On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 13:17:43 -0600, Califbill
wrote:

John H wrote:
On Friday, December 19, 2014 10:21:14 AM UTC-5, Let it snowe wrote:
On 12/19/2014 9:25 AM, Poquito Loco wrote:
On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 08:39:34 -0500, Keyser Söze
wrote:

On 12/19/14 7:58 AM, Poquito Loco wrote:
On Fri, 19 Dec 2014 07:47:24 +0000, RGrew176
wrote:


The Home Depot hack caught a lot of us. I used to use my debit card
exclusively as at that time I had no credit cards after closing all of
them out and paying off the balances.

When the HD hack occured I got an email from my bank stating that my
debit card was on their watch list. A few weeks later someone in Russia
tried to use the number to charge something. The bank caught it
prevented the transaction and sent me a new debit card.

About that time I applied for and got a new credit card which I now use
exclusively instead of the debit card paying off the balance each month.
It is safer in some ways to use the CC instead of the debit card, in
fact since I got the new CC I have only used my debit card when drawing
out cash from the ATM.

I'm wondering if the HD hack is what got ours. We use credit cards and
got a letter from the bank that the cards had been 'compromised'. No
further info. Told to keep using them until we got the new ones -
which took a couple months because the system was so backed up. There
hadn't been any outside charges on ours.

Sure did make us realize how many 'automatic' credit card charges we
have out there.



I'll bet your bank offers you virtually instant text "alerts" over your
smart phone whenever one of your cards is used for anything. Our banks do.

One of my accounts is for on-line purchases only, and it is linked to
its own ATM card. I only keep $100 in the account unless I am making a
large purchase, and then I transfer in enough $$$ to cover that
purchase. That way, if the card is compromised, I'm only out a few bucks
until the bank makes good on it.

I use the same card for everything. Don't use ATMs. It's a 'rebate'
card, so I even use it to buy a baking potatoe.

Seriously? A baking potatoe? Merchantes must love you. ;-)

--
Patriotic Americans dump on Krause.

Seriously. But I have to admit, I'm not too wild about our local Safeway either.

I do not use my card at small shops for small purchases as I know what it
cost the merchant per transaction. Friends own a donut shop. People want
to use a card for a $2 purchase. She loses money on the deal. Costs
$0.25-0.35 for a transaction charge.

That's understandable. I'd do the same thing.