Pay easily and securely online with a credit card
Convenient, fast, and secure—how to pay online with your credit card.
Everything you need to know at a glance
Paying online with a credit card is quick and easy: simply select the credit card as your payment method in the online store and enter your card details, such as the number, expiration date, and security code. The 3-D Secure process provides additional security by requiring you to confirm the payment via two-factor authentication.
This significantly reduces the risk of fraud, allowing you to shop safely online. Also, make sure to use reputable merchants and secure connections, and regularly check your billings for any unauthorized or erroneous transactions.
Paying online with a credit card – here’s how
With online shopping, you can conveniently order new clothes—for example, for a stylish evening at the opera in Zurich—and then try them on at home without any stress. Or you can use this method to do your weekly shopping by simply ordering groceries and supplies to be delivered to your home. Online shopping has many advantages and works very well with a credit card.
To do this, add your desired items to the online store’s shopping cart as usual, proceed to checkout, and select credit card as your payment method. You can usually easily identify which credit cards the merchant accepts for payment by looking at the logos, so you’ll know, for example, where you can pay with your American Express credit card.
To authorize the credit card transaction, you’ll need to provide the following information during the online shop’s checkout process:
- Name and shipping address
- Credit card number (15 digits for American Express)
- Expiration date (month/year)
- Security code (4 digits for American Express)
Important Security Measures for Online Credit Card Payments
The important 3-D Secure security standard protects you when doing online shopping. It was developed by the international credit card companies American Express, Mastercard, and Visa. This ensures that customers are unequivocally identified, significantly reducing the risk of fraud for online payments.
For this reason, two-factor authentication is generally required during the payment process for transactions in online stores using your credit card: You confirm the payment by entering a code to verify that you initiated the transaction yourself. This is usually done via text message, email, or a push notification on your smartphone.
At American Express, this standard is implemented through the SafeKey customer authentication tool. Many merchants have already adopted this process—it’s easy to spot thanks to the SafeKey logo displayed during the online store’s credit card payment process.
Interesting fact: As a Gold Card or Platinum Card holder, you’ll receive a push notification about your payments in the Swisscard app, provided it’s set up.
More useful tips for secure online payments
Security standards like 3-D Secure protect you when shopping online. In addition, there are other tips you should follow to pay securely with your credit card on the internet:
- Always use different passwords for your important user accounts, combining uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.
- When browsing and doing online shopping, make sure you have a secure connection in your browser. You can recognize this by the “https” in the URL and the padlock icon.
- You should verify the legitimacy of merchants you are unfamiliar with. Reviews from other users or a look at the legal notice can be helpful.
- You should never enter sensitive data, such as your credit card number, on a website when using a public network.
- Beware of phishing: Check emails to verify the sender’s legitimacy, and be cautious with any links provided.
These steps can help you prevent credit card fraud. You should also review your credit card statement regularly. If you notice any incorrect transactions, contact the merchant first. Report any unauthorized transactions or other suspicious payment activity to your credit card issuer. If in doubt, have your card blocked.
Which card fits your lifestyle?
Pay conveniently and securely online with a credit card
Thanks to security measures like 3-D Secure, you can pay online with your credit card conveniently and securely. Always verify the legitimacy of the online stores where you plan to shop. And if you also regularly check your transactions on your credit card statement, you can significantly reduce unauthorized payments.
Your trusted companion for online shopping or in-store purchases is the Gold Card or Platinum Card. With these cards, you have access to millions of acceptance points in Switzerland and worldwide. Plus, every time you use your card, you earn valuable points in the Membership Rewards bonus program, which you can later redeem for attractive rewards.
Frequently asked questions and answers
Add your desired items to the shopping cart in the online store and select the credit card payment method during checkout. Then enter your name, shipping address, credit card number, expiration date, and security code. The transaction is then typically authorized via two-factor authentication.
Paying online with a credit card is secure thanks to procedures like 3-D Secure. International credit card organizations have jointly developed this standard to uniquely identify buyers when processing an online order. It’s also important to order only from reputable online stores and to regularly check your credit card statement for suspicious transactions.
Yes, you can add your American Express credit card as a payment method in PayPal. This is convenient if an online store doesn’t accept credit cards directly but offers PayPal instead.
