Revolut launches disposable virtual card to beat online fraud

From today premium customers of the digital bank, who pay £6.99 a month, will be able to use their Revolut app to generate card details that are then destroyed after being used for a transaction. The app will then automatically create a new set of disposable details for your next online purchase.

The intention is that this will stop fraudsters from being able to make purchases with stolen cards, or stolen card details.

Customers can still opt to use their original card details if they prefer.

If you need a refund for something you bought using a disposable card, Revolut says it will be able to put the money back in your main account

For help on how to protect yourself from fraud, see our guide.

Revolut: 'This is a long-term solution to tackling online card fraud'

Vlad Yatsenko, co-founder and chief technology officer at Revolut, said: "Instead of matching what the larger institutions are doing, we are changing the game entirely by introducing disposable virtual cards and promoting existing features such as location-based security and the ability to freeze/unfreeze cards.

"It will take approximately 800 years before we begin to run out of 16-digit card numbers, so we view disposable virtual cards as a sustainable, long-term solution to tackling online card fraud. And by automating this process, the customer experience is instant and stress-free."