A method, system, and/or computer program product securely manages smart card transactions. A processing entity receives a smart card identifier from a smart card. The smart card identifier is a transaction-specific identifier for a transaction, and contains no financial data about a holder of the smart card. The smart card identifier is hidden from a second party to the transaction. The processing entity receives transaction data for the transaction from the second party, where the transaction data is blocked from the smart card. In response to determining that the transaction is valid, the processing entity issues a transaction confirmation to the smart card and a transaction approval to the second party to the transaction.