Using Credit Cards Safely Online

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 29th, 2010

Online transactions through credit cards cannot be avoided whether you are a seller or buyer, and can be usually done safely and confidently if certain simple rules are followed.

There are different methods of online payments. Online credit card payments are accepted by business enterprises when they sell online. The card issuer verifies the credit card information and deducts their commission and then makes the payment to the business enterprises. Payments are also made through PayPal service. Here money transfer is done between electronic accounts in addition to using a bank transfer or credit card and the funds could be transferred to an account. In this service there is protection for seller and buyers and instant payments can be made. Most card issuers or financial institutions provide their customers with an option of checking their fund transfer, account balances and payment bills online.

Take care not to enter a card number unless a padlock (A web browser containing a symbol indicating the use of an SSL connection for communicating with a valid site) is seen in the window?s frame and the address of the website should begin with https://. Beware to stay away from fake websites, though they may look real. Lot of online fraudsters tempt consumers through email to fake websites hoping that they would give away some secret information. So it is better not to give your Personal Identification Number (PIN) or passwords while responding to unsolicited emails. In case you make regular online transactions through internet, you could maintain a separate card account exclusively for transactions through the net. Credit cards offer better consumer protection in case there is anything wrong and also through a separate account you could monitor day to day transactions easily.

While making online payments you may come across an option to sign up schemes like ?verified by Visa? or ?Master Card Secure Code? for which you may have to use a password. By opting for such schemes you could prevent misuse of your card information by participating sites, because your password will be hidden from them. Check whether you are using the latest version of the popular browsers generally used like MS Internet Explorer or Firefox, else the safety options may not be always work by default in your computer. Finally, while you are shopping online ensure that you obtain a hard copy of terms and conditions of the retailer and hard copy of your order. Having the right information at hand can help the bank in taking up your case, in case any problem in an overseas transaction.