Disposable Credit Cards

The largest independent credit card issuer in the world announced an agreement that allows its 45 million card customers to take advantage of Internet shopping without revealing their credit card numbers to merchants.

MBNA Corporation, the bank holding company parent of MBNA American Bank, NA, will offer the service, which was generated by Orbiscom Technology, a software developer. It creates a disposable credit card number. To shop, customers download software from the bank's Web site. The software allows them to generate one-time-only numbers that can be used to buy merchandise on e-retailers' sites. The numbers work like credit card numbers, but only the customer and the bank know the actual credit card number, which never travels the Internet.

Copyright © 2001 Bankers' Hotline. Originally appeared in Bankers' Hotline, Vol. 11, No. 3, 3/01