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Verified by Visa - An Extra Layer of Security

1 August 2011 by CreditCardsCo™


Credit cards and websites don't always mix when it comes to trying to safeguard your personal information and avoid ID theft. An extra password on the account will help vendors know that you are the one authorizing the charges for online purchases.

Shopping online is a great way to get things done. There are no lines and best of all, your product is always on the shelf. Some of the downsides, however, are that there aren't a lot of safeguards. If your card is stolen, many people can purchase products online pretending to be you. There are also ways for people to get your personal information off of these sites. More protection is needed for credit cards.

Visa has met this need with Verified by Visa. It's a way of being able to shop online without worrying that your credit card information has been compromised. It will also ensure that no one else can purchase with your card if you're not aware of it.

How to Get Verified

Registering for Verified by Visa is very simple. Whichever issuer you have your Visa, visit their website and sign in. You'll see the Verified by Visa logo. Clicking on that will walk you through the registration process. You'll create another password for your card. This is similar to a pin number for bank debit cards. The password will be something unique to you so that it won't be easy for someone to guess.

If you haven't registered, there are some sites that will allow you to activate it before you check out. It will prompt you to create a password for your account right then and there, assuming that the bank that issued your Visa offers the option.

Register every Visa card you have, regardless of how many you have. The more cards you register for this safeguard, the safer your cards and your personal information are. If you have Visa cards from multiple banks, you'll need to visit each website. It may take a few minutes on each site to accomplish the registration, but it's a few minutes that will keep you safer.

How Does It Work?

You can go to a website that offers Verified by Visa. You'll do all of your shopping as usual, loading up your shopping cart. Once you're ready to check out, you'll enter your credit card information. The site will then prompt you for your password. As long as your password matches your credit card numbers, your purchase will go through.

If you forgot your password, it's no big deal. When you set up your account, you'll have answered some personal questions in the event that you need a password reset. Answer those, and you're on your way again.

If, however, you are someone looking to scam someone else with their card, you'll fail. You'd hit a major hurdle upon being asked for a password — something that you can't duplicate no matter how hard you try. That means Verified by Visa has done their job.

Shopping Easily

Shopping has never been so easy. You'll be able to shop and know that you are keeping your personal information to yourself. Imagine going on vacation and making a charge, only to find your card has no available balance because your account was compromised! There's no reason to deal with fraudulent charges if you don't have to. If you sign up for Verified by Visa, you'll have to give a secondary password before a transaction will go through.

You'll be able to check on the Visa site to see what merchants currently have this safeguard available. It will allow you to shop carefree so that you can buy what you want without your account being taken advantage of. Unfortunately, there are problems with fraud online. Phishing sites and people are getting smart in order to get their hands on your account information. One thing they won't be able to get, however, is that extra password. Companies are trying to protect their consumers, which is why many vendors are adding Verified by Visa every day.

Final Word

Visa always has a prevention for fraudulent charges. Just because you won't be charged for fraudulent charges doesn't mean that you even want them there to begin with. It's an invasion of privacy. With the Verified by Visa password, it's worry-free shopping online.

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