Credit Card Safety and Sticking to a Budget While Shopping

With the holiday season right around the corner and Black Friday just a couple weeks away, we’re offering tips to stay on budget and keep your credit card information safe.

Shop Safely

Online shopping has become increasingly popular in the last couple of years, which could give hackers a better chance of stealing your credit card information. It’s important to ensure you are using a secure webpage with a reputable company. Check for the “s” in the https portion of the URL as the “s” stands for “secure.” Also take into account the dangers of making purchases while connected to a public Wi-Fi network. Purchasing anything on public Wi-Fi automatically puts any of your information in danger to a potential scammer. This can also include purchases on a cellular device.
Keeping your credit card information safe is more important than ever with advancing technologies for any hacker out there! To safely purchase anything online, secure a firewall and anti-virus software. A popular option with many buying sites is to save your credit card information within the site for easier purchase when you return to the site. Avoid storing your information despite the inconvenience.
To protect your cards, it’s also important to sign the back of any credit card once you receive it in the mail. This will protect you if your card were to ever get lost or stolen. It’s also important to keep your account number private and your personal information current. Be sure to notify your bank if you move so your statements will be sent to the correct address.

Stay Budget Conscious

When you are shopping it’s also important to stick to a budget, whether you want or need to, it’s a great way to maintain and manage your spending habits. To establish a budget, it’s important to be realistic. Don’t create one that is unachievable or unrealistic. You can find a budget that works for you by tracking how much money goes to your different financial needs and setting a plan accordingly.
A good way to stick to a budget while shopping is to only have cash so that once you’re out of money you can no longer make any other purchases. It’s also beneficial to shop around for best price and compare prices when at all possible. This can be a very underutilized method to sticking to a budget. Often times you can find a better price for an item at various other stores than your first stop.
Lastly, it’s important to remember to stay focused on the big picture and purpose of why you created a budget and how it will encourage better spending habits.
 
Sources:
Creditcards.com
Onemainfinancial.com