Monday, September 22, 2014

Tips for Better Online Shopping

Shopping online has become a modern trend as it eliminates the need for waiting in long queue for purchasing a product online. Some worry that their credit card details may be given to a wrong person. Some believe that shopping online is better and safer than shopping in person or over the telephone. With the e-stores offering Free home delivery, Product replacement, etc., Online shopping has become a most preferred way of shopping nowadays. Here are some tips for a better shopping experience online.

Be Secure:

Be Secure
Millions of dollars are spend everyday in online shopping over the world. There are people who are trying to steal some from it, Be sure you are not a victim to them. When visiting a site to purchase anything online, ensure that the site is secure. Nowadays Phishing attacks are getting popular as shopping online is getting popular. So to ensure that the page you are visiting is secure, look for a tiny padlock icon over the beginning of the url in your browser's address bar. Also the site is secure if there is "s" as "https" and not "http" as seen on the picture.

Paying with Credit or Debit Card?


Paying with Credit or Debit Card
When shopping online, sites offer different modes of payment. Among them Credit and Debit card are the most preferred way by people. And here comes another question on what mode of payment to prefer, Credit or Debit card? It's advisable to prefer Credit card rather than Debit Card. Because Debit card draw directly from your bank account, so in case if your debit card details get in wrong hands, they may do much more damages to your finances than in the case of Credit card. So, prefer credit card for payment when shopping online.

Nowadays most credit card companies offer single-use credit card numbers for the purpose of online shopping, that expires after a single purchase, avoiding being misused even if the credit card details get's into wrong hand. And only the credit card company knows the account that these credit cards are linked to.

Shopping with Coupon Codes:

Shopping with Coupon Codes
Hope you got some idea on choosing secure sites and making secure payments online. Now let's look into the way of purchasing your favorite products with reduced price online. Yes it's possible! Earlier we got coupons through newspaper, magazines or through our nearest store to avail discount when purchasing something.

Now with the advent of Technology/ Electronic coupons, it's possible to purchase your favorite products online at reduced/discount price. First you need to find a Coupon providing website. Then access the shopping website (where you want to use the coupon) through the coupon providing site. And select a deal to get the coupon code. Use those coupons or deals  during the checkout process on the shopping website to avail the discount.

Some final tips to be more secure:

  • Add a Phishing filter to your browser as extension to avoid being a victim to phishing scams. These filter warn you when entering a insecure site. A simple google search will yield you with various phishing filters to compatible with your browser.
  • When purchasing online, use credit card with online fraud protection. Many credit card company offers protection against purchases made with your credit card without your consent.
  • Always keep a record of the purchase details that includes the time, date, receipt number, and order confirmation. It's better to take a hard copy of it.
  • Email scams are increasing nowadays, So be aware of them. Never reply to mails asking your credit/debit card details to send money to your account.

Hope you had some idea on making your online shopping a Better one :) See you in next post buddies..
Image credit: iosphere, stuartmiles