5 issues you need to pay attention to when purchasing overseas virtual hosting/VPS credit card application security

A few days ago, another netizen told Snail that a VPS host merchant that originally did not want to renew automatically renewed its subscription, and then scolded this merchant for being terrible. Regarding this kind of problem, we basically see a lot of it every year. Except for other overseas purchases, it happens from time to time when we are exposed to the purchase of overseas domain names, virtual hosts, VPS servers and other products. Sometimes it may be a "trap" deliberately designed by the merchant, but most of the time it is because we personally did not handle the payment account binding issue of the account.

No, in this article, Snail has compiled some experiences that I personally think can ensure the security of our payment accounts/credit cards. It may be of reference value to you and friends who read this article in the future.

First, give priority to PAYPAL

Generally, overseas service providers have two payment methods: credit card or PAYPAL. When encountering such a problem, Snail will give priority to PAYPAL, because at the moment I don’t trust that if there is a problem with the credit card, the bank will give priority or speed. Help me deal with the problem (I hear news like this a lot, which makes me a little scared). If after using PAYPAL to pay, if the merchant runs away or has some arbitrary deduction problems, we can also solve the problem through disputes.

Tip: If you don’t want automatic renewal after paying with PAYPAL, you still need to go to the prepayment in your account to check whether you have signed an automatic agreement.

Second, choose a reliable merchant

For service providers like Linode, only credit cards can be used for payment. We need to weigh the credibility of these merchants and whether the user's reputation has a bad record. Many times we bind the credit card ourselves and do not cancel the service after opening the VPS. As a result, fees or other paid services are deducted. That is our own problem. Sometimes we really cannot blame the merchant. If some new merchants or users don’t use it much, I personally recommend using credit cards less for payment.

Third, regarding the issue of scanning and verifying accounts

Due to various existing problems, including the need to verify our personal information when purchasing some merchant services, including scanning ID cards and scanning credit cards, this security issue is still relatively important. We must see clearly what the authorities require us to provide. We often see a lot of jokes. Officials require us to provide the front and back of our ID cards/passports, as well as the last few numbers on the front of our credit cards. The rest can be blocked, but some netizens even scan the front and back of their credit cards. We all know that. The last 3 numbers on the back of the credit card mean you can pay directly if you get it.

If it is a reliable merchant, we can choose to provide the scanned copy when you ask for it. If it feels unreliable, don't provide it. Generally, those who ask for a scanned copy of a credit card will not ask us for the reverse side, and the front side of the card will only need to be last As long as a few numbers can be seen, the front can be blocked. If you want the reverse side, it is unreliable.

Fourth, about canceling credit card binding

Generally, when we purchase a VPS host or virtual host and pay with a credit card, the default is automatic renewal. If we do not want to renew, we need to cancel the automatic renewal in the host panel. Generally, VPS hosting providers have a Request Cancellation option. We can cancel the automatic renewal until the End of Billing Period.

Some service providers such as linode or vultr cannot directly delete the credit card binding. We need to replace it with an invalid credit card.

Fifth, the settings of the credit card itself

Generally, there is no problem with our physical credit cards. When we apply, we will bind mobile phone text message reminders. If you are not sure, you can check whether it has been bound. Generally, I bind mobile phone text messages and WeChat client reminders, so that when You can see the specific details after consumption. If you find any problem, you can directly call the credit card center to lock and suspend the transaction.

In short, when using credit cards to shop overseas, including Snails, like most users, they are worried about the security of credit cards (we are too vulnerable), but we should not be greedy for cheap (some unknown merchants provide free shipping by binding credit cards) I generally don’t participate in product events), just choose the products you need carefully and save yourself a lot of fuss. If feasible, we can also use a backup virtual credit card to replace services that sometimes require a credit card.

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