Fergie's Tech Blog

'Virtual' Credit Cards Are Worth Looking Into

George Gombossy writes in The Chicago Tribune:

In the battle against less than honorable businesses, consumers have a weapon that many of us have overlooked — the one-time use, or "virtual" credit cards.

John O'Leary of West Hartford brought these cards to my attention last month after reading my column about Dazzle White, the teeth-whitening company that has sucked in thousands of people by offering dirt-cheap samples on the Internet, but then charging $59 a month until customers figure out how to cancel the charges.

O'Leary said he has used his Citi virtual credit card for years for all Internet purchases, even from legitimate companies like Amazon.

With these cards, offered through at least Citi, Discover, Bank of America and Pay Pal, consumers can generate a new credit card number for each purchase or set specific spending limits, blocking companies like Dazzle White from putting additional charges on their credit cards.

posted by Fergie @ 7/26/2009 05:38:00 PM