Credit Card Shopping – How to Protect Yourself

Less and less people use actual cash to pay for goods and services these days as the convenience and safety offered by credit and debit cards seems to make more sense. There is also the fact that a person does not have to walk around with a great deal of money in their purse or wallet when they leave the house, which they could potentially lose or could make them the target of thieves or muggers. However there are still risks to using a credit card that you should be aware of so that you can learn how to recognize them and protect yourself.

The first thing that you need to do to protect yourself is never let your credit card out of your sight. Whilst most stores and restaurants now have wireless credit card terminals some don’t which means that they may need to take your card to the machine. If you find yourself in this situation, state that you wish to accompany them to the card machine. This will stop any less honest people from being able to take your credit card details for use at a later date or even from cloning your credit card to sell on
to criminals.


One of the most popular ways of credit card shopping these days is internet shopping. Using a credit card means that we
have many layers of protection should anyone try to steal our details. Credit card companies also insure our purchases so if our goods do not arrive or they are not what we ordered then we are able to get our money back even if the web shop refuses to offer a refund. However there are risks when paying online and it is important that you know what to look for before entering your credit card details.


To start with look at the web shop that you are considering using for credit card shopping. Does it look like it is well run by a professional company and do you feel secure using it? If you have any doubts then you need to consider using a different web shop. Look at their security policy to make sure that you are fully covered when you use your credit card to make a purchase.


Now, when you choose the option to go to check out you should be directed to a secure webpage where you will enter your
details. You will be able to identify whether it is a secure web page because you will be able to see a padlock symbol that will appear on the bar that shows the web address of the site that you are using. It should also appear at the bottom right hand corner of the page. This padlock symbol means that you are completely protected and safe to continue credit card shopping and enter your card and identity details.


Staying safe while credit card shopping is much easier now then it has ever been before thanks to the technology provided to merchants. However you do still need to take care and use your common sense before entering your card details or allowing your credit card to be swiped through a machine.



Jake Williams is an expert in developing credit card shopping (the Danish term is korthandel) solutions for clients in Western Europe.