Library
Guides for the places you pay online.
Plain explanations of virtual cards, paying international websites, subscriptions, account safety and the services people pay for most.
Account safety · Main guide · 5 min
Small daily routines that protect your space
Most account problems start with something small: a reused password, a convincing email, a phone that was never backed up. The routines that prevent them take minutes.
Travel bookings · Main guide · 5 min
Before you book a trip online: the payment side
Flights, hotels, rental cars and transport apps each treat cards differently: holds, deposits, cards shown at a desk. What to know before you pay for a journey.
Streaming and games · Main guide · 5 min
Films, music and games: entertainment charges on one card
Streaming plans, game stores, in-game purchases and family plans all bill differently. How to keep entertainment spending visible and under a ceiling you choose.
Online learning · Main guide · 5 min
Learning online: how course sites take payment
Single courses, memberships, exam fees and live cohorts all charge differently. A guide to what you are actually agreeing to pay when you enrol.
Software and tools · Main guide · 5 min
Software that bills every month: keeping the charges in view
Software has moved from one-off purchases to subscriptions billed by seat, tier or usage. How those charges are built, and how to keep them visible.
Hosting and domains · Main guide · 5 min
Servers and domain names: a calm guide to paying for the web
A website runs on a handful of recurring payments: the domain, the hosting, and a few add-ons. How each one bills, and how to keep them from lapsing.
Paying across borders · Main guide · 5 min
Paying foreign websites when your own card stays at home
Foreign shops and services do not always accept the cards people have at home. What usually goes wrong, and how to prepare a payment so it goes through.
Virtual card essentials · Main guide · 6 min
What a virtual card is, and how it differs from the card in your wallet
A virtual card is a card number, the expiry date and a security code that exist only as data. Here is what that changes, and what it does not.