After information leaked from Target stores, will you be using cash or your debit card to go shopping this year? I realize using a card is much more convenient and it saves you a lot of time at the register, but in terms of protecting your identity and money, I personally would use cash. It's the safest way to shop and you don't have to worry about fees either. My mom recently had a problem with her debit cards and I know it's that time of year where scammers will do anything to make free money. Be careful out there this shopping season!
You bring up a good point. When I go shopping any time of the year, I prefer to shop around having cash at hand instead of any kind of cards. I am use to paying that way and I'm not that much into using cards to pay unless I have to and it's a last resort. Like if I'm at a high end restaurant, paying a bill online and stuff like that, I have no problem using it. But I have been cautious since those Target reports and have minimized my use of cards.
I don't use credit cards at all. Mostly because I do not trust them. I have become a bit depended on my debit card though. All my money automatically gets placed in the account and then I can by whatever I want with the price of plastic. My bank is pretty good about watching out for fraud. If you go on vacation and forget to tell them about it. If you use the card it will be flagged as a fraufulate charge and the card will be turned off.
Not that I have a lot of money in my account at the moment, but I would much rather use cash myself. I have heard of several other stores having potential leaks and there's just been too many similar incidents to count. So I'd rather play it safe and use cash. I especially am not feeling too safe when cashiers fail to check ID anymore. I remember working in retail and I would check ID every time. Now with cards being on cell phone apps, it's so easy to have money stolen.
I prefer to pay in cash wherever possible. But since I am travelling a lot, it's not always the most convenient way, as there are often high currency conversion fees, and more fees for using ATM's. So, what I usually do, is to keep half of the money that I earn in cash, while I put the rest in the bank. I have always stashed money in secret places around my home. It's a habit that has often saved me a lot of trouble, and on certain occasions, it pleasantly surprised me, as I had forgotten about the odd dollar bill under the carpet or in the pair of shoes that I rarely wear.
Cash or gift card! It's the only way to go. I win gift cards online or I earn them on sites and then use them to buy my presents online or in person. My favorite is ordering and picking up at the store. Then I can buy smaller items with cash.
I only use credit cards - NOT DEBIT and very rarely cash. The biggest frustration for me is not the risk of info leakage, but the constant changing of the cards when there is a security breach. I feel like the major credit card companies carry their own insurance (and insurance for their customers) that always takes care of erroneous charges. Granted, I've never had my identity stolen (I hear it's a bitch) - but I don't live my life in fear of using credit cards. That said, I've ceased the saving of my credit card info online, completely. I'd rather type the 16 numbers in each time than worry that someone could hack my computer or figure out a password to a site where I have a saved card on file.
I plan to use cash when I shop. I don't shop a lot but when I do it is easier to stay on track when I use cash than if I use my card. I have been using gift cards I have earned online and I like that. I may try for a few extra gift cards to purchase a few gifts online.
I tend to use a Wal-Mart banking card a lot. I feel a little more secure about it than using a debit or credit card from a bank. I do not like carrying cash either. That feels unsafe to me as well.
I use both equally. It's just easier to use my debit card when I'm out since I don't always have cash. If my card numbers get stolen my bank will reimburse me for the charges. It happened once before long ago. It was a hassle to deal with but I didn't lose any money thankfully.
If you are really that concerned, something else you can do is simply pick up a pre-paid card and load it up a little at a time. That way if someone does steal your number they won't get away with much, if anything. Stores like Dollar Tree sell these cards for only $1, so you don't need to go spending like $5 for them either. The only caveat would be that you could run into some problems when it came to returning or exchanging items. Though if you get gift receipts for everyone they can at least get store credit on their own. I've never tried returning anything I've bought with a pre-paid card, but it should work. Most debit cards can be used as credit cards. The big difference when you are checking out is to tell them to process it as credit. This means the store pays the transaction fee, not you. When you process it as debit you pay the transaction fee and you open the door for the cashier to steal money from your account by taking out a cash advance for themselves, which unfortunately happens. The stores don't like to explain why when they ask you if you want debit or credit, for obvious reasons.
