Shopping Online Safely

Years ago, when we first thought we might like to purchase something online, but were still not convinced of the safety of such an operation, we took out a special credit card to use on just such occasions.  It had a very low credit limit, so that if something did happen, we wouldn't be too concerned.

We have used that specific card online ever since, even now that we know online shopping with reputable companies is actually safer than doing so in person or on the phone.  It is, because the card numbers are encrypted and nobody ever sees them when you shop online,  so they can never be copied and used elsewhere. 

It was actually our regular credit card that ran into trouble. But VISA is very quick to phone you when their system flags unusual activity. Someone in Montreal was trying to max it out on Christmas Eve one year.  While VISA had me on the phone, saying we are not in Montreal buying anything, they also had the police on another line, and were ready to catch the person who was fraudulently using our card number. I was very impressed with how quickly this problem was dealt with.

We learned at that time that crooks often work at a gas station just long enough to collect some credit card numbers and then move on. They recreate the cards and then go shopping. After that we decided to use our "safe for online" credit card for gas purchases too.

Another time someone apparently tried to purchase a cruise, but they were using the safe card  number, and there wasn't nearly enough credit to complete the purchase. So they tried to book a lower priced trip and ran into the same problem. Once again, the flags went up at VISA.  I don't know if that person was caught or not, but they sure didn't get access to any of our funds.

Pay Pal came along at some point, and I got an account with them. I use it when I wanted to purchase things like flowering tea balls from China. I'm not about to give some unknown person in a far away land my credit card number, but Pay Pal is a safe way to deal with such vendors.  I've also had people pay me for photographs using Pay Pal. A lady in California sent me some money very easily that way. It's a much safer way to do business online. I don't have to worry about receiving a bad cheque from someone I can't track down in exchange for my photos. 

Then this week I got an e-mail from Pay Pal saying that someone in Nicaragua had tried to access my account and that it would be locked down until I signed in to verify it again. I was a bit suspicious of that message.  I signed in the regular way, without clicking on any links within an e-mail,  and immediately the phone rang. An automated voice was asking for the verification code that had popped up on my screen.  Once that was entered, the site was accessible to me once again, and I was happy to find out how well protected even Pay Pal is.

Since Pay Pal often wants to attach your account with them to either a bank account or a credit card, it reassures me to know how secure they are.  You can transfer money to and from Pay Pal from the linked bank account. Likewise,  they can just charge the balance of a purchase to your credit card when what you currently are holding in Pay Pal is not enough to complete the purchase. That beats waiting the three days for a transfer to go through.  Just like the low credit level card I hold, I also have a mad money account at a totally different bank from where I normally deal. That's the account I attached Pay Pal to.  I can transfer money to and from the Pay Pal account from there, and never worry about crooks getting access to my life's savings.

I was being very careful when I set up that account, and the little VISA card, but it's paid off.  While both VISA and Pay Pal have proven to be very safe, I also know I don't have to worry about too much money disappearing if anything ever is breached. Shopping online can be very safe with a few precautions.

Wedding Gifts in the Digital Age

Once upon a time, when a couple got married, they were young people just leaving their parent's homes. People showered them with wedding gifts as they had a new household to set up and needed just about everything. Today things are different.  While many people are marrying for the second or third time, even new brides are often in or near their thirties, and have been living in their own homes (with or without their intended husbands) for quite some time.  Their household is already set up, or they are about to combine two. Either way, they don't really need an influx of new stuff, so wedding gifts are much more difficult to buy.  Of course, you can always just write a cheque, but what's the fun in that?  Somehow giving money has always felt so impersonal to me.

Of course, I've heard of gift registries before, but I've never seen any evidence that anyone ever used such a thing until just recently.  The digital age has made wedding planning and gift giving so much easier.

A young friend of ours is about to get married. While we still got the traditional invitation by snail mail, it came with  a card directing us to a website at www.mywedding.com .  There we could see the whole story. We could read about the proposal and see pictures of the engagement. Not only does the site tell you where and when the wedding will be held, there is a list of who will be taking part in the upcoming wedding and a complete schedule for the activities of the day.  I wouldn't be surprised if the actual wedding photos ended up being displayed there also.  In this digital age, you can also RSVP right there, online.

There was also a link to a gift registry that was set up in a way that made it so easy for us to give a gift without ever having to actually go shopping. Couples can simply list the things they need, and you get to choose the item and how much you want to contribute towards it.

This couple is one of those that already have well established homes and didn't need a lot of stuff that would likely just go into storage. They decided that they would like to go on a lovely honeymoon, touring Europe. The registry listed such things as airfare, hotel nights, romantic dinners, a boat ride, a train pass, and even wine and cheese.  The only things for their home that they put on the registry were a new couch and a washing machine.  Dollar amounts ranged for $8 to $75 with a box to choose multiples of these dollar amounts if you wanted. So all you had to do was choose how much to give and what you felt like aiming it towards.  I wondered what would happen if not enough money was directed at the airfare or the hotels.  Would the trip still be on?   As it turned out the money went directly into the bride's Pay Pal account, where it would accumulate, separated from any actual bank account for the time being. This means they can likely spend the money however they choose when the time comes.  We at least had the chance to participate in their dream, and contribute to which ever gift idea appealed to us most.  That was much more fun than just writing a cheque.  I highly recommend this site to all of you who are now planning a wedding and don't need that extra toaster.

Free Stuff is No Bother

Some days, going to the post office is really worth the walk.  Today I got three pieces of mail with free things in them.  One was a box from Proctor & Gamble.  They send out boxes full of samples at least a couple of times a year. A lady at the post office noticed my parcel and said, "Oh, P&G" and I immediately asked if she get this too.  Her answer was, "I can't be bothered with that." 

That box had samples of Pantene shampoo and conditioner, Bounty paper towels, Tide Pods, Dawn Ultra Concentrated dish detergent and what looks to me like a full size Febreze room freshener.  It's good for 30 days anyway, and came in a lovely Mediterranean Lavender scent.

There were other things available too, but Proctor and Gamble lets you choose the things that would be useful to you. It would be no good, for instance, if I were sent something for a dishwasher, since I don't have one.

The Garnier Intensive 7 Days Body lotion was sent as a consolation as everyone who had entered a contest on Facebook was sent an e-mail to tell us we had won a full bottle, 2 full weeks before the contest was even over.  I still have a chance of winning that, as they sent the samples and a coupon for a dollar off as soon as they realized the here had been an error. 

And yes, you do see a $50 Bon Appetit gift card.   I won $25 worth of credit at Card Swap through a blog I read, and the rest of the money spent to buy this card arrived in my Pay Pal account from having done some surveys.  Card Swap has all kinds of cards available and I picked this one as my hubby is often trying to feed me, so I figured it was my turn and he won't object if it's done card I didn't actually spend my own money on.  Bon Appetit is good for all our favorites....Montana's, Swiss Chalet, Kelsey's, Harvey's, and somewhere else I'm not acquainted with. 

The very notion of someone not wanting to be bothered, when it comes to free stuff, just boggles my mind!

Sept 22 
Correction:  Apparently that little Garnier sample was something I sent for myself, on Sept. 5, not what they are sending because of the contest error. For that I will get a coupon for a free full sized bottle of Intensive 7 Days Body Lotion. I tried my sample this morning and I already know I will enjoy the full sized bottle.