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I am from India and recently moved to France. In India while making any online transaction one need the information on the debit card and ATM pin number or need a password given by the bank exclusively for online transactions without which one cannot proceed further in payment.

I moved to France recently, took a bank account and they issued me a mastercard. I wanted to buy a book from Amazon France, found it and ordered it. The final step was to pay using mastercard and all I have to do is to type in the Name, card number, date of expiry and CVV. There was absolutely no secure internet gateway to the bank website asking PIN. This absolutely startled me due to the following concerns.

  1. If I lose the card and the person found it can easily make a transaction.
  2. The online merchants can fraudulently use my card information.

This was not a concern in India since I need a password which in most cases is not accessible in case of a loss of the card.

  1. Is it normal for online transactions?
  2. What if I lose the card? Does this mean someone who get it can constantly make purchases until I ask my bank to block the card?
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If I lose the card and the person found it can easily make a transaction.

Yes

The online merchants can fraudulently use my card information.

Yes

Is it normal for online transactions?

Yes, in most of the Western world it works as you described for France.

What if I lose the card? Does this mean someone who get it can constantly make purchases until I ask my bank to block the card?

Don't lose your card. Generally, you are not responsible for fraudulent transactions. Check with your French bank on the recovery procedures. However, it is much easier to use credit card and not debit card, since the recovery is much more streamlined. You may even have a credit card in your hand right now, and not a debit card, as in many countries that's what banks give you (credit card or ATM card, no debit cards). Not sure about France specifically.

Some card issuers participate in "Verified By Visa" (and/or similar Mastercard functionality), which works similarly to what you described about India.

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    Mainly, a "Debit" card takes money from your bank account. A "Credit" card doesn't; you have to pay it off every month or be charged interest (technically, a credit card is a kind of revolving loan).
    – Joe
    Dec 14, 2015 at 16:40
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    Does it get charged on your bank account immediately or once a month?
    – littleadv
    Dec 14, 2015 at 16:40
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    You're in France. Get ready to not being understood unless you speak French. Good luck :-)
    – littleadv
    Dec 14, 2015 at 16:53
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    It may be that any fraudulent purchases will only be shipped to the address on the MasterCard...
    – DJohnM
    Dec 14, 2015 at 18:27
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    In the U.S., vendors can bill your card knowing as little as just your card number. Vendors MAY collect additional information, such as the card holder's name, CVV, and postal code. In general, the more information they give the credit card company, the less they have to pay in service charges. Because the bank has to make up the loss for fraudulent charges, and the less information they have, the less they can be sure the charge is legitimate.
    – Jay
    Dec 14, 2015 at 20:17

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