Online Payment Methods: The Basics

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The Internet is increasingly becoming the market where everyone wants to be. People, stores, brands and even banks, all of them can be found with a few clicks, with the very important convenience of not having to leave our home.

The payment methods used on the Internet makes electronic commerce even simpler. And the numbers help to show just how habits are changing in terms purchases: Voucherbox developed a neat tool which analyzes real time consumption in the United Kingdom, which shows that, in just a couple of minutes, thousands and thousands of dollars are spent shopping online.

If you want to dive into online shopping but have doubts related to the most used payment methods, keep reading and, hopefully, those doubts will vanish.

Credit card

Credit card is the most used way to pay for goods and services on the Internet, but usually only available to (legally) adult people.

To shop online with a credit card, only three things are necessary: the card’s number, its expiration date and the security code. Still, it is important to remember that you should only use this payment method on sites that emphasize security, since the card data can be stolen by hackers. Pay attention to this very important point!

Payment with a credit card means that the purchase is paid at that time, but the money will only leave the owner’s account some days later – that is exactly why it is called “credit card”, because it gives credit, i.e., advances money. For this reason it is necessary to know the card’s conditions, like rates of interest and so on.

Paypal

Paypal is probably the most used service for online payments in the world, if we do not count credit cards. It is present in about 190 countries, covers 24 currencies and the number of users is over 200 million. Its mode of operation is easy, since it was specially designed to be used online.

To use Paypal you have to register on the site with your personal data and associate a debit or credit card to your account. Then, upon payment of your online purchase, just choose to pay with Paypal – the service does the rest. Check the website to learn more about fees and other regulations.

paysafecard

Paysafecard is a payment method that allows you to make purchases over the internet without the need for a bank account or a credit card. To get this prepaid card you must go to a (physical) store, in which you can buy codes to use later on, with online shopping.

This method can used in more than 2500 online stores, with a maximum spending cap, and it can be used entirely for free for a whole year. After this deadline, users are charged with a monthly fee in order to keep using paysafecard.

After learning a bit more about three of the most used methods to shop online, be sure to keep your security levels as high as possible. Hackers are always on the lookout, trying to steal shoppers’ personal and banking informations for their own personal gain.

Diogo Costa

24 y/o, born and living in Portugal. Majored in Biology, but tech and computers were always a passion. Wrote for sites like Windows.Appstorm and MakeTechEasier.