Virtually Incognito

Be bold.  Be cheap.  Go incognito.

Part of maintaining wealth (or your attempt at accruing it) involves protecting it from thieves.  While most credit card companies are generally quick to respond to fraudulent charges by crediting your account within the calendar month they receive the affidavit highlighting specific false charges; the hassle, headache and panic of someone running around with your numbers is no picnic.

Rest assured. Virtual credit cards are here.  RecessionGirl has just experimented with two online purchases via the virtual credit card.  Dang.  It was so simple. And fun. Try it. You’ll like it.

Citibank has a nice system that takes you through James Bond style security prompts and then, complete with ‘Mission Impossible’ sound effects, punches up numbers on a one-use, temporary, virtual credit card.  You’ll have to generate digits for each online purchase, but it’s a small price to pay for a hackless online-shop.

Also, as far as I can tell, the virtual card numbers are very objectcentric.  Meaning it’s great for online tangibles you might purchase on ebay, itunes or amazon.  But if you’re seeking reservations for a vacation, renting a car etc., it seems there are some road-blocks installed to protect companies from getting the bait-and-switch.  Overall, the virtual card gets RecessionGirl’s two thumbs up. 

Be bold.  Be cheap.  Go incognito.