Don't Worry About Shopping Online

With today's technology Internet shopping is fairly safe. The reason I say "fairly safe," is because the risk equates to about the same as getting attacked by a shark. The odds of getting your credit card number stolen are not likely, but still possible. If you are fearful of using your credit card on the Internet here are some simple tricks to calm your nerves:

• Use a prepaid visa gift card, which can be purchased at any major grocery store. The visa gift card limits the amount of susceptible money, and is in now way linked to any of your personal information.



• Have a dedicated low limit Internet credit card or dedicated Internet checking account. If you have a dedicated card for the Internet than it is much easier to monitor the transactions and can be paid off monthly.



• Banks are insured. If your credit card number does get stolen most banks and credit card companies will reimburse you, and conduct their own investigation.



• Use online payment companies like Paypal. Some sites prefer this 3rd party Payment company, and Paypal will even issue a debit card linked to your Paypal account.



• Be aware of secure sites. Most sites will advertise Verisign, TrustE, Trust Guard, or McAfee Secure during the check out. The URL address will also change to "https://" which signifies that the information sent and received is secure.



• If possible purchase from major online merchants, Amazon, Cabelas, or retail stores like Target.

The Internet usually has much better deals and variety than any local merchant. Shopping online is a surefire way to save a buck, and not as dangerous as it seems.