On July 1, 2010, OAO METCOMBANK launched its new Visa Virtual bank card. This virtual card was designed specially for online transactions.

Like any regular bank card, Visa Virtual has its unique number, validity period, and bank account. However, one can only use it to pay online, for example, for train or airplane tickets or in any online store.

‘The new card is targeted at modern urbanites that often make online purchases. The card allows the cardholders to differentiate between the online and other expenses and makes it unnecessary to provide any regular bank card details online, which actually enhances the user’s financial security. The cardholders can personally set the upper expense limit for the card as well as the number of possible transactions and the upper spending limit per purchase over a given time period. All this helps to protect the cardholder from money theft,’ says METCOMBANK’s Retail Management Director Igor Kogan.

The executive also pointed out that Visa Virtual was very easy to get: a customer can complete the whole procedure themselves via METCOM Online e-bank. It only takes a little time and the only proviso is having a bank account hooked up to METCOM Online.