Use A Credit Card For Online Shopping

Online Shopping Doesn’t Have To Be Scary

If you are like millions of Americans, you will be conducting some of your holiday shopping online over the course of the next month. Shopping online has a lot of great benefits, including the ability to avoid crowds and get great deals that are not available in-store. So what do you use when you shop online? If you say a credit card, great! Though many people shop online using a debit card, or direct bank account information, a credit card can hold specific safety benefits. Let’s dive in!

4 Benefits Of Using A Credit Card For Online Shopping

• Fraud Prevention
  According to Life Hacker, your safest method of payment when shopping online is your credit card because credit card issuers are on high alert for fraudulent activity. Credit card security has been greatly enhanced over the last decade to help provide consumers with greater peace of mind.
• Your credit card it not tied directly to your bank account
  Your debit card is tied directly to your bank account. This means that if a hacker were to obtain your debit card information, they would have direct access to your bank account funds. If you use a credit card while shopping online, a fraudster would not have this same luxury.
• Disputes
  When you buy merchandise online, you perform transactions that the credit card industry refers to as card-not-present transactions. This simply means that you and your card are not present at the time of a sale. The Huffington Post, advises that it is usually easier to prove that a fraudulent transaction happened online during a card-not-present situation, than a purchase made in-store.  Card issuers make every attempt to research all disputes for validity, regardless if they took place online or in-store.
• Holiday Promotions
  Many credit card issuers offer holiday promotions attached to credit card purchases. They may come in the form of discounts or other special offers.  Launch CU has a great holiday promotion focused around our credit card! If you do not have a Launch CU credit card, now is the perfect time to get one.  Every transaction you make on your Launch CU credit card gives you one entry to win a $100 Visa gift card*. The more you use your card, the more chances you have to win! For complete contest rules, click here*.

Regardless how you plan to checkout during your online shopping trip, follow these tips to help keep your financial information safe.

• Make sure that the sites you shop on are secure. You will know if a site is secure by looking at the URL itself. Make sure that when you get to the checkout page the URL reads “https” rather than http. The “s” signifies that the site is secured. In addition, check for the little padlock symbol. This is another secured site identifier.
• Make sure you enter the correct URL. In many instances, scammers will misspell domains in order to trick you into entering personal information. Many times these sites will be almost exact replicas of the real site. ALWAYS make sure that the URL is spelled correctly before making a purchase online.
• Never provide your social security number, bank account number, or online passwords such as your email password or Facebook password during the checkout process. An online retailer does not need this information. If you are asked this, think of it as a big red flag, and do not continue with the purchase.
• If you think the site is suspicious, trust your gut. Leave the site immediately, do not click any buttons or links on the site, and under no circumstance download any software.
• Use different passwords for all of your online accounts. This way if a fraudster is able to get one of your passwords, he or she does not have access to all of your accounts.
• Do not save your credit card information on a retail site. It is tempting to store your credit card information on a retailer’s site for speedy one-click check out, however this should be avoided at all costs. If you store your credit card information, and someone is able to access your account they can make multiple purchases using your stored information.

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