Is paypal more secure than using a credit card?

[Brook2]

My credit card gets hacked too much and have to get a new ones. I wondered what is the most secure way to pay online. Do you think paypal is more secure than a credit card? If so, do you prefer linking it to a bank account, credit card, or keeping a balance in it? Also, if your PP was hacked, what was your experience with the customer service for dealing with it?

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Amazon does not take PayPal. I have a dedicated CC for online purchases with my credit union that can be replaced at the branch immediately it is cancelled so no downtime.

 

[audreyh1]

I generally use PayPal or ApplePay for online orders except for a few long-time trusted vendors (such as Amazon which has their own store card with 5% cash back). This is just to reduce how many may be keeping my CC info when they are not supposed to.

But if any of my CCs gets hacked, it’s no big deal because that’s quite easy to recover from. And I have a different set for online purchases than for everyday use.

My PayPal account only has two credit cards and no links to bank accounts etc. One CC gives me 3+% cash back on all online orders and PayPal charges generally qualify. The other is there because I occasionally order from an overseas vendor and this CC has no foreign transaction fees.

 

[Brook2]

Amazon does not take PayPal. I have a dedicated CC for online purchases with my credit union that can be replaced at the branch immediately it is cancelled so no downtime.

How is that different than any other credit card? Are you saying you have a special type of set up at the bank?

 

[ShokWaveRider]

How is that different than any other credit card? Are you saying you have a special type of set up at the bank?

With my other cards I have to wait till they are shipped to me. My Credit Union cuts the card while I wait.

 

[ncbill]

Amazon does not take PayPal. I have a dedicated CC for online purchases with my credit union that can be replaced at the branch immediately it is cancelled so no downtime.

Don't you use Amazon's store card for the 5% back on "sold by Amazon?"

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Don't you use Amazon's store card for the 5% back on "sold by Amazon?"

Nope. I do not need another CC.

 

[jazz4cash]

I’ve heard that it’s taking much longer than usual for replacement cards due to the chip shortage. My perception is that paypal is more secure since I do not have to provide my details to every vendor but I really don’t know. I have a checking account, paypal credit and a visa credit card linked. I keep almost nothing in the paypal deposit account but it receives refunds occasionally. I find all sites run by Synchrony to be s confusing mess. In the past I frequently used the 6 months no interest feature but now I prefer 2% cashback.

 

[audreyh1]

Don't you use Amazon's store card for the 5% back on "sold by Amazon?"

Boy I sure do! We purchase a large amount at Amazon. And Amazon is the only place that even has the card credentials.

 

[audreyh1]

I’ve heard that it’s taking much longer than usual for replacement cards due to the chip shortage. My perception is that paypal is more secure since I do not have to provide my details to every vendor but I really don’t know. I have a checking account, paypal credit and a visa credit card linked. I keep almost nothing in the paypal deposit account but it receives refunds occasionally. I find all sites run by Synchrony to be s confusing mess. In the past I frequently used the 6 months no interest feature but now I prefer 2% cashback.

I have way too many CCs. But this means I segregate their use. I only carry a few used in person for purchases. A few are dedicated to routine monthly bill pays and never used for purchases. Others are used only for online purchases. Some are only used for international travel or overseas online orders. And I can switch out easily temporarily if I have to wait for a replacement. A few cards have different numbers for each of us, so we still can use one while waiting for the other.

 

[Ian S]

My credit card gets hacked too much and have to get a new ones. I wondered what is the most secure way to pay online.

You might want to get a credit card that offers virtual card numbers. It takes one or two extra steps when ordering online but these virtual numbers can be for a single use only. Here is an article https://www.forbes.com/advisor/credit-cards/virtual-credit-card-numbers-guide/

I set up my Fidelity credit card to alert me when these is a charge over a certain amount and this works for any transaction whether online or not. It texts so fast that at least in a store the cashier doesn't even get time to hand me the receipt before I'm alerted!

 

[foxcreek9]

I don't worry about it, CCs have federal protection in terms of fraud. The CC company and vendor is ultimately responsible for fraudulent use. We have 32 different CCs, so there is always one to step in while we wait for the new card.

 

[Walt34]

You might want to get a credit card that offers virtual card numbers. It takes one or two extra steps when ordering online but these virtual numbers can be for a single use only. Here is an article https://www.forbes.com/advisor/credit-cards/virtual-credit-card-numbers-guide/

I'll second this. I use the ones from Capital One, and currently have about a dozen or so "virtual credit cards" stored online with various vendors (mostly hobby stuff). The key thing is, each one is only good at that particular vendor, such as Home Depot, and will be declined if an attempt is made to use them anywhere else. Further, if you want you can limit the amount on a particular virtual card to a specific amount and to a particular date or string of dates for a specific purchase, and it becomes invalid after that time.

 

[foxcreek9]

I'll second this. I use the ones from Capital One, and currently have about a dozen or so "virtual credit cards" stored online with various vendors (mostly hobby stuff). The key thing is, each one is only good at that particular vendor, such as Home Depot, and will be declined if an attempt is made to use them anywhere else. Further, if you want you can limit the amount on a particular virtual card to a specific amount and to a particular date or string of dates for a specific purchase, and it becomes invalid after that time.

Another good use, if you want to cancel a subscription that requires a phone call, use one of these virtual numbers on the account and then set the max to $1 so the subscription "bounces" at the next payment.

 

[jebmke]

Nope. I do not need another CC.

who is your card issuer? I've had AMEX since the 1980s and it has never had a fraudulent transaction. I wonder if some issuers are more vulnerable than others.

For in-store stuff I have shifted to Apple Pay where it is available. It is linked to my cards.

 

[ncbill]

Boy I sure do! We purchase a large amount at Amazon. And Amazon is the only place that even has the card credentials.

Same here.

And Amazon's card is more a store credit card...never used by us anywhere else.

There are better cash back cards for purchases on other online sites.

 

[CRLLS]

We have 3 cards, Amazon, Discover and Fidelity.

We use PayPal for almost everything we purchase online. It is linked to our Fido card where we get 2% back. Anything we buy on Amazon, naturally goes on the Amazon card. I have a small autopay setup on the Discover card just to keep it active. Don't have, nor ever used a debit card. If we have a large purchase of several thousand at Lowes or Home Depot and are offered a discount if we open up a charge account, we will open that account for the discount/rebate, then pay it off and cancel the account. We did the same thing when we purchased a new car last year.

 

[5Miler]

I have used PayPal for a very long time, tied only to my Visa card from BOA. A few years ago I returned from a 3 week vacation finding a number of fraudulent charges on my PayPal account. PayPal had sent me several emails about the charges which I didn't see for over two weeks as I had spotty internet service where I was vacationing.

It took less than an hour to clear it up and have all charges cancelled as the charges occurred in Texas while I live in Georgia. Didn't even mention I had been overseas during the time anyway. This support is the primary reason I try to pay for most online transactions via PayPal when possible. Amazon and my accounts at a few gun dealers being the main exceptions. Boys and their toys.

Last year I returned from a month in Bonaire and found someone used my USAA Visa to attempt a large purchase in California. They didn't have the security code so USAA was attempting to contact me about it. By the time I replied to USAA, they had already declined the charges. I found another small charge pending on the card when I searched my online account and cancelled it myself. I was going to cancel the card and have it reissued but USAA said probably not worth the effort as the security code appeared to still be protected. No further problems in a year now.

I only use that USAA Visa for automatic payments for utilities and at the grocery store. I used it on vacation last year to rent a truck for 4 weeks which is where I fear the breakdown occurred. It has no foreign transaction fees. I leave next week for Bonaire for 5 weeks and another rental on that card at the same place. It's almost like playing with fire sometimes.

 

[jazz4cash]

Same here.

And Amazon's card is more a store credit card...never used by us anywhere else.

There are better cash back cards for purchases on other online sites.

They have a store card as well as a Mastercard that can be used anywhere (with reduced cashback). That’s what I have but I don’t carry it and don’t use it except for Amazon.

 

[wallygator69]

Amazon does not take PayPal. I have a dedicated CC for online purchases with my credit union that can be replaced at the branch immediately it is cancelled so no downtime.

Amazon purchases thru Amazon affiliates (Amazon Marketplace I think) got my credit card number and had fraudulent charges.



I now buy a Amazon Gift Card and use it for all Amazon purchases so Affiliates don't see my CC number. I can refill it in less than 5 minutes. No issues since..


Wally

 

[Sue J]

I’ve heard that it’s taking much longer than usual for replacement cards due to the chip shortage.

I just had this happen. I needed to close a credit card for potential fraud. I was told the new cards would arrive in 5-7 business days. It was more like 3 weeks and they were sent via FedEx overnight rather than in the mail.

We mostly use PayPal for DH's ebay purchases. We have a couple of cards and bank accounts in the PayPal wallet. Never had an issue with anything PayPal.

We have a Chase card that offered 5% cash rewards for PayPal purchases Oct-Dec 2022. During that period we used the PayPal account for anything that offered it. Nice perk.

 

[PlayinwithFIRE]

Just randomly received a new set of cards because of a "security" issue according to the attached letter. So I called the CC company to understand if it was something I did.

"One of the vendors you use reported a hack"

Oh...can you tell me which one ...so I don't provide the new number to them ?

"No, sorry, we cannot give out that info"

Fehg.

 

[statsman]

More secure? Not sure about that. We only signed up for PayPal many years ago because that was the primary way to pay for eBay purchases (at one time, DW had a busy couple of years there).

The main reason I still use PayPal now is to make an online purchase from a website that would otherwise require us to create an account first before paying by credit card. That would be yet another place that had our credit card information. I also already have enough open online accounts that I can't close already, thank you very much!

 

[SnowballCamper]

I'm especially impressed with the fraud department at USAA because they are proactive in identifying suspect charges, usually before I notice them (and I check my account daily, since I only use one credit card for almost everything). The fraud protections using a credit card are very robust to me. If one were to use PayPal, your linking a bank account, credit card, or preloading it with cash, so either less protection or redundant with a credit card.

 

[Brook2]

Amazon purchases thru Amazon affiliates (Amazon Marketplace I think) got my credit card number and had fraudulent charges.



I now buy a Amazon Gift Card and use it for all Amazon purchases so Affiliates don't see my CC number. I can refill it in less than 5 minutes. No issues since..


Wally

How can you tell if you are buying from an affiliate?