How To Stay Safe When Making Credit or Debit Purchases

In recent times we have seen tremendous growth in the usage of the alternatives to loose change and cash in our wallet. Debit and Credit Cards help us to track our expenses on our everyday essentials like groceries and gas to get to our jobs and school if you have kids to take and pickup. This can add up and the more we learn to manage the money that is needed the better off we are when it comes to big ticket things like a long distance getaway or even that concert and artist that you have been wanting to see. I am going to talk about some of the safety precautions we should be taking to make sure your identity is kept safe from criminals online who may hack your account.

First off, be sure to have a username and password that is long enough for other people not to log in but also a combination of letters and numbers that you can know by memory or be able to write down and put in a file of all your information and documents. This makes it hard for people to get into and mess with your accounts. I have a Bank of America card that has a lock feature on it so my bank is able to deactivate that card and I can then order a replacement with another card number and expiration date. Set a PIN for your card that you can easily remember like your birthday or the day you got hired for your job, that way when given the prompt to enter it at a merchant be it in person or online there are no hassles and your the only one who can remember. This is a great way to keep criminals from stealing your information and using it for unauthorized purchases especially for things that you would never buy for yourself which is a waste of your earned money.

This card has a chip reader which is a new feature in today’s debit and credit cards, these chips can make it harder for thieves to enter a card number in and steal money from your account, they are a very great thing to have and a strong security measure in today’s standards.

Spend Wisely and Stay Safe

-Tristan