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Both citi and bankofamerica (and I believe so, but didn't personally use, Wells Fargo) offered this service for free on their CC accounts in mid to late 2000s.

Both citi and bankofamerica (and I believe so, but didn't personally use, Wells Fargo) offered this service for free on their CC accounts in mid to late 2000s. You could set limits per number, have it lock to just single merchant, etc. pretty nifty when paying some wacky merchant online. All have since shuttered the service because pretty much every CC comes with purchase protection that you can invoke to charge the vendor back in case of something going wrong. Virtual CCs provide very limited utility in my mind - because the place you're likely to have your CC swiped - a bar or a cab - are still going to use only the legacy plastic version.

zippergz 11y ago
BofA still offers it, but I don't use it because it requires Flash which I don't have installed in my browser. I just checked a few weeks ago, though, and it's still there.
matt_wulfeck 11y ago
I think it's incredibly useful: 1. Track down and audit exactly which company stole/leaked your CC 2. No need to update ALL payment methods any time your card is used fraudulently. 3. Set limits and purchases and save yourselves the headache of trying to charge back if you get some vendor who tacks on unexpected fees. Just to name a few.
xirdstl 11y ago
BOA still offers this, and I still use it in some cases online. It's useful for subscriptions that I think I might forget to cancel before they auto renew, and similarly, for free trials that I might forget to cancel.
ikeboy 11y ago
This is incorrect. I've used the citi offering recently. Abine.com also has such a service.
- JoblessWonder 11y ago
  Yeah, Citi for sure still offers this product. And I still use it for vendors I don't use regularly.
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legohead 11y ago
In the past year I've had to replace cards 3 or 4 times. Each time I am out of using that card for a week or two. Last time, they failed to send me the card, and made me wait the full 10 business days before I could even request it again.

zippergz 11y ago

BofA still offers it, but I don't use it because it requires Flash which I don't have installed in my browser. I just checked a few weeks ago, though, and it's still there.

matt_wulfeck 11y ago

I think it's incredibly useful: 1. Track down and audit exactly which company stole/leaked your CC 2. No need to update ALL payment methods any time your card is used fraudulently. 3. Set limits and purchases and save yourselves the headache of trying to charge back if you get some vendor who tacks on unexpected fees. Just to name a few.

xirdstl 11y ago

BOA still offers this, and I still use it in some cases online. It's useful for subscriptions that I think I might forget to cancel before they auto renew, and similarly, for free trials that I might forget to cancel.

ikeboy 11y ago

This is incorrect. I've used the citi offering recently. Abine.com also has such a service.

JoblessWonder 11y ago
Yeah, Citi for sure still offers this product. And I still use it for vendors I don't use regularly.

deleted 11y ago

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legohead 11y ago

In the past year I've had to replace cards 3 or 4 times. Each time I am out of using that card for a week or two. Last time, they failed to send me the card, and made me wait the full 10 business days before I could even request it again.