You've probably heard that the Internet is a dangerous place to use your credit card. As the Holiday shopping season approaches, you need to know that this is a myth. It's time to wake up and see the light.
The reality is that your credit card is the best way for you to pay for your online purchases. If you have a problem with your purchase, you will generally find your credit card company quick to take your side by reversing the charge. By comparison, if you send a check, you have no convenient way to get your money back if you have a problem.
It turns out that Federal law is extremely protective of consumers when it comes to credit card transactions. For example, if the hacker from your nightmares actually snatched your credit card number as it traversed cyberspace (exceedingly unlikely by the way), Federal law limits your liability to $50. Moreover, most banks waive the $50 because they need your goodwill more than they need your $50.
The paranoia that people have regarding credit card use on the Net crosses the line into the irrational. I don't understand why people think that it is okay to call 1-800-Send-Me-Some-Junk, talk to some anonymous person working for a no-name company, located they don't know where and blithely read her a credit card number. That's a much higher risk transaction than sending your credit card number over the Internet to ReputableMerchant.com. Still, people fret about the Net's dangers.
Now, I'm not saying that the Net is a perfect place for credit cards. Of course there are risks, but the risks are reasonable and "reasonable" is the operative concept.
When it comes to security issues, if you seek perfection, you're doomed to fail. If you required "perfect," you would never give your credit card to a waiter who then walks away with your card. For all you know, he could be in the back room, running your card through enough times to feed an army. You wouldn't know until you got your bill.
Still, it feels "reasonable" to give that waiter your card - and it is reasonable. It's likewise reasonable to give your credit card number to a reputable website over the Net.
While it is true that a hacker could intercept your credit card number, it's an extremely small risk and the law protects you anyway if it happens. If your merchant uses a secure server, the risk is even lower and is probably approaching zero. (One way to insure that it's a secure server is to look at the address bar in your browser. If it's a secure server, the website address will start with "https" instead of "http.")
Look at it this way, if you wanted a perfectly safe life, you would probably never let your kids leave the house. I would submit to you that if you let your kids walk the streets, you can suck up the courage to send your credit card number to walmart.com. |