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Have you ever been contacted by your credit card issuer about a suspicious transaction? This typically means a “fraud alert” has been triggered and your bank needs to confirm whether the activity is legitimate. If you didn’t attempt the purchase, you have likely been a victim of credit card fraud.
It’s relatively easy to recover from credit card fraud — typically, your credit card issuer will refund the fraudulent charge and issue you a replacement card with a new number. Besides your card number, credit card fraud doesn’t necessarily mean that your personal information has been compromised. However, if your personal information has been stolen, you have different problems to resolve.
Credit card fraud and identity theft involve the unauthorized use of your information, but they are not the same. Below, CNBC Select explains the differences between credit card fraud and identity theft and some ways you can monitor your personal information.
Compare identity theft protection services
Credit card fraud vs. identity theft
Credit card fraud occurs when unauthorized charges are made using your credit card information. Some ways thieves can obtain credit card numbers include data breaches, stealing your physical card and skimming your card.
Credit card fraud is a type of identity theft. Identity theft differs in that it goes beyond only stealing your credit card number. With identity theft, someone has assumed your identity by stealing your personal information, such as your name, address, date of birth and Social Security number to fraudulently open accounts in your name.
Recovering from identity is a lot more difficult than just changing your credit card number. It can take years since you need to constantly review your credit to catch and close new fraudulent accounts that may be opened. You may also need to involve law enforcement, deal with debt collectors and replace your IDs.
Take action to protect your identity
Offers in this section are from affiliate partners and selected based on a combination of engagement, product relevance, compensation, and consistent availability.
Individual plan: $9/month billed annually or $12/month billed monthly; Couple plan: $17/month billed annually or $20/month billed monthly; Family plan: $25/month billed annually or $30/month billed monthly
Protects against financial fraud, identity theft, spam calls, online theft, phishing and scam websites, viruses and malware, as well as offering security tailored to kids and financial alerts like credit score monitoring
$6.67 to $29.99 per month
Up to $1 million in insurance for eligible losses from identity theft
Credit card fraud protections
The good news with identity theft and credit card fraud is that federal laws protect you from liability should you be victimized.
The Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) protects you against credit card fraud, limiting your maximum liability to $50 as long as fraudulent charges are reported within 60 days.
Credit card issuers have gone beyond the federal protections in offering zero-liability protection, which means you won’t be responsible for any unauthorized charges as long as they’re reported within the FCBA’s 60-day window. Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover all have zero-liability protection. Still, you’ll want to confirm that your specific card includes it and how to report any unauthorized transactions since different card issuers may have different policies.
Here are some cards that offer zero-liability protection as a benefit:
The American Express Gold Card is great for earning valuable Membership Rewards® points on dining out and at U.S. supermarkets.
- You can earn $400+ in dining and rideshare credits every year (Enrollment required for select benefits mentioned)
- Exceptionally rewarding for eligible restaurant and U.S. supermarket purchases
- No foreign transaction fees
- Larger annual fee
- Credits are more complicated, you earn them monthly or semi-annually
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year. Effective 11/8/2024, an Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit.
- $84 Dunkin’ Credit: With the $84 Dunkin’ Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you’re approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you’re approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
Foreign transaction fee
The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a no-annual-fee card that earns generous cash-back on everyday purchases and a lucrative welcome bonus.
- Valuable welcome bonus and high rewards rates
- Long intro APR for purchases and balance transfers
- No annual fee
- Has a foreign transaction fee
- Few rewarding ongoing benefits
Highlights
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
- Intro Offer: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) – worth up to $300 cash back!
- Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year).
- After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
- No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
- Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.74% – 28.49%.
- No annual fee – You won’t have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited® card
- Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, alerts, and more.
- Member FDIC
Balance transfer fee
Intro fee of either $5 or 3% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater, on transfers made within 60 days of account opening. After that, either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
Foreign transaction fee
3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
Citi Double Cash® Card
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Rewards
Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, a special travel offer, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/25.
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Welcome bonus
Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
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Annual fee
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Intro APR
0% for the first 18 months on balance transfers; N/A for purchases
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Regular APR
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Balance transfer fee
For balance transfers completed within 4 months of account opening, an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies; after that, a balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies
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Foreign transaction fee
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Credit needed
Pros
- 2% cash back on all eligible purchases
- Simple cash-back program that doesn’t require activation or spending caps
- One of the longest intro periods for balance transfers at 18 months
Cons
- 3% fee charged on purchases made outside the U.S.
The Discover it® Miles is a rewarding credit card for everyday purchases, especially when you consider that it has no annual fee.
- Generous intro-APR offer applies to purchases and balance transfers
- Straightforward rewards program makes earning and redeeming miles easy
- No annual fee
- No meaningful travel perks, such as airport lounge access or travel credits
- No bonus rewards for travel spending
Highlights shown here are provided by the issuer and have not been reviewed by CNBC Select’s editorial staff.
Highlights
- Unlimited Bonus: Unlimited Mile-for-Mile match for all new cardmembers—only from Discover. Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. You could turn 35,000 Miles to 70,000 Miles. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match.
- Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase
- No annual fee
- Turn Miles into cash. Or redeem as a statement credit for your travel purchases like airfare, hotels, rideshares, gas stations, restaurants and more.
- 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases. Then 18.49% – 27.49% Standard Variable Purchase APR will apply. Rates as of December 12, 2024.
- Discover could help you reduce exposure of your personal information online by helping you remove it from select people-search sites that could sell your data. It’s free, activate with the mobile app.
- Discover is accepted nationwide by 99% of the places that take credit cards.
- Terms and conditions apply.
Balance transfer fee
3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*
The FCBA is limited to consumer credit cards, so you’ll want to check with your issuer regarding business credit cards as some have extended the zero-liability protection to those cards as well.
Identity theft protection services to consider
When it comes to identity theft, it’s ideal to be aware of potential risks before any damage is done. While there’s no way to guarantee that your identity won’t be stolen, there are many identity theft protection services to help you monitor your personal information and you provide alerts to help prevent you from falling prey to scams and malicious websites. Many of these services also include identity theft insurance, helping you recoup out-of-pocket expenses related to restoring your identity.
CNBC Select recommends Aura if you’re looking for an all-in-one identity theft protection service. It protects against financial fraud, identity theft, spam calls, online theft, phishing and scam websites, viruses and malware, as well as offering security tailored to kids and financial alerts like credit score monitoring. There are plans available specific to individuals, couples and families.
Aura
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Cost
Individual plan: $9/month billed annually or $12/month billed monthly; Couple plan: $17/month billed annually or $20/month billed monthly; Family plan: $25/month billed annually or $30/month billed monthly
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Standout features
Protects against financial fraud, identity theft, spam calls, online theft, phishing and scam websites, viruses and malware, as well as offering security tailored to kids and financial alerts like credit score monitoring
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Availability
Offered in both the App Store (for iOS) and on Google Play (for Android)
Pros
- Extensive security offerings that provide protection from hackers and online predators
- Credit score monitoring and access to credit report
- Discount if choose to bill annually versus monthly
- 14-day free trial and, on all annual plans, 60-day money-back guarantee
- Offers couple and family plans
Cons
- Costs for whichever plan you choose
If you’re looking for a combination of credit monitoring and identity theft protection, check out PrivacyGuard. Its combined plan features a free VantageScore, credit monitoring of all three bureaus, alerts and reports, dark web scanning, public records and bank account monitoring and $1 million in identity theft insurance. Separate plans for just identity or credit protection are also available.
PrivacyGuard®
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Cost
$9.99 to $24.99 per month
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Identity theft insurance
Up to $1 million for Identity Protection and Total Protection plans; none for Credit Protection plan
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Credit monitoring
Total Protection and Credit Protection plans both monitor your Experian, Equifax and TransUnion credit reports; Identity Protection doesn’t offer credit monitoring.
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Mobile app
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Family plan
Pros
- Option to choose the plan that suits you: Credit Protection, Identity Protection or Total Protection
- New users can try any plan for $1 for the first 14 days
Cons
- No family plan
- No identity theft insurance with Credit Protection plan
- Identity Protection plan doesn’t offer triple-bureau credit monitoring
Don’t miss: Best identity theft protection services
While not as comprehensive, a free credit monitoring service can provide basic protection if a paid identity theft service isn’t in your budget. By keeping tabs on your credit report and statements, you can quickly spot signs of suspicious activity, such as new accounts in your name or drastic credit score changes, which could indicate identity theft.
Experian’s free credit monitoring service is great because in addition to real-time alerts about your credit report, it provides a one-time dark web surveillance report upon sign-up.
Experian Dark Web Scan + Credit Monitoring
On Experian’s secure site
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Cost
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Credit bureaus monitored
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Credit scoring model used
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Dark web scan
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Identity insurance
Compare credit repair options
Bottom line
While credit card fraud and identity theft are similar, identity theft has much more serious repercussions. Problems associated with identity theft can follow you for years while getting a new card is typically all it takes to rectify credit card fraud alone. Fortunately, there are ways to proactively reduce the risk of identity theft, such as using a protection service.
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At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every personal finance article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of personal finance products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.
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For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Discover it® Miles, click here.
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
