Which card to use online

bjbyorkshire

If buying from Amazon, Ebay or any online retailer which is the best type of card to use from a safety aspect - debit or credit card?

I know that if you use a credit card for buying goods you have some come back on your card company if the goods are not delivered or the company goes bust. Is this only if the purchases over £100?

I really don't like using my cards for online purchases but the best prices are to be had online.

Any thoughts on this.
Thanks

grumbler

MSE articles:

• Section 75 refunds
• Visa, Mastercard & Amex Chargeback

Chargeback is for both debit and credit cards, but there is no minimum cost.
S75 is for any item, not 'purchase', costing £100+.


So, a credit card generally offers better protection.

HappyMJ

bjbyorkshire wrote: »

If buying from Amazon, Ebay or any online retailer which is the best type of card to use from a safety aspect - debit or credit card?

I know that if you use a credit card for buying goods you have some come back on your card company if the goods are not delivered or the company goes bust. Is this only if the purchases over £100?

I really don't like using my cards for online purchases but the best prices are to be had online.

Any thoughts on this.
Thanks

I find PayPal by far the easiest to get a refund from so if the supplier uses PayPal I always use that as my first option. I've used PayPal's buyer protection to get a refund and it was a very easy process. The item I bought was a fake. You have 45 days in which to make a claim through PayPal. It takes about 7 days to get a refund if all goes well.

My second option is a credit card if the fee for using the credit card is reasonable.

My third option is my debit card.

You've got 120 days in which to make a chargeback claim. It seems to take about 30 days to get the money back.

bjbyorkshire

Thanks for both helpful replies.

bjbyorkshire

thanks, I was more concerned about someone taking extra payments from my card in the future, I'm just a bit wary about giving any card details online.

grumbler

In this case £100 is absolutely irrelevant.
The card provider must refund all unauthorised transactions, big or small.

Mr_Goodkat

I prefer to use American Express provided by American Express wherever possible as they provide a number of protections above and beyond what a number of other credit card providers. American Express also have a policy of removing any transaction you dispute immediately whilst it is investigated and their customer service I have found to be very good.


If the online retailer will not accept Amex then I will use another credit card as s75 is good protection to have on purchases over £100 and whilst chargebacks are possible on debit cards I would prefer the fraud/dispute to the be the banks money rather than my own.


It's a bit easier to take a position with a credit card company that this is fraud / disputed transaction so I am not paying it rather than I have paid the money out of my bank account please give it me back.

jimjames

I'd say definitely a credit card. Seeing the posts here where transactions have reduced the available balance in someone's current account from debit card use would make me think twice before using that method. Credit card also gives you time to identify any suspicious transactions before it hits the money in your pocket.

Vortigern

bjbyorkshire wrote: »

thanks, I was more concerned about someone taking extra payments from my card in the future, I'm just a bit wary about giving any card details online.

You could buy Amazon gift cards and use them to top up your Amazon account. Your potential loss is limited to the unspent amount in your account.

If you buy the cards from Morrisons they'll give you a voucher for 1p per litre off fuel for every £10 you spend on gift cards.

And if you buy them using a TSB Classic Plus contactless debit card you'll get 5% cashback.

CoastalWarrior

Credit card. But I wouldn't have any fears about online shopping as long as you're doing it at well known sites and can spot a scam easily enough.

Kim_13

I use a credit card. It's one with a low limit, so if the worst happened it helps to limit the loss. Sometimes they do hold twice the amount so it's better that they hold the card company's money rather than the money in my bank account, until it sorts itself out.