Credit card information over email

Hi! I have been asked to send the credit card # and expiry over 2 separate emails, so half the # in one email, and the other half in a new email. I have also had the opportunity to give it via a phone call, which is kind of fun to hear their accent! So far, it's all been good.

The one time I was asked for this, I asked if I could call, instead, and they were ok with this (we had such a nice chat!)

I finally broke down and did it with a hotel in Sorrento, Italy this past Sept. There were no problems, but I understand your hesitation.

I have had to do the same thing for my upcoming trip to Italy. I broke the numbers up into 2 emails so if one is intercepted they won't get all the info needed to use it.

Great! Thanks for all the great ideas!
Safe travels!

This was extensive kick around six months ago. Of the four methods - mail, fax, telephone, & email -- email is the most secure transmission. It would be nearly impossible for a hacker to grab your numbers out of the ether. Our government has spend billions trying to do just that. I say impossible but someone would argue that nothing is impossible. Most people do not understand internet security.

However, once your numbers are re-assembled in the hotel's computer then it will just depend on the hotel's security. At that point you numbers could be obtained by a hacker or anyone else who has access to the computer or the piece of paper they wrote it on, or printed out, or etc. Even if you call or fax, it will still wind up in that computer so you haven't gained anything.

Online booking through a website is only more secure IF the site is protected - many are not. The transmission risk is the same whether the end server/web site is secure or not.

The best way to protect yourself is to use a credit card that is solely used for online reservations. And I have specifically told them not to accept any non-US charges. If that card is compromised then it can be easily canceled without affecting your normal cards. The one possible flaw is that I have heard of hotels running a dollar charge on the card just to see if it is a valid card. It has never happened to me.

I used to split numbers who have given up doing that. I think it is perfectly safe to send you cc via email.

I've sent the exp number and the first 2 sets of numbers one day and then the second 2 sets after I get an acknowledment from the hotel/B&B. This usually is two different days due to the time differences, so I feel like it's a bit harder for a hacker..............Most of the smaller places we stay will be paid in cash once we're there, and we track our CC online so would know if any starnge charges appeared.

I've used the email several times and to several countries. No problems. If you travel often it isn't a bad idea to keep an old account open with a modest limit just for this purpose. This way you don't have to send your primary account number that you expect to use on your trip.

As an alternative, a lot of credit card companies will give you a virtual credit card number that can be used for a specific merchant and which has a credit limit that you can set, such as for a few hundred dollars. I've used these one-time numbers successfully for several online purchases.

I know that Bank of America does this. If you get a Schwab credit card because it is one of the few that doesn't charge an additional foreign transaction fee, Schwab's card is managed by BOA so you can get a virtual number.

One more thought or comment about virtual numbers. If you have registered to access your credit card information online, you can usually get a virtual number right away by just logging on and clicking the right link. No need to actually interact with the credit card company, so it is very low on the hassle scale, and I suppose you could even do it while traveling so long as you trust the PC you are using.