PayPal

If you shop online OR need to send money to someone, then you may want to consider signing up for a PayPal account (free).  

I use our PayPal account whenever given the choice at checkout online.  Why?

1) The real advantage for me is that by using PayPal, I don't have to give my credit card to the company I am purchasing from.  Only PayPal has that information which they use to charge your credit card upon your purchase.

2) PayPal provides 24/7 fraud monitoring and alerts if there is a suspicious charge.

3) PayPal's faster.  You don't have to enter all of your financial details (name, card  number, expiration date, etc.) when you checkout.  You enter it once in PayPal when setting up your account and then speed through checkout thereafter.

4) If you like to accumulate the rewards on your credit card (like our Southwest Visa that we use for the points to fly to Pennsylvania), you keep earning those points/rewards because PayPal uses that credit card each time you make a purchase.

5) It is also very easy to give/send money to individuals using your PayPal account (however, to send money internationally with PayPal is much more expensive than some other options).

We've had a PayPal account for quite a few years and enjoy using it. If you're looking to protect and speed up your online purchases, give it a try!

(If you set up an account and want to try sending money to someone, I'll gladly be your "test" recipient!)    ;-)

P.S. Yes, I wrote about PayPal a little over a year ago, but I thought it might be time for a reminder!