Chrome Making Online Shopping Safer

Shopping online can be tricky, especially when the chances of getting scammed are more. However, soon your online shopping experiences will be a lot safer now, thanks to the upcoming Google Chrome update regarding using virtual cards.

This update regarding the payment systems is perhaps one of the biggest announcements made by Google at the I/O 2022. Google also announced that it would let the users mask their physical cards with a virtual card while shopping online using Google Chrome.

The new payment feature will boost online users’ privacy by offering to autofill the details of their virtual card when added to the browser. This autofill feature can also fill in the 16-digit card number, 3-digit CVV, and expiry date of the card.

By doing this, the user’s actual card details will remain safe from scammers while ensuring the data isn’t stored on any online merchant’s databases, ultimately preventing the information from being stolen.

When adding your card details, Chrome will issue a prompt that asks if you prefer using the virtual card instead.

The Chrome Virtual Cards and Their Security

Google is working with multiple credit card platforms like Visa, American Express, Capital One, and Mastercard to launch this new system while keeping the virtual numbers the domain of the banks.

This is different for every bank provider. For example, if you are a Capital One member, you will receive a separate virtual card for every site. In contrast, if you are an AMEX or Visa member, you will be issued a single card for all sites with a different CVV every time.

Moreover, the CVV digits won’t require manual filling, as they will be filled dynamically every time. Furthermore, this new model will be available only in the US and later in other countries (fingers crossed).

According to Google, the virtual cards will be used more for one-time purchases, but can work for subscriptions too. As a user, you can access and manage your virtual card details on pay.google.com. You can also enable/disable your cards while viewing the virtual card’s number and recent transactions.