Abstract: A method of authorizing payment for an online transaction according to a credit plan using a payment scheme infrastructure. A real and a virtual account number for a credit plan for a transaction are received from a credit issuer. The transaction is received for authorization from a merchant gateway—the transaction is completed for the virtual card number. The payment scheme infrastructure uses the virtual card number to obtain or confirm authorization for the credit plan, and recovers the real account number from the virtual card number to obtain authorization of the transaction from an issuer for the real account number. In this way the transaction is authorized if the credit plan is authorized and the transaction is authorized by the issuer for the real account number using suitable methods and apparatus at the payment scheme infrastructure, at the credit issuer computing system, and at the merchant computing system.