Virtual Credit Cards: What Are They and Should You Use Them?

Trying to keep the bad guys from stealing your credit-card number? Consider using a virtual card for online or phone purchases.

Customers of credit-card companies such as Capital One, Citibank and American Express can generate a virtual-card number for an individual purchase when they are concerned about the security of using their permanent-card number. This free service uses regular credit-card accounts to generate unique numbers, card-verification codes and expiration dates.