• Shop online securely with Visa

    Whatever you’re buying, shop online with confidence knowing that your payments are secure and you have protection with Visa.

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How we keep your payments safe

Visa uses the latest security and online card payment technology to help protect you from payment fraud. We want to keep your online payments quick, simple and secure at all times.  

Here are some of the ways Visa helps to secure your payments: 

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Real-Time Fraud Monitoring

Intelligence is our best defence. The moment a merchant processes your card, Visa goes to work preventing fraud. We scan thousands of transactions per second, looking for subtle spending pattern changes that could indicate fraud. If something’s off, we work alongside our partners to stop the transaction.

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Card Verification Value 2 (CVV2)

Ever wondered what that three-digit number on the back of your card means? Known as CVV2, it's an important security feature that confirms the card is in your physical possession when you order online or by phone. It’s just another layer of smart protection.

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Visa Secure

Visa Secure provides an additional layer of protection when shopping online at participating retailers. This service helps your card issuer confirm it’s really you making an online purchase, protecting your card against fraud and unauthorised use.

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Tokenisation

Our security technology replaces sensitive account information, like your 16-digit account number, with a unique digital token. It means you can make payments without exposing your actual account details, which could potentially be compromised.

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Zero Liability Policy

Our Zero Liability Policy¹ helps ensure you won't be left out of pocket or held responsible for any unauthorised payments made with your card or card details. You're protected if your Visa debit or credit card is lost, stolen or used fraudulently, both online and offline.

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Chargebacks

If you’ve used your Visa card to buy something online that isn’t what you expected, or hasn’t turned up at all, you may be able to get your money back through a chargeback.

¹Visa’s Zero Liability policy does not apply to certain commercial card and anonymous prepaid card transactions or transactions not processed by Visa. Cardholders must use care in protecting their card and notify their issuing financial institution immediately of any unauthorized use. Contact your issuer for more detail.

Top tips to help you avoid payment fraud and purchase scams

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Content quality

Look out for poor grammar, spelling mistakes and pixelated or low-quality images. They’re all major red flags that a site could be fraudulent. 

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Secure connection

Always check the URL when paying online to make sure it contains ‘https://’. The ‘s’ indicates it’s a secure connection, meaning your card details will be encrypted before they’re shared.

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Suspicious offer

Shopping online? Be wary of deals that seem too good to be true. Sketchy websites often use low prices to quickly sell fake or non-existent goods. 

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Payment methods

Beware of non-traditional, non-reversible payment methods, like bank transfers. Fake websites may try to force you to use these types of payment options.

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Contact information

Any reputable company offering goods or services should list a place of business, as well as a phone number or email address on their website. If no contact information is available, it’s highly suspect.

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Sharing identifying information

Be mindful about publicly sharing identifying information, like your address. Never share your PINs or passwords with anyone. If you have the option, we also recommend setting up fingerprint or facial recognition on your smartphone or banking apps.

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Unusual transactions

Learn how to spot unusual transactions. We recommend you check your bank statements regularly. Inform your bank if you spot unusual payments that you don’t think you’ve made.

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Phishing

Phishing scammers can imitate emails and websites from well-known companies. Be wary of unexpected messages and calls—most financial institutions or government agencies won’t request financial information out of the blue.