Masked credit cards work in a similar way to masked email addresses. You register an actual credit or debit card with Abine.

When you click in the credit card field to pay online, Blur can create a masked card. The online merchant never sees your real credit card number, so if your data is leaked it is quite useless because the card's value is capped at the amount of the transaction.

In other words a masked credit card is more like a prepaid gift card that happens to hold precisely the amount needed for your current transaction.

When you confirm creation of the masked card, Blur bills your actual credit card for the amount you chose. Blur automatically fills in your own address for shipping, naturally, and Blur's address for billing. The transaction appears on your credit card bill as a charge from Abine. If you decide to not use the masked card, you can cancel it and request a refund.

There is some debate as to whether this is legal in the UK.

More on PC Mag and Daniel Latto

They are also know as Disposable One-Time Credit Cards, more here 5 Reputable Disposable Credit Card Number Services