I am not completely Dave Ramsey in my money management and have a few credit cards. I pay them off each month, but found it easier to use a card while shopping versus having cash on hand for everything.
With the whole Equifax ordeal, I have reconsidered the use of credit cards. Guessing my information might be out there already it might not matter, but how diligent are we at managing all of spending and use of our information online?
Credit Card Company Confirmed A Purchase
One of my credit cards called to confirm a purchase that I had made with a unusual business name. I was thankful. Even though I had made the purchase, I was happy to hear that someone else was monitoring my card and the activity on the card. The purchase was outside my normal spending on the card along with the name of the business creating a red flag for the credit card company.
The phone call prompted me to reconsider all my online accounts. What is the easiest way for me to monitor my spending on a credit card from month to month? Depending on the month, between personal spending and business spending I can have up to 4 credit cards to monitor my spending on. Cutting back on paper was a thoughtful gesture to the environment and my paper stacks at home, but I found I only addressed my credit card bills when they arriving in the mail. I had to open, confirm my spending and pay my bill. An email is easily forgotten and logging into my accounts never happened. Plus, on the days I went to verify information I had forgotten what my user name was, my password and all of my security questions. With everything online these days, I have a gazillion user names and passwords.
More Mail for Me
So I made the call and have a couple more to make, I am going back to paper. This will hold me accountable and anyone trying to use my credit card information they stole. Maybe eventually I will go to cash and limit my online footprint. As one representative told me over the phone, I wasn’t the only person doing this.
I will recycle.
