One-time use credit card number?

Inigo_Montoya

I agree with Buzby - they are very useful & certainly not just for the so called 'paranoid & reckless'

For example there have been plenty of companies/websites where i have taken advantage of an introductory offer which asks you for a credit card number so that the company can take a recurring payment if you do not cancel the subscription after the trial period finishes

Using a virtual card is ideal in these situations because if you have trouble cancelling the subscription eg the company is hard/impossible to contact or they 'forget' to perform the cancellation then you know you will not have the hassle of having to deal with potentially multiple chargebacks which the company might try to dispute

Also there are plenty of smaller websites of not very well known companies that I have used for one off purchases that require a credit card number & a virtual card is again an ideal solution to avoid exposing your physical cards details to an e-tailer that could, for example, not have very good internet security

bert&ernie

Buzby wrote: »

'Very little use'? Do tell me how you reach your conclusion. You are seriously mistaken in your assertion that card refunds are fully idemnifiable. These forums are full of complaints of supposedly 'reputable' firms taking payments without the knowledge OR agreement of their customers.

A bank will not refund a Debit card payment simply because the cardholder objects. Their reasoning is that the customer provided the numbers required (and CVV) so they decline to be involved and suggest the merchant be asked.

Strangely, I never used it to purchase adult content - but it sure prevented software firms from taking recurring payments (anyone remember JFAX?). Or car hire firms taking 'damage' fees without agreement, simply because they can.

The consumer is now considerably disadvantaged by the loss - and I'm neither paranoid or reckless. I've better things to do with my life than monitor my cards for unapproved usage. This stopped it dead. And sadly, it has now become an ongoing task once more.

I didn't assert that "card refunds are fully indeminifiable", I said that the user is mostly indemnified against the risks that CPNs seek to control. Consumer law and card scheme rules oblige an issuer to refund transactions that haven't been authorised by the card user.

There are undoubtedly cases where the customer is not happy with the issuers response to a disputed transaction, but these complaints aren't evidence of a significant demand for CPN type products. In fact its quite difficult to market a product on this basis - "use our great new CPN solution so that you don't get screwed over by us in a dispute!"

I would suggest that you are in a small minority of people who find CPNs useful because of the profile of purchases you make (adult or not). I'll accept that you and a few others may be disadvantaged by the withdrawal of this service. Incidentally, as you clearly feel that you benefited from it, are you willing to pay for it?

Buzby

I was never given any opportunity to pay a premium for it - it was provided FoC to protect me from 'Internet abuse' and it did this effectively.

I don't use DD's for be same reason - I'm old enough to pay my bills on time without giving a creditor the opportunity to help themselves. I pay dearly for this choice - but at least I know the balance of my account with no surprises.

fireice

Are there any companies that offer this? For my requirements it doesn't have to be one use only but I'd like the ability to cancel a card number at any time.

pb3

fireice wrote: »

Are there any companies that offer this? For my requirements it doesn't have to be one use only but I'd like the ability to cancel a card number at any time.

Why not get a normal prepay card such as Tuxedo? If things go pear shaped you can simply stop the existing card and order a new one.

Granted there is a charge for new cards and it takes about a week, but if you start off the account with two cards, you can use the additional card while the first is replaced.

Despite having a number of mainstream cards, I use a prepay for situations where for whatever reason I have reservations about providing my CC details to the vendor. For instance I used it to top up my US based Voip account the other day.

I did look at 3V, who do short term disposable visa numbers, but there are a number of charges and you forfeit the balance of your voucher if there is no activity after 12 months :eek:. Tuxedo does have a dormancy fee but do not go as far as scoffing your remaining balance in this way.