In 2020, France will have more than 40 million online shoppers, 16.3 million more than in 2019! These figures are constantly increasing, especially since the new health situation that has slowed down the outings in physical stores. As a result, more and more French people are shopping on the net, and therefore paying online. So, are you afraid of the risks of fraud and piracy? Discover all our advice to ensure secure payments on the Internet!
What is the safest way to pay on the Internet?
Are you reluctant to make card payments on the Internet for fear of having your credit card numbers hacked? This is indeed one of the main risks of online shopping. The first thing to do to proceed serenely to its payments by card is to choose secure solutions such as:
- Virtual cards ;
- Prepaid cards;
- Paypal service.
These three solutions are indeed among the safest online payment methods.
Paying with Paypal
The famous online payment system Paypal is ideal for secure payments on the Internet. It allows you to pay your purchases on the web without having to give your credit card numbers. Paypal makes the link between your bank account and the merchant site, preventing the latter from having access to your information! Each transaction is fully secured and the use of Paypal is free. To be able to pay with Paypal, it is however necessary that the merchant site proposes this solution, which is not always the case.
Paying online with a rechargeable payment card
Also known as a prepaid card, the rechargeable payment card allows you to make your online purchases while greatly limiting the risks of piracy. How can you do this? Simply because this type of card is not linked to any bank account and is limited by a maximum balance. You choose the amount of money you want to put on your card, by recharging it via bank transfer or recharge coupon! The risk of theft is therefore limited to the amount previously loaded on the card, allowing you to make secure payments on the Internet.
Use a virtual card
Another very useful option for secure online purchases: the virtual card, or e-Card. It is now offered by most banks, sometimes for free or at low cost. The virtual card is in fact a software that saves you from having to enter your bank card numbers to pay on the net. At the time of payment, you select the corresponding option and the e-carte bleue software opens to provide you with a card number, a validity date and a single-use cryptogram.
How to make online purchases without a credit card?
By choosing a secure payment method for your online transactions, you greatly limit the risk of bank data theft. But it is also important to avoid scams and to avoid the risks of fraud. To do this, choose the sites on which you make your purchases carefully.
Check the authority of the website
Before making any online purchases, make sure that the site in question is reliable. To do this, you can start by checking:
- The presence of legal notices (contact information of the site owner);
- The presence of the GTC (general sales terms).
This information is generally present in the footer of the page and is mandatory for French e-commerce sites.
We also advise you to favour merchant sites based in France or in the European Union. This will allow you to benefit from the European protection in case of litigation.
Ensure HTTPS security
For secure payments on the Internet, it is also important to ensure the internal security of the merchant site. Sites with a URL starting with “https” and a small padlock in front of it are safe. If the site in question simply begins with “http”, it is not protected against hacking. Therefore: run away!
Beware of low prices
Excessive promotions and overly attractive offers should also alert you to the reliability of a site. If an offer seems suspicious, take the time to compare prices with other authority sites, read reviews and consumer ratings. You can also type the query “[website name] scam” into your search engine to check for testimonials on possible fraud.
By opting for safe payment methods and by ensuring the reliability of the site on which you make your purchases, you put all the chances on your side to make secure payments on the Internet. The use of a VPN (which makes you untraceable on the net) and the double security with your bank (validation of the payment thanks to a code received by text message) increase even more your online security. We also advise you not to save your card details, an option sometimes offered by browsers.
