Found a great deal on music CD's online? Want to send flowers or a birthday present to someone over the Internet? If you're thinking of purchasing something online, but you're not sure about using your payment card, please read on to understand why online transactions need not be risky. In fact, with more security features in browsers and services like MasterCard SecureCode™, shopping online has never been easier or more secure.

At most merchants, when you make an online purchase the payment card information you enter is instantly encrypted for your security. Encryption means any information you give to a merchant is scrambled, so that while it's traveling online it cannot be unscrambled.

How to determine if a merchant site is secure:

• Confirm that the merchant's payment page is using a "secure channel." A secure channel means that the web site you're visiting is using the strongest encryption possible:
  
  - In Internet Explorer, look for the padlock symbol in the lower right hand corner.
  - In Netscape, look for a thin blue line across the top of your browser and a key symbol on the bottom left of your screen.
• Now look at the URL in your browser's address line. You'll notice that the web page address changes to "https"––the "s" stands for "secure"––when you begin to checkout.

Once you make sure the payment page is secure, you can then enter your payment card number in the fields provided by the merchant. You may also want to check if you have the most up-to-date version of your browser to ensure that you have the latest Internet safety features.

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1. After you submit your information over the Internet, the software in your browser automatically encrypts the information as it sends it to the online merchant.
   
   
2. The online merchant gives your browser instructions on where to send the information so that only that merchant can unscramble it.
   
   
3. It is highly unlikely that your information will be intercepted since the transmission only takes seconds and a "hacker" would have to interrupt the transmission at exactly the right second–assuming he or she even had the software and knowledge to do so.
   
   
4. Additionally, most merchant sites store your data on a secure server protected by a firewall, another high-security feature. Anyone trying to access the server is challenged so that only authorised users are let through.

MasterCard SecureCode provides an additional layer of security for online purchases by helping to prevent unauthorised individuals from using your MasterCard card to buy online. Each time you make an online purchase with your MasterCard credit or debit card at a participating merchant:

1. A MasterCard SecureCode request pop-up box will appear from your card issuer, asking for your personal MasterCard SecureCode – like your bank asks for a PIN at the ATM.
   
   
2. When you correctly enter your MasterCard SecureCode, your card issuer confirms that you are the authorised cardholder and your purchase is then complete.

The information you provide when you enroll in MasterCard SecureCode is only used to confirm your identity and is not shared with the merchant or another party.

Read more about how MasterCard SecureCode adds one extra step to guard you against the unauthorised use of your card online.

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