Summary
- Google Pay creates virtual card numbers for added security when making online purchases.
- Now, Citibank customers can virtualize their credit cards through Google Pay, keeping their physical card numbers safe.
- Despite the Google Pay app shutting down in the US, the payment service of the same name will continue to live on for users.
You can’t help but feel a little scared when you have to enter your credit card information when buying something online. You hear about big companies such as AT&T suffering a data breach and wonder if your information will ever be a part of one. Even Roku is reeling from a data breach that exposed user credentials. It’s good to hear that Google has added support for another virtual card to give users more options.
Roku is reeling from a data breach that exposed user credentials
This comes days after the company adjusted its TOS and forced users to agree or lose service
9to5Google spotted that Google Pay can now create a virtual number when adding your physical Citi credit card details. The virtual number Google creates has a different expiration date, and the CVC is filled out by Google Pay and/or Chrome Autofill at the time of transaction. This means your financial data will be hidden, so your information will be safe if the virtual number is ever compromised. Support for Capital One is available, with American Express being on the list since last year.
How to create a virtual card number on Google Pay
Source: Google
You can easily create a virtual card number on Chrome by going to More → Settings → Payments methods → Select a card → Virtual card. If you use the Google Wallet website instead, you must go to Payment methods → Select a card → Turn on. If you need more detailed instructions, Google has a dedicated page on how to use virtual card numbers. Google has also stated that it is working on future support for Visa and Mastercard. In the meantime, Google Wallet just added 32 new US banks to its support list, giving users comprehensive coverage.
More payment options on Google Wallet are always good news, especially since Google announced that the Google Pay app is shutting down in the US, though the payment service itself will continue to live on for purposes like these. Time will tell how things will work out for Google Wallet and whether users will prefer it over other payment services such as Samsung Pay. Regardless of your payment method, ensure that you keep track of your purchases and look out for suspicious buys.
