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How to Pay for an Online Purchase With a Credit Card

In our age of Internet, global communications, and electronic money, online payments have become very popular. No doubt, credit cards are a great convenience, no matter if you want to book a hotel room, rent a car or buy something from E-bay while sitting comfortably in front of your computer. You will have to follow very much the same steps in order to complete your credit card payment.

Step 1 – Take a Look at the Website

First and foremost, make sure that the website you shop on is secure. Secure websites usually start with “http” in the address bar and there is a yellow padlock in the top right corner of the screen.

Step 2 – Fill in Your Details

Enter your name, email address, billing address (i.e. the address on which you receive your credit card statements) and the address where you want your purchase to be shipped. In some cases, the shipment address may be different from the billing address. Double check the data you have filled. Some websites have a ‘preview’ option.

Step 3 – Enter Your Credit Card Details

Enter your credit card information such as the type of your credit card, its term of expiry, the credit card’s number and the card’s verification number (the last three digits at the back of your credit card). Confirm your purchase.

Step 4 – Wait for Email Notification

Once you confirm your online purchase you will receive an email notifying that the credit card payment was processed successfully. Alternatively, the email will inform you that the payment has failed and your card has not been charged. Bear in mind that some online shops do not accept credit card payments from particular countries. At the same time, there are credit cards that cannot be used to make online purchases. Before shopping online, you may consider calling your credit card issuer and discuss these questions with him.

Step 5 – Check for Hidden Fees and Charges

After completing the purchase process, you can check your credit card activity online, making sure that the purchase has been carried out though your credit card. Look for any hidden charges or fees. If you discover such, you may dispute the charges or file a request to cancel the online purchase. You may use a software program which screens though all online transactions automatically. Alternatively, you may manually check online transactions for possible fraud.

Safety Tips

It is a good idea to keep in mind that credit card fraud is still a frequent crime. Credit card processing services employ tight security measures to guarantee the safety of their online transactions. Yet, criminals still manage to sneak in and take advantage of the tinniest cracks in their systems. In order to keep your credit card payments safe and secure, you should not submit or give your credit card number to anyone in an email message or over the phone.

Always use your personal computer or laptop when you shop online. Shopping at your office or in some internet café is a risky option. The reason is that spyware software is used in half of the credit card theft cases. Spyware programs collect information about you, your browsing habits, and the programs that you use. When the software collects your financial and personal information, it is either resold to other criminals or used to impersonate you. Make sure that you have an anti-spyware program installed on your computer. Install a firewall and an antivirus program on your computer. Use complex passwords and never open emails from unknown senders. Finally, it is best to download programs only from trusted websites. Remember that preventing credit card fraud is your own responsibility.