Say what a virtual card number is
Buy from a store you do not know without handing over your real card number.
A virtual card number is a stand-in that spends from your real card. The store never sees the real one.
Switch a virtual number off and it stops working. The card in your purse carries on.
Key points
- A virtual card number spends from your real card without showing it
- Turning one off costs nothing and replaces no card
What to remember
- One store, one number, switched off when you are done.
- Canceling a virtual number takes one press.
Try this
Look in your bank app for Virtual card or Card numbers. Not every bank has them.
Practice: Say what a virtual card number is. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.