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The Almighty Buck

Linux Friendly One-Time Credit Card Providers? 62

Posted by timothy from the for-that-deep-down-private-feeling dept.
PoochieReds writes "My credit card company has just introduced some pretty foul new rules (shortening grace periods, raising fees, etc.), so I've started shopping around for a new one. I use this card for most of my purchases and pay off my balance at the end of each month. One thing that my old CC company had was the ability to use one-time CC numbers. This was really handy for Internet and over the phone purchases, and I like the safety it provides. The downside was that this co. used a flash-based app for this feature. Does anyone have recommendations of a CC company that can provide one-time CC numbers via a regular browser-based web form?"
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Linux Friendly One-Time Credit Card Providers? More

Linux Friendly One-Time Credit Card Providers?

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  • Research? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by shibbydude ( 622591 ) on Sunday May 08, 2005 @10:49AM (#12467904) Homepage Journal
    How exactly can you throw "Linux-Friendly" into the question when this is really a Flash problem. I hate flash as much as most people but really you should do your own research, i.e. call some banks and ask about their online banking. I know my bank, UMB, does use a form-based system. I am sure it is not terribly hard to find a bank that does not have a flash interface, it just seems that every ask-slashdotter has no idea how to use a phone book.

    • Re:Research? (Score:1, Flamebait)

      by Creepy Crawler ( 680178 )
      Oh yeah, let met whip out my linux binary of ActiveX. Oh yeah, THERE ISNT ONE.

      You know if there was an IQ test to post to slashdot, you wouldnt pass?
      • Last time I checked ActiveX != Flash
        • Naw shit.

          Many banks use ActiveX IE browser 'programs'. Only very few places have I seen use some sort of Flash. The flash sites work OK with Linux.

          THen of course, you have idiots saying "ActiveX is not flash". Really?
          • You are correct that some banks use ActiveX features, but I stated that my bank has a forms-based interface. Not only that, but the original poster stated in his question that his bank uses a "Flash" interface. Thus my answer to both the original poster and to you is that there is flash support through a native flash player binary for linux. My only problem with the original post was that it equated his distaste for Flash with an inability to use Flash under Linux, which is not true.
      • Let me whip out my linux binary of flash player. Let me look around for a second... BAM! Here it is: http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/downl oad.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash&P2_Platform =Linux&P3_Browser_Version=Netscape4 [macromedia.com]
        That wasn't so hard. If there was a Google test you wouldn't pass.

        • Where do I select my cpu? or does this one download work on both sparc/powerppc?
          It does not look like the usual linux friendly configure/make/make install

          If there were a Linux friendly test, this would not pass...

          --
          /apz, remember kids, Linux != x86

          • Re:Research? (Score:3, Insightful)

            by passthecrackpipe ( 598773 ) *
            "It does not look like the usual linux friendly configure/make/make install" You seem to confuse "Linux Friendly" with "I only compile from source". You rpersonal ideology and computing habits aside, those two are not the same thing.

            • no, I dont care for open source, if it only would work on all major
              architectures. I do not ask for c64 linux support of flash.

              maybe my snide remark for the configure/make was unwarrented, I dunno
              but I really dislike when people say linux supported when they only
              mean x86 linux while ignore all the other architectures. Is it really
              that hard for commercial entities to say 'x86 Linux' supported?

              --
              /apz, Honk if you are against noise pollution!

          • Why because it's not open source. If you require all software on Linux to be open source you might as well admit it is a hobby os. Not everyone wants to give away the source to their projects.

            Ahh fuck it, I hate GPL nazis, I'm going back to BSD.

            • I do not require it to be open source, I see I should have not put
              that into the discussion since it was a stupid digression that only
              derailed the main problem. Flash is only x86 Linux. Period.

              also, I did not mention GPL, also, configure/make is the standard BSD
              way as well IIRC. Finally, if there were Flash for xBSD, you too would
              be dissapointed if you could not get your flash to run on your ultra5
              sparc, or any other box, except the x86.

              --
              /apz, Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national d

    • Re:Research? (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Detritus ( 11846 )
      Like your average customer service drone is going to even understand the question, let alone know the answer.
    • For that matter, unless you are on an unusual architecture (like PPC or Sparc - unlikely), Flash works fine in Linux. Install the plugin, and maybe install that flash blocker that lets you click to enable it, and poof, problem solved.

      This isn't even a problem, it's just laziness.
      • I'm running Linux on a AMD64 (x86_64) platform. There is not a flash player available for me that will run the "One-Time CC number" app the OP is talking about. And don't even say x86_64 is an unusual architecture, it currently looks like the future of desktop computing (the way HP/Compaq/etc are pumping these chips out), but perhaps I'm just a little a head of the curve.

        So, no, I'm not being lazy, quite the contrary, I've been searching everywhere for the same answer as the OP for months now.
    • I sent them an email telling them that I couldn't access www.bancoreal.com.br. It was fixed in less than 24 hours. Banks really don't care which browser you use, but they do want to keep their clients.

  • Flash based in linux? (Score:3, Informative)

    by dubious9 ( 580994 ) on Sunday May 08, 2005 @10:55AM (#12467950) Journal
    If it's flash, why can't you use it in Linux? Flash is one of the few plugins that firefox will install with it's auto-plugin thingy.

    Anyway, I've never heard of disposable CC numbers, it does sound handy. I think I'll have to look into too.

    And for the "why ask slashdot, when you can google it in two minutes" aswer, it looks like, American Express [com.com], and MBNA [pcworld.com] offer them, but without signing up, I don't know what kind a mechanism they use. The PCworld article says something about "Orbiscom's O-power" application, but I can't find technicle details on it. Orbiscom's clients [orbiscom.com] page says that most of the bigger CC people are dabbling in this sort of tech.

    Have fun.

    • American Express was offering a "Private Payments" service, which dispensed disposable credit card numbers valid for one month. Cardmembers could obtain numbers by going to the Amex website or through a USB smart-card reader (hardward and software provided for free, with MS Windows integration). The website method worked just fine with Mozilla -- it was just HTML forms with a bit of JavaScript.

      Sadly, Private Payments was discontinued two years ago. I suspect there were too many support issues in conj

    • And for the "why ask slashdot, when you can google it in two minutes" aswer, it looks like, American Express [com.com], and MBNA [pcworld.com] offer them, but without signing up, I don't know what kind a mechanism they use.

      This is a sign you should perhaps be more hesitant with the "why ask slashdot when you can google it" answer.

      American Express tried one-time disposable credit card numbers of a sort years ago, but discontinued them. But it wasn't much like what the poster had in mind. Now they don't of
    • My American Express doesn't have one time use CC-numbers.

      My MBNA Visa does, and it uses Flash. You can use a flash app via their webpage that runs fine under linux as a javascript popup with flash inside it, or you can download a standalone executable(still flash based) that runs in your system tray on Win32.

      I don't think the OP was talking about MBNA; either that, or they haven't screwed me yet. Honestly, I have gotten tons of offers with a lower interest rate, but the one time use CC #s keeps me with

      • Re:Flash based in linux? (Score:3, Informative)

        by pyros ( 61399 )
        citibank had the same thing (flash applet or standalone application). but recently i've had problems using it in firefox on windows, haven't booted linux in a while so i'm not sure about that. Discover card has is too, and i haven't had any cross-platform problems with that.
    • I have an MBNA card, and the last time I used it (2 years ago?) it worked fine in linux; used a popup... But they're a sleazy company, gave lots of $$$$$ to Bush&co, and are evil as any CC company...

      --LWM

  • Hope you're getting money back... (Score:5, Informative)

    by evilquaker ( 35963 ) on Sunday May 08, 2005 @11:05AM (#12468031)
    If you use your credit card for most of your purchases, and you pay off the balance each month, you should be getting 1% cash back on all your purchases. Here are some recommendations:
    • Discover: 1% cash back on purchases (after your first $4K in a single year, 0.25% or 0.5% before that). No limit on cash back.
    • Citi Platinum Dividend Select: 1% cash back, 5% at supermarkets, gas stations, drugstores. Limited to $300 back per year.
    • Chase PerfectCard: 1% cash back, 3% at gas stations. No limit on cash back per year.
    As for the one-time use numbers, how do they offer you any protection? You're only liable for $50 if your card is fraudulently used, and many CC companies waive this. As long as you check your statements every month (you do this, right?), you shouldn't have to worry. It's the retailers that carry the risk of fradulent purchases.

    • As for the one-time use numbers, how do they offer you any protection?

      The bank knows the original card number, of course. AFAIK they're subject to the same (waived) limits. One-time numbers are usually set up with a max credit line, as well. So you can say, okay, I think I'm going to spend $100 online for Mother's Day at Amazon and some gourmet food place, and you generate the number, and regardless of whether only the authorized merchants or Harry the Hacker gets the number, no more than $100 total ca

      • All those little things you mention (calling to dispute the bill, getting a new number, etc.) are a real hassle and take time and effort which could be devoted either to billable hours or fun instead of dealing with credit card bureaucrats. And it can be a real problem if your account is hacked/stolen right when you really need to use it. Suppose you're on vacation in Europe, go to pay for your rental car, and find out that your credit limit is maxed out. Do you really want to deal with that on vacation?

    • Re:Hope you're getting money back... (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      As for the one-time use numbers, how do they offer you any protection? You're only liable for $50 if your card is fraudulently used.

      Thank you for illustrating well the tragedy of the commons. One-time use CC numbers help reduce fraud. Fraudulent charges, while not directly charged to the account of the defrauded customer, will eventually be paid for by consumers. Whether it be by higher prices from the merchant or by higher interest rates and fees on the part of CC companies, the entity that absorbs t

      • Thank you for illustrating well the tragedy of the commons. One-time use CC numbers help reduce fraud. Fraudulent charges, while not directly charged to the account of the defrauded customer, will eventually be paid for by consumers. Whether it be by higher prices from the merchant or by higher interest rates and fees on the part of CC companies, the entity that absorbs the cost of the fraudulent purchase will pass that cost on to the consumer.

        I disagree that this is a tragedy of the commons situation.

    • It's the retailers that carry the risk of fradulent purchases.

      To be precise, the liability is split between the merchant, the merchant acquirer (the merchant's bank, who collects transactions from the merchant and pays the money to the merchant) and the issuer (the bank who issued the credit card). Oh, and the cardholder is liable for $50 (in the US), but this cost is typically borne by the issuing bank, who is often successful at pawning it off on acquirer or merchant.

      All three try very hard to avo

    • As for the one-time use numbers, how do they offer you any protection?

      I't sprotection from unscrupulous sites who do recurring charges and make it a hassle to cancel. You give them a temporary number to try it out, and if you don't like it the number won't be good in a month and they can't keep charging you.

  • Quality Control (Score:1, Redundant)

    by fsck! ( 98098 )
    Okay, sure, flash is a stupid way to do this. Flash might be hard to install on Linux. I haven't tried in a while. But how can the Slashdot editors honestly think this is the kind of thing their subscribers want to talk about? This is just boring.

    • Re:Quality Control (Score:2, Informative)

      by BrokenHalo ( 565198 )
      Flash might be hard to install on Linux. I haven't tried in a while.

      Mmmm-mmmm... it sounds like you've never tried. Flash binaries have been readily installable in most of the more mainstream browsers (with the exception of Lynx and Links ;-)) for at least ~7 years.

  • Actually, Flash doesn't work on 64 bit linux. Well, at least, it doesn't compile for 64-bit firefox. If you want to use Flash with 64bit linux, you're going to have to get 32-bit firefox binaries and install it that way.

  • Leave MBNA go to Citibank (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Jah-Wren Ryel ( 80510 ) on Sunday May 08, 2005 @12:37PM (#12468740)
    I'm 99% sure you are talking about MBNA.

    I just got a notice in the mail from MBNA a few days ago. It made me wonder if I had suddenly something bad had happened to my credit report and they were sticking it to me - a common practice among credit card lenders. Since it sounds like you got the same thing, I guess they are doing it everyone.

    I have been using MBNA's ShopSafe one-time use credit card generator for at least 5 years now. At one point they rolled out a new version that broke with firefox (or rather, it stopped supporting a bunch of convenience functions, like drag-and-drop of the credit card number). MBNA's tech support was inane, they were not even allowed to run a copy of the shopsafe software in front of them while talking on the phone, strickly "did you remember to plug in the internet" level. Netscape, not to even mention Mozilla, was so far beyond their comprehension it wasn't even worth trying.

    So I did some research and found out that the entire system was provided by a third party company that specializes in new kinds of credit and payment systems. Unfortunately I did not bookmark their website, and their name was so generic sounding that I can never remember it. But what I did learn is that MBNA, Citi, Discover and AmEx were all clients for this same service, but AmEx dropped out circa 2002.

    So, given all that, I've elected to go to Citibank, especially since they have a 1%/5% cashback card too. I have not been able to find out if Citi's cards have the same terms as MBNA is just now instigating, but I am hoping it won't matter. I intend to drop my spending with MBNA to $0 for two months and then call them up and tell them that if they want my business back, I want the old terms back.
  • Any OS that can do Java... Log-in to your account, click on virutual number - pick launch browser based gen - login via the java window, make your number... If running windows you have the option to download a local version of the same thing.
  • Wow, I had an idea for cycling CC numbers and thought it hadn't been done. I was thinking monthly but even one-time numbers are available - exactly what I've been looking for.

    Now I just need to find a sterling GBP £ card.

    I haven't seen an online banking system I've like yet. Ones I've seen include:

    - one using java; not really needed
    - a slick one from the Coop; light, fast and nice looking but nothing to stop keyloggers
    - a secure one from LloydsTSB that stops keyloggers by mouse selection of an addi
    • Cahoot (www.cahoot.com) offer this in the UK. There used to be two options, either log in to their site a use a little applet to generate a one time number with the limit set to the maximum you wanted to spend, or download an application to your Windows PC to do the same. They suddenly withdrew the online version, and insist you use their Windows only application now, no use to me now that I use a Mac exclusively.

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