Virtual Credit Cards

Online shopping can be a bit tricky, especially when the chances of getting scammed are increasing by the day. Luckily, thanks to a new Google Chrome update for Virtual Credit Cards, online shopping will become a lot safer. This update could be considered one of the biggest announcements made by Google at the I/O 2022. Google claimed that it would let users mask their physical cards with a virtual card while shopping online with Google Chrome.

By masking a credit card’s real information, the extension helps boost a user’s online privacy. The virtual credit card information can also be autofilled with its card number, CVV and expiration date.
This allows the user’s actual card details to remain safe from scammers while ensuring the data is not stored on any online merchant’s site, ultimately preventing the information from being stolen.

Google is working with various credit card networks like AMEX, Visa, Capital One, and Mastercard to launch this new system, while keeping the virtual numbers the domain of the actual banks. Meaning, depending on which bank and card you have will determine your virtual card experience. For example, if you are a Capital One member, you will receive a separate virtual card for every site. However, if you are a Visa or America Express member, you will be issued a single card for all sites with a different CVV every time.

According to Google, the virtual cards will be used more for one-time purchases, but can work for subscriptions as well. As a user, you can access and manage your virtual card details on pay.google.com. You will also have the ability to enable and disable your cards while viewing the virtual card’s number and recent transactions. This new method of payment will currently only be available in the US, but hopefully in other countries later on.