| Its that time of year again when everyone hits the high | | | | have purchased goods from in the past. Some online |
| street to do their Christmas shopping. There are a few | | | | shops state how long they have been trading. If a |
| Christmas shopping strategies. | | | | store has been trading online for a number of years, |
| Start in June This saves you panicking in a number of | | | | and is well established, this is a good indicator of a |
| ways You don't get into debt because you are | | | | reputable store. |
| spreading the cost of Christmas over 7 months. You | | | | When shopping online you inevitably end up at the |
| get to buy presents at bargain prices and take | | | | 'check out'. This is the point where the store will ask |
| advantage of all the summer sales. There are not | | | | you for your name, postal address and credit or debit |
| Christmas queues and the weather is dry fine and | | | | card details. This is the time when credit card fraud is |
| warm, making your Christmas shopping a more | | | | a danger. |
| enjoyable experience. | | | | To protect yourself look for a padlock icon in the |
| Leave it until Christmas Eve! The shops are desperate | | | | status bar at the bottom of the window on the actual |
| by this time and slash they prices incredibly. It is a bit of | | | | 'check out' page, where the website is asking you to |
| mad dash but all the Christmas stress is confined to a | | | | submit your details. This padlock mean that this page |
| single 24 hours. | | | | of the website has a secure connection, so any |
| Buy online. Quick and convenient, no queuing, no trying | | | | information that you submit on this page will not be |
| to find car parking, no terrible weather. Plus many | | | | decipherable to anyone else, it will be encrypted. If |
| retailers offer discounts for online orders, which means | | | | there is not a padlock, it is not a secure connection |
| you save money too! | | | | despite what the actual web page content may say. |
| Many people are worried about security and credit | | | | You can still submit your details, However, you do |
| card fraud when buying online. Of course this is a | | | | significantly increase the risk of becoming a victim of |
| worry, nobody wants to be the victim of credit card | | | | credit card fraud. |
| fraud. However, there are some steps you can take | | | | Our advice would be to contact the website and ask |
| to keep your online shopping experience as safer | | | | them to provide you with a secure payment page, or |
| transaction as possible. | | | | shop elsewhere. |
| When buying online, only use reputable retailers. This | | | | However you do your Christmas shopping this year, |
| maybe a high street retailer who have an online | | | | Enjoy your experience and keep your card details |
| shopping facilities or a large online store. Maybe a | | | | safe. |
| friend has recommended a particular website that they | | | | |