Shopping online is becoming an increasingly common and convenient way to find products or services, also you can easily compare prices from the comfort of your home or office. Shopping online can be a safe and pleasurable experience if you follow a few simple rules and use your common sense.
Don't be put off going online for your shopping by horror stories about card fraud. Online shopping is as safe as making any other purchase with a credit or debit card, although you still need to be careful. You wouldn't't give your credit card to just anyone who asked for it, so follow our tips before giving your details to an unknown web site.
Here's a list of tips you should consult when shopping online. Print this page and keep it in a handy place so it will be easy to review before you order.
If you don't feel comfortable buying or bidding on an item over the web, or if you feel pressured to place your order immediately, maybe you shouldn't.
Take special care to familiarize yourself not only with the rules and policies of the auction site itself but with the legal terms warranties, refund policy, etc. of the seller's items that you wish to bid on.
Whether the product is being sold as new or used, be suspicious of prices that are too good to be true. Also consider carefully whether you may be paying too much for an item, particularly if you're bidding through an auction site. You may want to comparison shop, online or offline, before you buy.
Review the return, refund, and shipping and handling policies as well as the other legal terms. If you can't find them, ask the seller through an e-mail or telephone call to indicate where they are on the site or to provide them to you in writing. See Legal Terms.
Before you give your payment information, there are various icons and software programs that indicate that security software is in place. See Security. Use the safest way to pay on the Internet. Pay for your order using a credit card. See Payment.
You should print out and date a copy of terms, conditions, warranties, item description, company information, even confirming e-mails, and save them with your records of your purchase. See Record keeping.
Look at your purchase carefully as soon as you receive it. Contact the seller as soon as possible if you discover a problem with it. Tell the seller in writing about any problem that you are concerned with, ask for a repair or refund, and keep a copy of your correspondence. See Legal Terms.
How are you paying for the item? Why is paying by credit card safer than paying by check, cash, or debit card? If you have an unauthorized charge on your credit card, under federal law your liability is limited to $50. In fact, some credit card issuers and web site operators say that under certain circumstances they will even pay this amount for you.
Can paying by credit card help in a dispute?
You may be able to dispute the seller's charges if the goods don't arrive or if you aren't't satisfied with them and return them. However, under the federal Fair Credit Billing Act, you can only effectively dispute charges billed to your credit card (but that you have not yet paid) if ALL of the following are true.
You have made a good faith attempt to resolve the dispute with the seller: The dispute involves the amount of $50 or more; and The dispute arose within the state of your credit card billing address, or within 100 miles of your address: AND The seller of the goods (for example, a department store) has not issued the credit card that you used to pay.
If the seller of the goods has issued the credit card you used to pay, as when you use a department store credit card, you may be able to dispute the seller's charges as long as you have first made a good faith attempt to resolve the dispute. The $50, 100-mile requirements do not apply where the seller and card issuer are the same company. Be aware that if you buy goods or services from a seller through a web site, there may be some legal uncertainty about where a dispute arose.
What are other reasons to pay by credit card?
You may save money by using a credit card if you pay it off in full when the bill arrives. Payments made by credit card allow you to keep the payment amount in your bank account, earning interest, until your credit card bill for those payments comes due.
In addition, some credit card issuers grant you extended warranties or other advantages for purchases made with the card.
Credit Card Account Protection
How can you protect against unauthorized use of your credit card account number?
Carefully and promptly check your credit card statements when they arrive. If you identify any irregularities, you should immediately bring these to the attention of the issuer of the credit card by telephone and in writing.
Do you need a separate credit card?
Consider dedicating a single credit card for online purchases. It will be easier for you to review your records. Also, should the security of this number be compromised, you'll still be able to use your other credit cards.
Payment Options
Do other payment options offer as much protection as a credit card?
When it comes to other types of payment options such as debit cards, money orders, cashier's checks, certified checks, teller's checks, and cash on delivery C.O.D. you'll find the level of protection isn't as high as with credit cards. Although there are pros and cons to these other payment options, using a credit card is still your best bet for safety.
