How not to use your credit card online
By Maria Bekiaris
Entering your credit card details when shopping online is always a risk and it's easy to become complacent.
"We're becoming more and more trusting of the internet and its security measures, and while websites work hard to ensure customers' accounts remain safe, nothing is foolproof," says Bessie Hassan, money expert at finder.com.au.
Almost 75% of those who shop online automatically save their credit and debit card details when they make a purchase, according to a survey of 2026 people by comparison site finder.com.au.
Sure, it might be hard to remember your credit card details each time you want to shop online but there are other payment options that don't require this.
Paypal is probably the most popular one but MasterCard Masterpass and Visa Checkout are similar services which allow you to pay without entering your card details.
You just need to activate the service first and you can use it where you see the relevant logo at the checkout.
Hassan says you can also stay safe by taking simple measures such as regularly reviewing your bank accounts and credit card statements, reviewing the merchant's privacy policy and looking out for the padlock icon at the top of the URL address bar.
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