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I am from India and recently moved to France. In India while making any online transaction one need the information on the debit card and ATM pin number or need a password given by the bank exclusively for online transactions without which one cannot proceed further in payment.

I moved to France recently, took a bank account and they issued me a mastercard. I wanted to buy a book from Amazon France, found it and ordered it. The final step was to pay using mastercard and all I have to do is to type in the Name, card number, date of expiry and CVV. There was absolutely no secure internet gateway to the bank website asking PIN. This absolutely startled me due to the following concerns.

  1. If I lose the card and the person found it can easily make a transaction.
  2. The online merchants can fraudulently use my card information.

This was not a concern in India since I need a password which in most cases is not accessible in case of a loss of the card.

  1. Is it normal for online transactions?
  2. What if I lose the card? Does this mean someone who get it can constantly make purchases until I ask my bank to block the card?
Sathyam
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1 Answers1

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If I lose the card and the person found it can easily make a transaction.

Yes

The online merchants can fraudulently use my card information.

Yes

Is it normal for online transactions?

Yes, in most of the Western world it works as you described for France.

What if I lose the card? Does this mean someone who get it can constantly make purchases until I ask my bank to block the card?

Don't lose your card. Generally, you are not responsible for fraudulent transactions. Check with your French bank on the recovery procedures. However, it is much easier to use credit card and not debit card, since the recovery is much more streamlined. You may even have a credit card in your hand right now, and not a debit card, as in many countries that's what banks give you (credit card or ATM card, no debit cards). Not sure about France specifically.

Some card issuers participate in "Verified By Visa" (and/or similar Mastercard functionality), which works similarly to what you described about India.

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littleadv
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  • Its written mastercard and nothing else (debit/credit). I am not sure if it is credit or debit. I am new here and the language is a bit of a problem. – Sathyam Dec 14 '15 at 16:39
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    Mainly, a "Debit" card takes money from your bank account. A "Credit" card doesn't; you have to pay it off every month or be charged interest (technically, a credit card is a kind of revolving loan). – Joe Dec 14 '15 at 16:40
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    Does it get charged on your bank account immediately or once a month? – littleadv Dec 14 '15 at 16:40
  • @littleadv I can take money from ATM. I am a student and the my the stipend comes directly to my account. I am not sure what you meant by charged. Apologies for being a complete nescient. Its pretty much my first online transaction here. – Sathyam Dec 14 '15 at 16:43
  • @Sathyam when you made the amazon transaction - when was the money taken from your bank account? Same/next day, or at one specific day the bank pays off your card debt? – littleadv Dec 14 '15 at 16:47
  • @littleadv I guess I will have to check the ATM, print last transactions may be (I did the online transaction today). I don't know how to check that online. To make things worse the bank website is all in french and I could't find an English version. I will be back with the information. – Sathyam Dec 14 '15 at 16:51
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    You're in France. Get ready to not being understood unless you speak French. Good luck :-) – littleadv Dec 14 '15 at 16:53
  • @littleadv On printing the transactions from ATM, it doesn't seem to show the online transaction I made today. Haven't really put much thought on how French could play a decisive role my monetary life :). Thanks for helping out. – Sathyam Dec 14 '15 at 17:28
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    It may be that any fraudulent purchases will only be shipped to the address on the MasterCard... – DJohnM Dec 14 '15 at 18:27
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    In the U.S., vendors can bill your card knowing as little as just your card number. Vendors MAY collect additional information, such as the card holder's name, CVV, and postal code. In general, the more information they give the credit card company, the less they have to pay in service charges. Because the bank has to make up the loss for fraudulent charges, and the less information they have, the less they can be sure the charge is legitimate. – Jay Dec 14 '15 at 20:17
  • In France there is almost only debit card. We wrongly call it "Carte de crédit" but it's always a debit card. If you loose your card, call your bank ASAP and you should be reimbursed for any fraudulent use – Stéphane Piette Dec 16 '15 at 10:50