When buying on the Web use one time credit cards

[jerrymeola]

Most credit card companies offer to issue one time use credit card numbers for purchases on the Web to limit the danger of the card number being stolen. I strongly recommend anyone not send their main card number in emails or any non-secure site (displayed as https rather than http).

[BillC]

Hi Jerry, When I read your post I thought ' great idea '. Then I called up my paypal account and discovered paypal were offering a virtual debit card. After some time I found the following item after my question :

How do I download and install PayPal Virtual Debit Card? Question : Answer : Follow these steps to download and install PayPal Virtual Debit Card.


Log in to your account.
Click Profile.
Click the PayPal Virtual Debit Card link in the Financial Information column.
Click the Download link and follow the steps.
Once you download PayPal Virtual Debit Card, a demo will automatically play that will walk you through the process of completing a transaction.

Here is the Financial Information column in my profile :
Financial Information
Credit cards
Bank Accounts
Currency Balances
Gift Vouchers
Payment Agreements
There is no link for Virtual Debit card!! Posted this in case other members may try to get virtual card from paypal. If someone is successful please post in this thread. Bill

[Sharyn]

Good lesson for everyone, Jerry. Never send your credit card info by e-mail. Not sure what you mean by one-time credit card. I usually just look for the https:/ in the address section and/or the "lock" to verify that the site is secure. Most often, I stick to ordering from known and reliable merchants that I have done business with in the past. I'm always dubious in ordering from a new merchant.

BillC: I have a PayPal account. I'm not sure what the virtual debit card is, but I was under the understanding that paying by your PayPal account protects your credit card & banking information from being shared with the merchant - that is, only PayPal has the info. Please correct if I'm wrong. I don't want my stuff out there either!

[BillC]

Hi Sharyn, I hope the following item will give you some idea of what the virtual debit card is :



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What is PayPal Virtual Debit Card?


You can use PayPal Virtual Debit Card when making online purchases anywhere MasterCard is accepted. PayPal Virtual Debit Card generates a virtual card number each time you make a transaction online so you don't have to use your personal debit or credit card number. To find out if you qualify for all features of PayPal Virtual Debit Card, including virtual card numbers, review the PayPal Virtual Debit Card Checklist.

[butt0n]

PayPal is awesome and very easy to use. I try to buy things from vendors who accept it as payment, or use it to make a credit card purchase too.