Shopping online has been a thing since 1979, well, back then it wasn’t really what it is today, but it was an idea. Given how ideas grow, not long after, in 1994, the first online transaction was made and Amazon.com was launched the next year.
With such a steady growth of online purchasing compared to regular purchasing, people have started to wonder whether their payment methods are safe. Well, time has told of the reliability of various payment methods and here are the most reliable ones:
· Credit/debit card
Nothing beats your own personal credit or debit card. It is tied to your account and you are the only one who knows its CVV number. If anything is to happen, you can easily contact your bank and they can track whoever tried to use it, as well as freeze the account.
This method was used since the inception of online shopping and is still widely accepted as the safest and most reliable way of purchasing goods online. With the addition of new secure and encrypted connections, the SHA-2 standard, namely, credit and debit card transactions are even safer.
· Online payment systems
As online shopping was taking off, PayPal was invented, and branded as PayPal in 2002. It offered something new, an online payment system. This was different from being a bank as they do offer fractional-reserve banking. They do however offer everything else, from money transfer to storing money on your online account.
Shortly after PayPal, many new online services like Skrill and Payoneer popped up, each offering similar services, with smaller fees. You could also get a plastic card to go, a MasterCard, precisely. This card would allow you to make online payments where online systems are not accepted and use it like a regular card at ATMs and stores, in general.
· Mobile payments
People with postpaid mobile plans or even prepaid plans can use their phone number to make payments. You usually get an SMS which you can send to a specific number or just confirm your payment. The amount would be added to your postpaid plan and would arrive via the regular bill, inflating the price by the amount of what you purchased.
Given what you know about online payments now, any of these 3 methods will get you by safely and without so much as a worry or frown. Enjoy your online shopping.
