HOW TO REDUCE THE RISK OF MAKING ONLINE PAYMENTS/SUBSCRIPTIONS WITH DEBIT/ATM CARDS.

It happens sometimes that we are afraid to make online payments via e-commerce platforms, especially when we are so dependent on the product/service.

Yes! Yes!

You may not have made online payments for a product/service you are interested in, but you might be looking to get a free subscription, a course, or software. Your card details may be needed in order to do that.

How do you feel as a Nigerian when asked to fulfill such a requirement? What is the first thing you think of when you are asked for such a requirement?

Online scam! Right?

While there may be some well-trusted e-commerce sites that have defended their brands over the years, many others are springing up daily and as such, one must exercise caution and stay alert because cyber theft is on the increase.

And those cybercriminals/fraudsters are not smiling at all; they’re always reinforcing their strategies and that’s why things must never be taken for granted while doing your online transactions.

How about unexpected debit alerts from your bank accounts? Have you ever experienced that before? This one can be so true especially when you sign up for a free 14-day trial or thereabout, and you forget to cancel the subscription on or before the expiry date.

O my! That’s what we call ONE CHANCE, right?

Now, if you’re the type of person that loves trying as many free online softwares or courses, you should be asking yourself these questions:

1) Do I really need this offer? Will it really be worth the trial?

2) Will I remember to cancel my subscription after the free trial ends? (Of course, you should know the answer already if your subscription is not cancelled).

3) What if I don’t get to remember all the websites where I put in my card details for freebies?

4) How secured will my card details be on these sites I have used for online transactions?

If your answers to questions 1 and 2 are in the affirmative, how about question 4? Is there any guarantee that your card details will be kept secured?

This is what you can never really tell because there may be a breach of trust in the nearest future which may affect you later on when you must have forgotten about the whole stuff.

It even becomes worse if for question 3 above, your answer is in the negative.

But here’s one good news for you today…

What if I tell you that you can now make payments freely without having to use your personal debit card (generally known as ATM card)?

Do you know that you can now subscribe or make online payments on any site without receiving surprising debit alerts even when you’ve forgotten all about it?

How about those fraudsters on the prowl? Do you also know that you can now keep them at bay?

THE GOODNEWS is this…

YOU CAN NOW MAKE ONLINE PAYMENTS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS WITHOUT USING YOUR PERSONAL DEBIT/ATM CARDS.

It may interest you to know that there are currently some online platforms that now allow you to create several virtual cards for your online transactions (both in dollars and Naira). I was so amazed when I first heard this; interesting, right?

So, what’s this VIRTUAL CARD all about and how does it work?

A virtual card is either a credit or a debit card number through which you can make borderless payments online.

It can be created via a website or a mobile app but unlike Paypal or Payoneer cards which you can get physically once you order for one, virtual cards cannot be gotten physically.

As the word implies, it is simply ‘virtual’.

However, these cards apply a layer of protection between your funding source and the platforms for online payments and the good thing about it is that these cards can be used just anywhere and everywhere.

Once you’re ready to do anything that has to do with your card details online for payments or subscriptions, all you need to do is to transfer the exact amount of money required (on the payment platform) from your bank account to your virtual debit card.

When once that transaction has been successfully completed, the card becomes empty thus, you stand no risk of losing any extra cash from your bank whether through fraudsters or recurring debit transactions.

That’s just one advantage of using virtual cards.

Another advantage is that you can decide to have as many virtual cards as you wish to ( for different purposes on the different platforms where you buy the most).

For example, you can have one dedicated for use on Facebook, another for Instagram, Udemy, Instagram, Jumia and so on.

Thanks for reading to this point. You can now create a free virtual debit card for yourself (I personally recommended Barter debit cards).

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