could you buy a gift card, use it, then go to a store and use up the remainder on a random purchase? Carey
On 01/28/2026 2:51 PM CST Giles Orr via Talk <talk@lists.gtalug.org> wrote:
My apologies, this is not a Linux question. But this crowd is fairly security- and technology-oriented, so it seems like the right place to ask.
I'd like to make purchases online with one-time-use credit card numbers (think how nice this would be with dubious websites that have something you really want: their bad security won't ruin your credit rating days or years later). This idea has been around since at least the early 2000s, but it's inconvenient - and as the Dead Kennedys said, give me convenience or give me death! But I'm willing to give up some convenience in the name of security.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_payment_number
The idea is that you generate a new credit card number for each purchase, or perhaps each vendor (which can't be used by anyone else - locked to the vendor). And/or put a credit cap on each number. The inconvenience is that they're short-lived and you have to generate new ones frequently. Which is also going to cause overhead for the bank, who will charge you more.
What I'm learning is that A) inconvenience and cost makes them undesirable so they're not common, and B) there aren't many in Canada. Most recently, a bank employee has pointed out that RBC does have a Virtual Debit Card ( https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/banking-services/virtual-visa-debit/index.html ) - but what I immediately noticed is that this seems to be managed through a phone app. I really don't want more personal data concentrated in my phone. Yes, I get why it's on the phone for in-store purchases, but my use-case is actually online and I'd prefer to manage it through their website or at worst a plugin. <sigh>
According to a four year old Reddit thread, both Koho and Neo offer VCCs in Canada, although it doesn't sound like either is particularly well-loved. And I would prefer (if only by a small margin) to go with a bricks-and-mortar Canadian bank.
Does anyone have experience with any Canadian virtual credit or debit cards? Any suggestions welcome.
-- Giles https://www.gilesorr.com/ gilesorr@gmail.com ------------------------------------ Description: GTALUG Talk Unsubscribe via Talk-unsubscribe@lists.gtalug.org Start a new thread: talk@lists.gtalug.org This message archived at https://lists.gtalug.org/archives/list/talk@lists.gtalug.org/message/DCYHUEU...