Discover Deskshop 3.0 will offer up to six million customers the option of single use card numbers when shopping on the Web. The service has been released in time for the holiday season in a bid to entice more shoppers to spend online.

The launch follows a recent survey commissioned by the National Consumers League (NCL) which concluded that consumers' biggest concern about shopping online is that their credit card numbers could be stolen. However, two-thirds - or 67 percent - of the consumers polled indicated that using single use credit card numbers would give them more confidence about making purchases on the Internet.

Colleen Zambole, vice president, electronic commerce, Discover Financial Services, comments: "Discover Deskshop 3.0 allows our cardmembers to feel confident when they make online purchases because they know that their personal information is never at risk."

When users reach the online checkout form at a Web site, the virtual credit card icon will pop up on the computer screen to ask if they would like to fill the form with a surrogate card number as well as the billing and shipping information. The service can be used at every online merchant that accepts Discover Card. Once the card number is assigned, it is restricted to that particular online merchant so any additional purchases or services can be billed to that number.

To simplify the tracking of disposable numbers, customers will be able to click on the "Past Purchases" link on Discover Deskshop, which will display up to 50 purchases made using surrogate numbers. These details will also appear on the cardmember's paper and online statements together with their other Discover Card purchases.

Doscover's adoption of the Orbiscom engine follows recent contract wins with Swedbank and French bank card association Carte Bleue.