Given the high number of data breaches where a merchant loses voluminous quantities of customer’s credit card numbers, what should you do?
- Don’t buy anything?
- Worry all the time?
- Get help from technology?
Virtual credit cards are available from CITI and Bank of America.
- Tied to your normal credit card account, but use a different number.
- Usable only by the first merchant to charge to it.
- Good only for a period of time that you choose.
- Good only for an amount of money that you choose.
This capability is tremendously useful for shopping on the Internet. If virtual credit card numbers are sitting in a database and get stolen–I don’t care. If I sign up for a short term service and forget to cancel–the card automatically expires. If I have to give a credit card which “will not be charged to”–I can limit it to $1. If I’m only “pretty sure” of an Internet store–my real credit card number is not at risk.
The case against virtual credit card numbers is amazingly whiny and off base:
- Verifying transactions is such a bother: How, exactly, would anything be different from your normal verification of monthly charges?
- Returns are so, like, hard: Uh, no, you just return them normally.
- Charges can go through after number expires: The one surprising kernel of useful information is that an unscrupulous merchant could charge the number. When you catch it on your statement you immediately win the dispute–no charge.
- Only work online: So, it “only” protects me when my information is most vulnerable?
- No additional liability: Huh? Why would I need more than the $50 liability if I don’t report the card stolen and $0 if I do report it stolen before it’s used?
- Not always convenient: Neither is my car–get rid of it. Neither is my bike–get rid of it. Neither is unlocking my front door–get rid of it.