credit card safety (+ other tips too)

As a credit union, education on financial literacy and how to keep your private information safe is pretty important to us. The following tips on credit card safety will help you protect your online identity (while still being able to shop for that laptop you’ve been saving for)!

shop securely for ultimate credit card safety

You never know if a fraudster has tampered with a public computer. Avoid making that next Amazon purchase from a public library or school computer lab and only online shop from your personal computer or smartphone (on a trusted Wi-Fi network). Trust us, you don’t need whatever you’re shopping for that badly.

review privacy policies

As boring as it may be, a little bedtime reading of online privacy policies can be quite beneficial. Why? It’s important to understand how online retailers will be protecting your credit card information after a purchase has been completed. If their site were to be compromised, your information could be at risk.

keep track of your receipt

Holding on to a receipt after completing an online purchase is a great habit to get into for credit card safety. When your monthly statement is ready to be reviewed, cross-reference your receipts with the amount on your statement, to make sure the totals match.

check your statements

Speaking of statements, while many credit cards have 24/7 monitoring programs designed to detect fraud, it’s also a smart idea to regularly check your statements to make sure everything looks normal. If you notice anything that looks out of the ordinary, call the number on the back of your card.

create a secure password

When logging in to view your online statements and other credit card information, having a secure password is of the utmost importance. Read our post on perfecting your online passwords. For ultimate credit card safety, remember, the more complicated, the better.

don’t send credit card details over email, text, or social media

Last, (and certainly not least), do not (and emphasis on the not) ever send your credit card information over email, text, or social media platforms. If you’re social media or email accounts were ever to be hacked OR you lose your phone, your credit card information could, unfortunately, be free for the taking.

question, comments, or concerns about credit card safety?

 Or maybe you just have a question about banking in general? We’re here for you.