Privacy.com Review: Features and Benefits

Privacy.com is a service that helps you to create virtual cards to protect your physical card information. Privacy cards are ideal for online spending, subscriptions or single-use. With Privacy.com, you basically decide who can charge your card, how much, how often and when to close it.

Privacy com Benefits

  • When you share your physical card information with a merchant, you become vulnerable to hacking or data breaches. Privacy.com virtual card solves this problem.
  • You can prevent any future transactions from being authorized because Privacy virtual cards can be paused or closed at any time. They can also be single-use, closing after a single transaction.
  • Privacy virtual cards have customized spending limits, protecting you from being billed by merchants when you least expect.

What is Privacy.com?

The platform is a service that offers virtual Privacy.com cards that are secure for online shopping. You don’t have to link the Privacy card to your bank account, keeping your information secure. It was created by Andy Roth together with co-founders Bo Jiang, Jason Kruse and David Nicholas.

How Privacy.com Works

Privacy.com comes with excellent features to help you create virtual cards by connecting your funding source/s, debit card or bank account, on the platform. You will be able to create virtual cards once those funding sources have been validated. The most essential features are free, while you can get extra services at a fee.

Protect yourself from fraud and identity theft with a disposable card numbers for use online. You don’t use the same password everywhere, so why use the same payment card number everywhere when you shop online? Privacy lets you buy online using virtual card numbers instead of your real ones.

Signing up for Privacy.com is straightforward and user-friendly. Simply provide your email address and create a password to register. Once registered, you’ll need to verify your email before proceeding. Next, connect your preferred funding source(s) to enable the creation of virtual cards.

With your funding sources connected, you can immediately begin generating virtual cards through Privacy.com. Additionally, you have the flexibility to add multiple funding sources to your cards, offering convenience and versatility. It’s important to note that, currently, Privacy.com supports funding exclusively through checking account and debit cards from a US bank/credit union, with credit cards not being supported at this time.

Go to Privacy.com

Creating Privacy Cards

Once you’ve successfully signed up for an account, you gain the ability to create virtual cards through Privacy.com. Access your virtual cards by navigating to “My Wallet,” where you’ll find a list of all cards previously created and an option to generate a new one. By clicking on the designated link, you can initiate the creation of a new virtual card, which can be utilized for various recurring expenses such as Netflix, Spotify, and iTunes.

To streamline your card management, you have the option to assign each card a personalized name, facilitating easy identification based on its intended use. Additionally, you can establish spending limits for each card on a monthly or annual basis, ensuring adherence to your budgetary preferences. For added control, you can set up a one-time spending limit by selecting the “single-use” option at the bottom of the page and then clicking “Save Limit.”

Once you’ve configured the desired parameters, simply click “Create Card” to finalize the process. Upon creation, your new card will be visible in your wallet, indicating readiness for use. With these intuitive features in place, you can manage your expenses and maintain control over your spending habits.

You can also use the service by installing the Privacy.com app for Android or iOS, via the website, or installing a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox. The browser extension allows you to easily and quickly generate a new virtual card number with 1 click on any checkout page online.

Using one card for each merchant softens the blow of having a card stolen. You won’t have to replace your stored cards at any other merchant, and there is basically no chance of your card being used successfully by the thief.

Privacy.com Pricing and Privacy.com Plans

The core features of Privacy.com are free and will always be free. The company is able to offer free service because every time you transact with any merchant using a Privacy Virtual Card, the merchant or website pays a small fee called interchange. This fee is shared with Privacy.com. However, there are other features that may require you to upgrade your plan. The company also makes money from interchange paid by merchants. Privacy.com fees include:

PlanFeesLimits/Features
Personal PlanFree12 cards per month
Ability to set spending limits
Ability to pause or close cards
Secure merchant-locked cards
Single-use cards
Pro Plan$10 per monthUp to 36 cards per month
Priority support
1% cashback on first $4,500 purchases
Teams Plan$25 per monthUp to 60 cards per month
Multi-user support
Integration with QuickBooks and Xero

Who Can Use Privacy.com?

Privacy.com is currently available to US citizens or legal residents of the US who:

  • Are 18 years of age or older
  • Are the account holder of a US checking account
  • Have a US phone number that is able to receive SMS text messages

Note that you can also use Privacy.com if you are a resident of Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa.

Privacy.com Currencies

Privacy.com supports transactions in US dollars (USD) as its primary currency. At the moment, they do not offer support for other currencies. When using Privacy.com, the transactions will be processed and displayed in USD, regardless of the currency used in the original purchase. It is important to note that when you convert your USD to another currency, you will likely incur some fees.

Privacy.com Customer Service

Privacy.com has responsive customer service. You can reach them by phone: 1-844-771-8229 or email at [email protected]. They don’t reply very fast, but you can expect a response within 24 hours.

Is Privacy.com Safe and Legit?

Founded in 2014, Privacy.com has earned a strong reputation for its commitment to security and reliability. With no major security breaches reported to date, users consistently praise the platform for its trustworthy service.

Privacy.com employs robust safety measures, boasting security protocols on par with leading banks. The platform is PCI-DSS compliant and utilizes TLS and HSTS security protocols for user logins via the website. Communication within the system is safeguarded with AES-256 encryption.

It’s important to note that Privacy.com operates as a technology company, not as a bank, and does not offer banking services as defined by the United States Department of Treasury. However, the Privacy card is issued by Patriot Bank, N.A.

Privacy.com Alternatives

Since the platform is only available to US resident, you may be interested to know the alternatives. For instance, a type of Privacy.com you can use in EUrope or Privacy.com for Canada. You can use the following services as an alternative to Privacy.com. They all offer virtual cards for safer online payments.

Privacy.com: Protect Your Financial Information When Shopping Online

In today’s digital age, safeguarding personal and financial information while conducting online transactions is of paramount importance. Privacy.com offers a solution to address this concern.

While Privacy.com doesn’t sell your transactions, it’s not a service for anonymous purchases without a trace. Instead, it serves as a tool for better transaction management, preventing overcharges or unwanted subscriptions, and adding an extra layer of security against data breaches or leaks. It’s particularly useful when you prefer not to provide vendors with your real name, address, or account card number. However, there’s a credit card requirement for a Privacy.com subscription.

While there are banks that allow you to create unlimited virtual cards, the difference with Privacy.com is that you can put any name on the transaction and they will approve it. Despite its advantages, Privacy.com has limitations. It’s exclusively available in the US and lacks fraud protection. Furthermore, the free plan offers limited features, necessitating a premium plan subscription for additional benefits.

Provacy.com FAQs

What does the Privacy app do?

The Privacy app is a service that allows you to create virtual debit cards for online purchases. You can use the cards once and then delete them to protect your financial information from being stolen or misused.

Does privacy .com actually work?

Yes indeed. Privacy.com works. It is a legitimate website that allows you to create disposable virtual debit cards for online purchases. By using Privacy.com, you can keep your actual card details private and reduce the risk of your information being compromised in online transactions.

Does Privacy.com work outside the US?

No. At present, Privacy.com is limited to serving customers within the United States. You cannot use Privacy.com if you are a US non resident. You need to be a US citizen or a legal resident .

Can I use a credit card with privacy com?

Unfortunately, Privacy.com does not support the use of credit cards as funding sources. The platform is specifically designed to work with debit cards and bank accounts.

Is Privacy.com available in Canada?

No, Privacy.com is not available in Canada. It only offers its services to citizens and legal residents in the United States. Privacy.com alternatives in Canada include KOHO, Skrill, Ezzocard, and Stack.

Is Privacy.com available in UK?

No, Privacy.com is not available in UK. It only offers its services to citizens and legal residents in the United States. Privacy.com alternatives in UK include Skrill, Ezzocard, Payoneer, and Wirex.

What's Privacy.com extension?

Privacy.com offers a browser extension for creating virtual cards directly from your web browser. This extension is available for Chrome and Firefox.

Is there Privacy.com alternative for EU

Services offering virtual cards similar to Privacy.com for EU include iCard, Wise, Revolut, and Lydia.

How do I cancel my privacy com subscription?

To cancel your Privacy.com subscription, log in to your account, navigate to the "Account" section, and follow the prompts to cancel your subscription.

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