites, hackers are bound to get into your account eventually. So the general rule of thumb is to always use secure passwords that you're going to remember and to not use the same password for everything you do.

You want to hear something really stupid though? I've had a 4 character password on my Yahoo Mail ever since 1996 almost. Never been hacked. But my friend's yahoo has on multiple occasions. I've recently changed it to a more secure password and linked it to my cell phone but, yeah. They never bothered to get into my e-mail which had all of my paypal and various other information in it. They just weren't all that smart lol.

 

[Aldebaran]

One thing you could do to avoid that is that most banks have online banking where you can check your balance and transactions pretty much live all from the comfort of your browser. Just like credit card companies all have online statements now. So if you use a debit card and it gets fraudulent things on it usually by the next day it'll post to your bank and you can call your bank and say "I didn't authorize this charge to my debit card" and they will look into it for you. Some banks won't charge you some banks will charge you up to 50 bucks like my bank does. That's why I don't even write checks anymore. I learned how to in school but, the only check I ever write is my rent payment to my parents and that's only because I don't like keeping cash around in my safe lol. I haven't written a check otherwise in almost ever especially in today's digital age where you can pay all of your bills online.

I have had my share of hackers, yes. But I also wasn't the most "legit" person in my life before I came to Christ either. I've done my share of scamming people too and stolen money from people too. Including my parents. Don't want to tell you the number and I also quite don't know just how much money I've stolen in my life. God will tell me when I have to one day answer for it on judgement day. But, it probably was a lot. So I guess you can say, I kinda deserved it. The good news is though that credit card companies have not made me pay for a majority of the transactions that were placed on my cards so there's that too.

I think the only reason I used to get hacked a lot was because my dad and I were also into piracy and inappropriate contentography a lot. So I'd go onto torrent and inappropriate content sites and pickup all kinds of malware ...etc that logged all of my computers info and whatnot. And when you make really insecure passwords on popular websites, hackers are bound to get into your account eventually. So the general rule of thumb is to always use secure passwords that you're going to remember and to not use the same password for everything you do.

You want to hear something really stupid though? I've had a 4 character password on my Yahoo Mail ever since 1996 almost. Never been hacked. But my friend's yahoo has on multiple occasions. I've recently changed it to a more secure password and linked it to my cell phone but, yeah. They never bothered to get into my e-mail which had all of my paypal and various other information in it. They just weren't all that smart lol.

I have online banking, but I only log into it once a month to pay bills. So much easier than writing a check, which I only do for 2 bills that would cost more to pay electronically each year--car registration and property tax.

I've been making it a point to change my email password (also Yahoo) every month since getting it hacked would be a major headache because of how many people and accounts are linked to it. I'm really surprised you've had so much luck with it. Yahoo has had a data breach in recent history.

 

[Neostarwcc]

I have online banking, but I only log into it once a month to pay bills. So much easier than writing a check, which I only do for 2 bills that would cost more to pay electronically each year--car registration and property tax.

I've been making it a point to change my email password (also Yahoo) every month since getting it hacked would be a major headache because of how many people and accounts are linked to it. I'm really surprised you've had so much luck with it. Yahoo has had a data breach in recent history.

Yeah I heard about that! I can't remember how many years ago it was but, I heard about that happening. My account was never affected. That or they used my e-mail without changing my password (which would be extremely smart of them. Might be the case considering all the times I've gotten hacked elsewhere.) I've even had my minecraft account hacked at least twice. Like... minecraft? Really? It's like a $20 game just buy the game! Lol.

But, I never changed my yahoo password literally ever until Yahoo was like "You haven't updated your password in over 20 years. We recommend that you change it and link your phone to it and I was like... fine!" XD

Also have had my WoW account hacked before a few times up until blizzard increased it's security and I bought an authenticator for my account. Which is basically this keychain thingy that blizzard invented to increase the security of your account. Every time you login to one of their games or to any of their services you have to put in a random number that the keychain thingy generates. It's really cool technology because it makes you wonder how their servers know what number is correct or not. I haven't been hacked in years since then even though the password on my account is pretty easy for a person or computer to guess. I might make a more secure password for it someday when I'm not lazy anymore though.

 

[Sparagmos]

I've been using my Bank of America credit card to make purchases online because their website gives the option of creating a Shopsafe number (an temporary alternate number that is connected to your credit card without revealing its real number). Now I'm being told that they are discontinuing this feature.

Is there another method of shopping online without revealing my actual credit card number?

Isn’t your credit card number always instantly encrypted? Most occasions of stolen credit card numbers are from using it somewhere in person.

 

[Neostarwcc]

Isn’t your credit card number always instantly encrypted? Most occasions of stolen credit card numbers are from using it somewhere in person.

Not 100% true. There is online fraud as well. There are companies out there (and people) that will steal your credit card information and use it for their own personal gain and sell it to others online. The thing to remember though is google is your friend 10/10 times if a company/person has bad hype on the internet it means they're a scammer.