Is it safe to use your credit card online?

Due to my blogging and other online activities, friends and acquaintances often regarded me as knowledgeable when it comes to anything about the internet. They will often approach me with a question on how to do this and that, and on how an internet monster works. And most of the time, they will end up disappointed. Sure, I know a thing or two on how to blog and how to use the internet but I’m far from being an expert. I’m just like any other internet users who are often left in the dark when it comes to the latest in the cyberspace.

A friend once asked me if it is safe to use his credit card online and sure enough, I told him that it is quite safe. I should know as I’ve been paying my blogging bills using credit card.

Well, with all the things that you hear in the news, I can not blame why some people are apprehensive when using their credit card online. However, the fact is shopping with your credit card online is just as safe as using it in your favorite store inside a mall. You just need to be careful about where you shop and who you trust your credit card information with.

Another precaution is to make sure that you only use your credit card online on secure web sites. You can check the URL address to see if a site is secure, if it starts with https:// instead of http://, the site is secure.

As a matter of fact, even if your credit card information falls into the wrong hands, most credit card companies have safeguard and fraud protection policies which limit your liability for fraudulent charges. If you see that there charges that you didn’t authorize on your credit card statement, you can contact your credit card company and make the necessary disputes.

In the US, merchants, retailers or any other business entity that offers the convenience of credit cards as a form of payment are made to comply with the Payment Card Industry Standard or they should be PCI Compliant. Most of the merchants and online companies I know are MasterCard PCI compliant. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards are security standards created by credit card companies like Visa, Inc., MasterCard Worldwide, American Express, Discover Financial Services and JCB International to protect their cardholders from the growing number of incidents of security breaches and identity theft.

Okay, I admit that I am also apprehensive when using my credit card for my online purchases which I think is just normal. In fact, if I can help it, I will prefer to pay in cash. But whether we like it or not, paying credit card online is a convenient way to pay so we just have to take all the necessary precautions.