New NKFH guidance highlights virtual cards for online payments

The National Authority for Trade and Consumer Protection's guidance of 3 November recommends virtual cards, low spending limits and immediate transaction notifications for online shoppers. Hungarian customers should particularly establish whether their chosen card uses a separate balance.

Adding a conventional card to a mobile wallet is a different arrangement. The authority emphasizes that virtual products can operate differently across banks; customers need to inspect actual settings rather than rely on the service name.

The MNB's card guide also highlights the limitation of single-use cards for recurring subscriptions. An occasional order and a recurring charge create different payment needs, so the same product may not suit both.

Our comparison suggestion is a short list of questions for the bank: which balance does the card charge, what does it cost, how can the limit be changed, and how are later refunds handled? Answers should be checked against current bank terms and then matched to actual shopping habits.

The market-supervision portal provides related background on identifying providers, while AI-assisted financial information concerns evaluating information sources. The next practical step is to review one's own bank's product terms; using a virtual card still leaves the task of checking the merchant and payment.

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